CRC - Cycle Tourism

Cycle Tourism is a growing niche market with considerable opportunities for regional economies. It has a number of key segments:

Cycling Holidays: touring cycling is the main purpose of the holiday
Holiday Cycling: recreational cycling is undertaken as an activity whilst on holiday
Cycling Day Visits: Trips from home to places outside a person’s usual place of residence
Cycling Events: this may involve
- direct participation, e.g. cycling festivals such as the Dungog PedalFest
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- mass participation events such as BikeSA’s Dirty Weekend – for mountain bikers
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- predominantly spectator participation events, e.g. cycling sporting events such as the Tour Down Under
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Cycle tourism has multiple benefits including:

boosting domestic and inbound tourism;
providing ecological sustainable tourism;
encouraging the economic revitalisation of regional Australia;
enhancing the infrastructure of local communities and its potential to encourage healthy activities.

Some studies on the economic benefit of cycle tourism are listed under Research.

Australia

CYCLE TOURISM IN AUSTRALIA - an investigation into its size and scope
Pam Faulks, Brent Ritchie and Martin Fluker, Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Reseach Centre
A scoping study was undertaken over a short time frame to investigate the size and scope of cycle tourism in Australia and to provide research recommendations to address identified research gaps.
Research Sumary - View PDF
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Examples of Cycle Tourism Wine and Food Trails in NSW
- Hunter Valley Wine Country - Tours & Things to Do - Cycling Visit Site
Cycle Tourism holiday finder for Australia
- Experience E Guide – site to filter all types of experiential holidays and day trips around Australia – there is s bicycle filter on it. Visit Site
The Research Tool Kit for the Cycle Tourism Resource Kit for Regional Communities
Professor John Martin, Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, La Trobe University & Associate Professor Sue Beeton, La Trobe University Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, Cycle Tourism Research Project
Cycle Toursim Australia (CTA) has been funded by the Australian Government's Tourism Development Program to develop a Cycle Tourism Resource Kit for Regional Communties.
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TopTrailsWA project
This project is a marketing initiative funded by the Australian Government. The TopTrailsWA website and brochure include just over 50 of the best cycling and riding trails in Western Australia.
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Australian Outdoor Adventure Activity Benefits Catalogue
Tracey J. Dickson, Tonia Gray and Kathy Mann, August 2008, for the Outdoor Council of Australia, Centre for Tourism Research, University of Canberra
Research into the benefits of outdoor adventure activities highlights the valuable contribution they make to personal health and wellbeing. As the empirical and anecdotal evidence in the outdoor adventure field begins to unfold, the proliferation of evidenced-based research grows exponentially. The unique opportunities within the natural and social environments offered by outdoor adventure activities provide varying contexts in which these positive connections are made. These connections are referred to in the outdoor adventure literature as being with the self, others and the environment. Outdoor adventure activities provide opportunities for the connection of individuals with nature (the natural environment), direct connection with other people (interpersonal), and importantly, with themselves (personal). Specifically, the benefits of these connections are shown to lie in the strength and placement of these connections.
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Cycle Tourism Australia - tool kit (available soon)

