Culture and food and wine drive cycling trips

A trip, a weekend, a tour on the pedals, a white trail on a mountain bike, a walk on an e-bike or a holiday pushing on the pedals. Strike the spark and you have a successful marriage between hiking and cycling, a formula chosen by cycling enthusiasts from all over Europe in 2025. Last year there were almost 49 million cycling tourists, which fuelled a 6.4 billion euro business in the territories. This is what emerges from the report 'Travelling by bike 2026' produced by Isnart-Unioncamere for the Observatory on the Economy of Tourism of the Chambers of Commerce in collaboration with Legambiente. The report was presented yesterday during the 'Fiera del Cicloturismo' (Cycling Tourism Fair) in the new premises of the Padua Fair Centre. Once off the bike, half of the cycle tourists go to discover the gems of the territories' food and wine or cultural deposits, the historical, artistic and cultural heritage with a centuries-old past.

cyclotourism consolidates its numbers and confirms itself as an important segment of the country's tourism sector," comments Sebastiano Venneri, Head of Territory and Innovation at Legambiente. "This year we wanted to turn the spotlight on a sector, that of bike hire, which is a further indicator of the health of cycle tourism. We have selected and recounted successful experiences in the Report, bearing witness to the extent to which cycle tourism generates a good distributed economy and a significant induced activity on the territory".

Foreign tourists, especially those from Northern Europe, are great admirers of Italian holidays on the pedals, in couples, families and groups of friends. "The identikit of the typical cyclist-tourist shows a growth in the female component of more than 17 percentage points over 2024,' reports Loretta Credaro, president of Isnart-Tourist and Cultural Research Institute and Unioncamere representative of the 'Impresa Donna' Committee of the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy. 'I can see that the demand for cycling tourism is increasingly 'in pink', a phenomenon that I hope will also be confirmed on the supply side, creating many new opportunities for self-employment, including for women, in the small and large destinations of our country. In this direction goes the European initiative 'Women in cycling', a network promoted by the European Cyclists' Federation, with the contribution of several partner companies, created to make the cycling, mobility and tourism industry sectors more inclusive and participatory for women across the board. The initiative supports the inclusion, mentoring and leadership of women in tourism as well, aiming to increase the presence of women on both the supply and demand sides.

In 2025 there is also a growing interest among young people, the so-called Gen Z tourists are 17.3%, against 9.3% in 2024, for a tourism that is increasingly active and curious about what the territory has to offer: among the most popular activities are visits to historic centres, trips to the sea/lake and wine and food tasting. Inevitably, the Internet is the great influencer because 6 out of 10 cycle tourists decide and plan their route on the web, looking mainly for information on itineraries and promotional offers, while 1 out of 2 recounts the experience on social networks. Trips, excursions, bike rental, catering and hospitality drive consumption. The average per capita expenditure per day is 69 euros and 91 euros for other goods and services. There is interest in local food and wine, with an average daily expenditure per person in restaurants of 22 euros, and 10 euros for purchases of typical local products. There is no shortage of spa and wellness services with around 17 euros per person per day.

"We have renewed our partnership with Isnart and Legambiente," recalls Pinar Pinzuti of Bikenomist, director of the Cycling Tourism Fair. The data in the report show the growing importance of this tourism segment for the country. The 265 exhibitors (+63% over 2025 ndr) present at the fifth edition of the Bicycle Tourism Fair highlight the growth of a movement that deserves a dedicated national policy, so as to become even more competitive on foreign markets. In this context, the growth of the female segment appears significant: it is a demonstration of how cycle tourism represents an opportunity for inclusion for any segment of the population