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Summary of our market study
The bicycle tourism market in France has experienced strong growth, with economic spin-offs reaching over 5 billion euros.
By 2020, there were over 5,000 "Accueil Vélo" certified establishments, supporting hospitality and quality of service for cyclists.
France has a vast network of cycle routes, including more than 17,515 km of developed national routes, and plans to extend this network to 100% of cycle routes by 2030.
The EuroVelo itineraries, part of a European cycling network, offer over 8,200 km of itineraries available in France from all over the world
The bicycle rental market for tourists is estimated at between 500,000 and 700,000 bicycles, and the sector is dominated by small businesses.
Tour operators play an important role, with 250 operators.
The economic impact of the bicycle tourism market is expected to rise from 3 billion euros in 2020 to over 5 billion euros.
Domestic tourists account for between 80% and 90% of the total number of cycle tourists, which translates into over 100 million overnight stays in the country. The remaining 10-20% are tourists from Germany, the UK and Ireland.
Cycling is the number one leisure activity in France, with over half the population taking part. A growing number of French people use their bikes to get to work.
The average age of cyclists is around forty, with a fairly even split between rural and urban dwellers.
Men account for around two-thirds of the cycling population.
Players in the French bicycle tourism market
- Accueil Vélo has a vast network of establishments, including accommodation, restaurants and bike rental and repair shops
- Among tour operators, UCPA occupies a dominant position, known for organizing a wide range of outdoor activity holidays. Its recent acquisition of "La Balaguère" enables it to extend its field of action into cycle tourism.
- Discover France has carved out a niche for itself with self-guided bike tours.
- Le Vélo Voyageur is another company that organizes tailor-made bike tours
- Cyclomundo offers tours throughout Europe
- EuroVelo offers a variety of itineraries, in particular the "La Vélodyssée" route along the Atlantic coast.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market summary
1.1 Definition and scope of the study
The bicycle tourism, or cycle tourism, is a way of discovering a territory or region by bike, in order to discover its main tourist attractions.
Cycling tourism represents an important market, the majority of which is related to accommodation and restauration, with more than 100 million overnight stays registered in France in 2019. France is the second largest destination in Europe for bicycle tourism, just losing out to Germany. Overseas tourists represented 20% of the total number of cycle tourists in France in 2019, with the most represented nationalities for cycle tourists being Germany and Uk & Ireland.
There are 7 different categories of establishments/ associations that make up the whole cycle tourism industry:
- Accommodation establishments
- Restaurants
- Touristic attractions
- Tourist offices
- Bike rental companies
- Bike repair companies
- Cycle routes
All these establishments, with the exception of cycle routes, are mostly represented by the France Vélo Tourisme certification "Accueil Vélo". As of 2020, there are over 5,000 establishments with this certification in France. There are also other establishments (that do not have the "Accueil Vélo" certification) that also contribute for the cycle tourism industry in France.
In terms of cycle routes, France is divided into 3 types of cycle routes:
- Voies vertes (Greenways)
- Véloroutes (Regional cycle paths)
- EuroVelo (European cycling network)
Voies vertes are the most common in the country, while there are only 10 EuroVelo routes in France as of 2020. However, EuroVelo routes are the most popular for cycle tourists and here is where tourists spend the most money. The Atlantic Coast Route (La Vélodyssée in France) is the most popular route in the country, with economic benefits of over €100 million in 2018.
The actors of bicycle tourism are counting on a diversification by taking advantage of local partnerships with tourist offices, hotels and restaurants to provide the richest possible tourist experience for tourists.
There are no technological or legislative obstacles to be seen in this market, which just requires sporting ability, knowledge of cycling rules and a particular attraction for cycling.
1.2 The growing role of bicycle tourism in Europe
In Europe, it was estimated in **** that there are *.* billion bicycle tourism trips happening every single year. The economic benefits of the cycle tourism industry was estimated at €** billion in **** and involved with the jobs of around ***,*** people in the European Union [***].
The total cycling industry in the EU is made up of * components:
Cycling tourism Bicycle and parts sales and repairs EU bike industry Road safety
EU cycling economy EU, ****, in billions of euros Source: ****
Moreover, Europe is linked through a bicycle network called "EuroVelo". As of ****, there are **,***km of developed EuroVelo routes around Europe.