This organisation has been set up as a national not-for-profit organisation committed to the development of an integrated, co-ordinated approach to cycle tourism planning, development and promotion. Their website includes a range of resources, research and tools on cycle tourism in Australia.
Sustainable Regional Tourism Research Centre
- SRT Destination Project
  Australian Regional Tourism Network (ARTN) and is funded by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC)
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- Have you got what it takes to attract cycle tourists?
  Matt Lamont (2009) PhD thesis
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- Indicators of sustainable local government management of tourism
  A survey of local governments in Victoria was conducted to investigate structures used to manage tourism ...Fact Sheet (102kb)
  Further information - Carson, D., Beattie, S and Gove, B. (2003) Tourism management capacity of local government: an analysis of Victorian local government. In: Proceedings of the CAUTHE Conference, Coffs Harbour 2003. Available from the ARTRC at
  artrc@scu.edu.au
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Tourism Australia
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Cycle Tourism is a growing market within the tourism sector and within nature-based tourism in particular – albeit coming off a small base. There is increasing evidence available which demonstrates cycle tourism has the potential to make an active contribution towards the economic revitalisation of regional Australia as well as improve quality of life for its residents (Bicycle Federation of Australia). The niche is an ecologically sustainable tourism product, which is expected to grow in popularity.
Bicycle Federation of Australia
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The Bicycle Federation of Australia (BFA) is the national peak body representing people who ride bicycles for recreation, transport, tourism, health & fitness and fun. It aims to improve the environment for cycling and encourage more Australians to ride more often.
It has a useful bibliography on cycle tourism, Report and Submissions about Cycle Tourism.
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Railtrails Australia
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Railtrails Australia is a national organisation which promotes the preservation of old rail corridors for alternative public uses such as cycling, horse riding and bush walking. They liaise with other groups to promote the rail trail concept and publish a quarterly newsletter, books, brochures and maps.
A particularly relevant resource from Railtrails Australia include is:
Rail Trail Establishment Guidelines
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Railtrails Australia has developed an excellent manual on CD-ROM outlining the steps to get a rail trail established. It includes an extensive array of documents in the appendix that would be of assistance to those thinking of establishing a rail trail or maintaining an open rail trail
South Australian Cycle Tourism Strategy 2005-2009, Adelaide
South Australian Tourism Commission, 2005, View PDF

Developed in consultation with a number of stakeholders, this strategy outlines how SA can leverage economic benefit from cycle tourism as a high value niche market.

New Zealand

The New Zealand Cycleway Market Research
14 September 2009, The National Business Review - NZ
New Zealand's cycling market has the potential to more than double the amount of money tourists spend annually–from $320 million to $640 million.
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- New Zealand Ministry of Tourism website - Visit Site
- The New Zealand Cycleway Market Research View PDF
Cycle Tour Operators New Zealand (CTONZ)
"To provide quality safe cycle tours hosted by professional New Zealand registered operators to an agreed standard"
Cycle Tour Operators New Zealand (CTONZ) was formed in November 2006 when 13 operators with the support of the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand, met in Christchurch and agreed to form a professional organization of cycle tour operators.
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International

