European bike tourism is having a heyday, according to figures from the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF).
From multi-day bikepacking trips to rides through the park in a foreign city, bike tourism accounts for an estimated 2.3 billion trips each year across the continent.
The ECF has found that bike tourism now generates more than €44 billion annually and supports thousands of small, local businesses, from roadside inns to bike rental outfits.
Bike riders help extend tourism beyond the usual high season and favoured locations, bringing extra income to towns not always visited by tourists, for a greater proportion of the year.
Considering this data, as well as the economic gains of better health and fuel savings, the ECF estimates bike riders produce around €150 billion in benefits for Europe.
The rise in bike tourism has been significantly boosted by the construction of EuroVelo, a continent-wide network of long-distance bike routes.
Once complete, the network will span nearly 61,000 kilometres, including 17 routes developed by the ECF.
Each of the routes has a theme, such as EuroVelo 6: the 'Rivers Route', which follows the Loire, Rhine and Danube rivers through the centre of Europe before ending at the Black Sea.
Or for fans of darker history, there's EuroVelo 13: the 'Iron Curtain Trail', which links former Cold War borders all the way to Turkey and Greece.
The network is over 90% complete and work is underway on EuroVelo 16: the nearly 1,900km 'Iberian Cycle Route', which will be complete by 2028 and link Lisbon and Pamplona via Alentejo, Toledo, Madrid and the foothills of the Pyrenees.
The EU adopted the European Declaration on Cycling in 2024, which pledges to develop and strengthen riding policies at all levels of governance, prioritise bikes in urban planning, encourage organisations to promote bike riding, and promote riding among the public as a healthy means of transport or recreation.
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