Breakdown of EuroVelo route development Europe Europe, ****, in % Source: ****
1.3 A growing and strong French market
Since ****, the bycicle tourism market in France has experienced a very positive period, with its economic total benefits going from *.* billion euros to *.* billion euros in **** (***).
Economic benefits of the bicycle tourism market in France France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****
In particular, however, the French bicycle tourism industry was estimated to be worth €* billion in **** and hiring around **,*** employees [***].
Just in the EuroVelo routes, the total economic benefits amounted to around €*** million in **** [***]. France is also the second most popular destination for bicycle tourism in Europe, behind Germany.
Moreover, the number of tourists using French cycle routes has been increasing at a steady pace (***), despite a slight slowdown in ****.
Percentage increase in the number of users of French cycle routes France, ****-****, in % Source: ****
Just in ****, there were ***.* million overnight stays in French accommodation facilities by the cycle tourists in the country. The majority of the overnight stays (***) were by French tourists, while overnight stays from overseas tourists accounted for **% [***].
Total number of overnight stays by cycle tourists in France France, ****, in millions Source: ****
1.4 The impact of Covid-19
While the Covid-** pandemic caused a large part of the world's economy stop, the cycling industry managed to rise in these troubling times. Although the number of people going cycling in France fell by **% when lockdown restrictions were first implemented in mid-March ****, when lockdown restrictions were first lifted on the **th of May, France witnessed a big growth in the amount of people going cycling [***].
In fact, during the * weeks after the lifting of lockdown restrictions, France witnessed an increase of **% in the number of people going cycling, in comparison with the same period in **** [***].
Moreover, in the cities of France, the bicycle counters counted nearly *,*** cyclists per day. As a comparison, before the lockdown, less than *,*** bicycles were counted per day on average, which means that there was a **% increase in the number of cyclists due to lockdown [***].
Beyond this, the number of bicycle sales in France also shot up, with the sports chain "InterSport" claiming that they were selling *,*** bicycles per day in France - *.* times more than what they were selling in **** [***].
In terms of tourists, while there is no concrete data available for bicycle tourism in particular, it can be assumed that the sector fell in a ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 The evolution of bicycle sales in France
The bicycle market in France has been growing steadily since **** (***). This highlights the fact that the average price of bicycles has been increasing. For instance, the average price of electric bicycles in **** was €****, as oppose to €*** in ****. Similarly, the average price of a traditional bicycle increased by **% between **** and ****, going from €*** to €*** [***].
Evolution of the french bicycle market size France, ****-****, in million euros and million units Source: ****
2.2 Cycling, the most popular leisure activity in France
In ****, cycling was the most popular leisure activity for the French, with **% of the population claiming that they practice this activity. Other leisure activities such as hiking and running are also fairly popular, but not as much as cycling [***].
Most popular leisure activities in France France, ****, in % Source: ****
In terms of frequency, of the **% French population that goes cycling, **% go cycling between * to * times per month, while **% claim to only go cycling once every * months [***].
Frequency people go cycling in France France, ****, in % of total population Source: ****
While **% of the French population claims to practice cycling, only **% do it on a somewhat regular basis (***), **% do it while on holidays. **% use cycling as a means of transportation [***].
Bicycle usage characteristics France, ****, in % Source: ****
2.3 Profile of cycle tourists in France
The distribution between men and women among the cyclists in France is **% and **% respectively. In addition, cyclists are on average ** years old and **% live in rural areas, while **% live in urban areas [***]
Gender distribution of cyclists in France France, ****, in % Source: ****
Moreover, while most of the tourist cycling activities happen during the Summer season, the popularity of cycling is somewhat stable during the other seasons too [***].
Popularity of cycling for tourists during the different seasons France, ****, in % Source: ****
In addition, according to a survey in ****, **% of cycle tourists in France were cycling less than *** km away from their residence at the point of the survey. However, if we divide the cycle tourists by the category of cycling they fall under (***), we find that **% of touring cycling tourists in France lived more than ***km away from the place of the survey. Meanwhile, only **% of leisure and sports cycling tourists lived more than *** km away from the place of the survey [***].
In terms of spending, the biggest sources of expenses for cycle tourists in France are accommodation and restaurants (***).
Breakdown of average spendings of Cycle tourists in France France, ****, in % Source: ****
The average daily spending of cycle tourists tend to increase depending on ...