Mobility Management for recreational and tourist transport
Rita Leimer (2009) European Platform on Mobility Management Conference in Donostia-San Sebastián
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The European Cycle Route Network EuroVelo - Challenges & opportunities for sustainable tourism
Institute of Transport and Tourism, University of Central Lancashire UK & Centre for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Breda University the Netherlands, (2009) DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT B: STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES TRANSPORT AND TOURISM
The report provides an overview of the cycle tourism market across Europe and seeks to evaluate the potential for development.
EuroVelo is a European cycle route network which seeks to offer a sustainable Trans- European Network. It comprises twelve long-distance cycle routes covering a distance of 66,000 km. The network is managed by the European Cyclists’ Federation which is working towards the goal of all routes offering high standards of design, signage and promotion throughout Europe. The report assesses whether or not this network could enhance the overall transport and tourism offering in Europe.
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Institute of Transport and Tourism (ITT)
Welcome to the Institute of Transport and Tourism. We are a small institute with big ambitions to make leisure travel more sustainable.
The Institute of Transport and Tourism has an established track record of delivering high quality research in many aspects of both transport and tourism. We specialise in sustainable travel modes and transport for tourism.Visit Site
Uclan School of Sport, Tourism and The Outdoors - Projects - Visit Site
Uclan School of Sport, Tourism and The Outdoors - Publications - Visit Site
- The Sustainable Leisure Travel Network
  The Sustainable Leisure Travel Network brings together professionals, pooling their expertise and experience to make leisure travel more sustainable. We seek practical and grounded solutions to protect the local and global natural environment, bring vitality to local economies and extend opportunities for health and recreation to all sections of the community. We aim to show how reducing car use in environmentally sensitive areas can widen travel choice, benefit local communities and their economies and improve visitor satisfaction. Together we aim to create a momentum to bring real change in the way people travel in and use the countryside for leisure.
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- Sustainable Leisure Travel Network,
  VisTrav News, Summer 2009 Issue 1
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A Guide to the Perfect Vacation in Vancouver- By Bike!
By Sarah Ripplinger Photography: Ben Johnson
Your best bet for a great experience in Vancouver is to bike along the seawall and along the trails in Stanley Park and Pacific Spirit Park. The Central Valley Greenway is a fantastic day ride that runs some 24 kilometers from Science World to New Westminster. The beaches are particularly welcoming in the summer, and are beautiful places to contemplate the scenery year-round – check out Kitsilano, Third Beach and Spanish Banks. If you’re in Vancouver for the last Friday of the month, you may want to join in for a Critical Mass, which meets at the Vancouver Art Gallery (Georgia Street side), in downtown Vancouver, at 5:30pm and departs at 6pm.
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From Rails to Trails: Winnipeg’s Heritage Through The Sculpture Of Jordan Van Sewell By Christina Sikorsky Photography: kylethomas.ca
If you find yourself riding along the Trans-Canada Highway into Winnipeg, Manitoba – just west of the longitudinal centre of Canada – you should take a tour of the new North Winnipeg Parkway that winds itself along the lazy, meandering Red River. It is here you will find the studio of one of Winnipeg’s finest pedal-powered sculptural artists, Jordan Van Sewell.
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Velo.Info - Cycling and Leisure and Tourism
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This briefing looks at the role and potential of cycling leisure and tourism. View PDF
Tourabout - About Bicycle Touring
Tourabout is your FREE holiday planning resource. We catalogue thousands of tours from over 50 of the world's best tour operators. We have a range of tours from classic European coach tours to Adventure tours, Family Adventures, River Cruises, Rail Journeys, Garden tours, Wildlife and Safari travel, walking tours, self drive and independent tours.
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IBIKE Cultural tours
Ibike offer small group (12 people max.) exploration of fascinating cultures, ethnic diversity, and the natural and social complexity of the world. To enhance our contact with the areas we visit, the primary mode of travel is bicycle. Thus we have a ground level view culture, historic sites, museums, architecture, religion, ecological niches, and the realities of daily life. We meet with unique local people and enjoy bicycling beautiful back roads. The programs are designed to be environmentally friendly, economically beneficial, educational, enriching and culturally sensitive, and accessible to ordinary active people who seek moderate adventure.
Philosophy - Visit Site
Schedules - Visit Site
Adventure Cycling Association - US bicycle tourism
Adventure Cycling Association’s nonprofit mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. Founded in 1973 as Bikecentennial, Adventure Cycling is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with 44,500 members nationwide.
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Info Hub Specialty Travel - Bicycling Vacations and Biking Tours
When was the last time you took your bicycle out for a ride in the park, or a challenge of endurance along snaky mountain paths? Can’t remember? Well, then, perhaps, it’s time to prove “her” you can still do it! Visit Site
Cycle Canada
Cycle Canada is an innovator in developing unique cycling routes and supported cycling tours throughout Canada.
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Trento Bike Pages
The Trento Bike Pages collect bicycle tour reports, mainly for road bikes, but also mountain bikes, as well as general bicycle touring and travel information, and bicycle club and organization listings. If you plan a bicycle tour, you'll find plenty of tour reports of people who have been there before. The Trento Bike pages got started in 1995 by Andreas Caranti, and have grown from a mailing list for the Italian Trento area to cover all of Europe, and now also Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Australia.
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Rail-trails and community sentiment: A study of opposition to rails-trails and strategies for success
Doherty, S., 1998, Rails to Trails Conservancy, USA
This study documents minority opposition to rail trails and how this opposition is best dealt with.
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Cycle Tourism Research Summary
Fraietta, J. (2004) Tourism Research Analyst
The information in this report was compiled to profile the cycle tourism market, review the current literature on the subject, and increase tourism operators’ awareness of cycle tourism as an emerging market opportunity in Alberta.
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Integrating the Bicycle into the Yosemite Valley Transportation Network
Co, S.A. (2000), Institute of Transport Studies, University of California, Davis,
Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-00-18
Cycling in Yosemite Valley is evaluated as a viable transportation mode within the context of the alternatives described in the 2000 Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Free from the obstacles that urban areas face in promoting the bicycle as transportation, Yosemite Valley offers a unique place to promote bicycle use. Traffic congestion occurs during the summer months peak season. During this time, the bicycle represents the quickest, most convenient way for many people to experience the Valley on the park roads and the dedicated Bikeway network portion of the Valley. Distances to locations in the seven mile by one mile Valley are short, allowing short travel times to destinations.
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7Stanes is a Scottish Forestry Commission recreation and tourism project