2.4 Who are the overseas cycle tourists?
Overseas tourists represented **% of the total number of cycle tourists in France in ****. German tourists and British & Irish tourists accounted for the biggest share of the total overseas cycle tourists in France (***). Moreover, only *% of cycle tourists came from outside of Europe.
Distribution of overseas cycle tourists by nationality France, ****, in % Source: ****
For European cycle tourists, leisure cycling is the most popular cycling category, while for tourists from outside of Europe the most popular cycling category is touring cycling. The two other cycling categories (***) are generally less popular among tourists.
Share of cycling category for overseas cycle tourists by nationality France, ****, in % of total cycling categories Source: ****
On average, overseas cycle tourists spend more than their French counterparts. This is mainly due to the fact that overseas tourists tend to stay in hotels, while French tourists have different accommodation options (***).
Average daily spending by origin of the cycle tourist Source: ****
3 Market structure
3.1 The never-ending growth of bicycle routes in France
As of April ****, **% of the total existing or planned cycle routes in France (***) were open and operating - that is, **,*** km of operating cycle routes of a total of **,*** km. This therefore means that there are *,*** km cycle routes yet to be opened in France. The plan is that ***% of the cycle routes will be opened by **** [***].
Combined length of cycle routes in France France, ****-****, in thousands of km Source: ****
The growth in the amount of cycle routes in France is very much apparent. In ****, the national scheme for cycle routes counted with around **,*** km of routes around the country. Fast forward to April ****, the national scheme counts with **,*** km of cycle routes, representing a **% increase in between these ** years.
Amount of cycle routes in the national scheme France, ****-****, in thousands of km Source: ****
Just in ****, *** km of cycle routes were opened. Most of these (***) were national routes, while *** km were regional/ local routes and *** km were routes for the EuroVelo.
Share of new cycle routes by type France, ****, in % Source: ****
Moreover, there are ** different itineraries in France which are composed of * different types of cycle routes [***]:
Voies vertes (***): These are reserved for non-motorized traffic and tend to be ...
3.2 The growth of EuroVelo
As of the *st of January ****, there were *,*** km of European cycle routes available in France, which represented **% of the total *,*** km of routes that were projected to be available in France by **** [***].
EuroVelo routes in France France, ****, in % Source: ****
Between **** and ****, the amount of EuroVelo routes in France increased by **%, going from *,*** km to *,*** km.
Amount of EuroVelo routes in France France, ****-****, in km Source: ****
There currently are ** EuroVelo routes in France [***]:
EV*: Atlantic Coast Route (***) EV*: Pilgrims Route (***) EV*: Central Europe Route (***) EV*: Via Romea (***) EV*: Atlantic - Black Sea (***) EV*: Mediterranean Route (***) EV**: North Sea Cycle Route (***) EV**: Rhine Cycle Route (***) EV**: Rhone Cycle Route (***) EV**: Meuse Cycle Route (***)
EuroVelo routes in France France, ****, in km and % Source: ****
3.3 The growth of Accueil Vélo
"Accueil Vélo" is an accreditation given to French establishments with a high quality of welcome and services for cyclists using French cycle routes. There are * different types of establishments that can obtain this accreditation:
Accommodation establishments Restaurants Touristic attractions Tourist offices Bike rental and repair companies
As of the *st of January ****, there were *,*** establishments in France with the "Accueil Vélo" accreditation, being a **% increase from the *,*** establishments in ****.
Number of "Accueil Vélo" establishments France, ****-****, in units Source: ****
Of these establishments, the vast majority (***) were accommodation establishments in ****. Restaurants were the least represented establishments, representing just *% of the total establishments with the accreditation "Accueil Vélo".
Breakdown of "Accueil Vélo" establishments by type France, ****, in %
3.4 The importance of bike rental services
A very important part of the cycle tourism industry in France is the bike rental services. In ****, it was estimated that the number of bicycles available for rental for tourism purposes was between ***,*** and ***,*** [***]
In ****, it was estimated that there were approximately *,*** bike rental services aimed at cycle tourists (***) of these establishments were small ones, with less than ** bikes available for rental.
Breakdown of bike rental establishments by number of bikes available France, ****, in % Source: ****
On the other hand, while the majority of the players are small players, it is important to note that the big players (***).
Breakdown of total number of bicycles available for rent by size of establishment France, ****, in % Source: ****
3.5 The role of tour operators
Bicycle tourism is very distinct to other types of tourism, as there is less dependance on tour operators. Most of cycle tourists in France are mostly self-sufficient (***) still rely on them for their bicycle trips in France.
In ****, there were *** tour operators in France, being a **% increase from the *** operators in **** [***]. Of these, only a quarter (***).
Number of bicycle tour operators with trips in France by country of origin France, ****-**** Source: ****
Moreover, the average length of a trip organised by tour operators is of * days. For European tour operators, the average price for the * days is of €***, while non-European tour operators have an average price of €*,*** (***) [***].
Average price of tour operators for a *-night trip France, ****, in euros Source: ****
In ****, there were *,*** trips in France proposed by tour operators. A big share of the total number of trips proposed in France (***) were concentrated in just * areas [***]:
Provence-Luberon-Alpilles-Camargue (***) Val de Loire (***) Bourgogne-Beaujolais (***) Alpes (***) Alsace-Vosges (***)
In terms of players, among the companies that propose cycle tourism trips in France we can highlight the following * tour operators:
UCPA - The biggest French tour operator, with a turnover of €*** million in **** La Balaguère - Recently bought by UCPA. Had a turnover of nearly ...
4 Analysis of the offer
4.1 Main tourist bicycle routes in France
Among the main cycle routes in France, the Vélodyssée route (***) is the least popular for tourists.
Share of tourists of total cyclists using French cycle routes France, ****, in % of total cyclists Source: ****
The rest of the share of total cyclists using French cycle routes is composed by excursionists - people who spent the night before and the night after the beginning of their trip in their main residences.
Overseas tourists represented **% of total cycle tourists in French cycle routes in ****. However, the most popular cycle routes for foreign cycle tourists were Loire à vélo (***).
Share of overseas tourists of total cyclists using French cycle routes France, ****, in % of total cyclists Source: ****
Within the overseas cycle tourists, the Via Rhôna route is most popular for German, Austrian and Swiss cycle tourists, while the EV* and V** route is most popular for Benelux residents.
Share of overseas cycle tourists by cycle route France, ****, in % of total overseas cycle tourists Source: ****
4.2 The popularity of leisure cycling
Among France's main cycle routes, the most popular cycling category is by far leisure cycling. However, touring cycling is extremely popular in routes such as Via Rhôna and Loire à vélo
Types of cycling practiced by cycle tourists in the main cycle routes France, ****, in % of total cycling categories Source: ****
4.3 Understanding the offer of bike rentals
The average price of bike rental in France varies depending on the type of bicycle and range level. There are * different types of bikes that tourists can rent in France:
Cross-country bikes Mountain bikes Road bikes
Of all these bikes, road bikes are the most expensive to rent, while cross-country bikes are the cheapest.
Moreover, there are different ranges (***) among these bikes:
Basic bikes Electric bikes Expert/professional bikes
The price of rental increases as the range of the bike also increases, with basic bikes being the cheapest and expert/professional bikes being the most expensive.
Average daily rental price for different bicycle types France, ****, in euros Source: ****
5 Rules and regulations
5.1 Regulations
Although there are no regulations regarding bicycle tourism in particular, the practice of cycling in France has its own set rules.
General cycling regulations in France [***]
Cyclists must always cycle on the dedicated paths (***). In the absence of these, cyclists must cycle on the right side of the road. It is forbidden to cycle on the sidewalks - only children under the age of * are allowed to do so. In pedestrian zones, cyclists must go at the same speed as pedestrians. Helmets are only mandatory for children under the age of ** in France. It is forbidden to cycle with any object in the ears that might emit sound. It is forbidden to cycle with a blood alcohool level of above *,* mg/l.
If the cyclist does not follow the rules imposed on the French territory, they risk getting a fine of between €** and €***, depending on the type of infringement.
Requirements to receive an "Accueil Vélo" certification [***]
Firstly, in order to receive the accreditation, the establishment must operate in at least one of the following activities: accommodation, restauration, tourist attraction, tourist office, bicycle rental, bicycle repair. Moreover, other requirements include:
The establishment must be less than *km away from a cycle ...
6 Positioning of the actors
6.1 Segmentation
- France Vélo Tourisme
- La Vélodyssée
- La Loire à Vélo
- La Méditerranée à Vélo
- UCPA
- La Balaguère
- Discover France
- Alentour
- Alentour
- Cyclodyssées
- Randovélo
- Safrantours
- Evazio
- Cyclomundo
- Autocars Chauchard
- Voyageurs du Monde Groupe
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