The 7stanes are seven mountain biking centres spanning the south of Scotland, from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway. 'Stane' is the Scots word for stone, and at each of the 7stanes locations, you'll find a stone sculpture reflecting a local myth or legend.
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The stanes are found out on the trails in the forests, in prominent locations near cycling and walking paths. They’re accessible on foot or by horse as well as by bike, and range in size from one to three metres high and from two to six tons in weight.
Find out more about the STANES themselves Visit Site

Examples of Australian Cycle Tourism:

Pedal to Produce - Victorian regional cycle tourism website
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Pick an area within the region and it will give you the rides: distance, ride surface, description e.g. flat, ride grade e.g. beginner and ride time, with a list of products and producers to visit along the way.
Going green on bike tour
David Scott, 4 October 2008, The Sydney Morning Herald - Travel section
You leave the lightest ecological wheelmark when you are pedalling on the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail. Much of the earth beneath your tyres was packed in the late 1800s so trains could link the gold-riddled towns of north-east Victoria.

The railway line was decommissioned two generations ago but is now whirring with life as cyclists take their mechanical steeds along the path of the iron horse.

Up to 45,000 riders take to the trail each year, with 8000 choosing the Easter weekend, says Clayton Neil, a cycle tourism officer for the three municipalities that administer the rail trail.
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Victoria’s 100 km East Gippsland Rail Trail to open 5 years ‘ahead of schedule’
In September 2004 Victoria’s East Gippsland Rail Trail received a $660,000 Regional Partnerships grant to extend the trail 28 kms east from Nowa Nowa to Orbost on the Snowy River. The 100 km long trail will open on Saturday 28 January 2006, five years ahead of the initial estimate, with a community barbecue - ribbon cutting event.
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New South Wales Tourism & Cycling
Tourism New South Wales - Visit Site
Cycle tourism is taking off in various places around NSW -
- Hunter Valley Cycling Bicycle Hire - Bicycles
  Hunter Valley Cycling provides a unique and fun way to experience all that the Hunter Valley has to offer on a bicycle - be it either on a Tandem or suspension Mountain Bike. This is the perfect way to enjoy some exercise and indulge the senses with a great sense of satisfaction that you did it under your own steam!
  So why not take up the challenge. By pedalling around you'll be able to relax, unwind and experience at your own leisurely pace the tranquil serenity, the ever changing landscape, quality wines, cafes and galleries.
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- Cycle aound Lord Howe Island
  At any one time, you’re one of only 400 visitors on Lord Howe, an island of unspoilt beauty where life is relaxed and unhurried. With bicycles the best way to get around and no mobile phone reception, there’s plenty of time to relax and attune yourself to the idyllic surroundings.
  
  World Heritage listed for its remarkable geology and its rare collection of birds, plants and marine life, Lord Howe is surrounded by the world’s southernmost coral reef. Crystal clear waters teem with marine life and rare coral, protected as part of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park.
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- Check out Sydney Olympic Park
  Hire a bike at Bicentennial Park (Visit Site ), next to Lilies on the Park Cafe, and explore over 35km of off road cycle paths around the Olympic venues, Bicentennial Park and along the Parramatta River.
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- Sydney By Bike - Half Day or less, Night, Tailored
  Sydney By Bike, was established to provide an enjoyable way to experience Sydney by bike! Whether you are in Sydney from interstate or have travelled from overseas, Sydney by Bike offers a fun and friendly way to see all the sights in a small group bicycle tour.
  
  As well as our guided Sydney City Bicycle Tours, Sydney by Bike is the only bicycle tour company based in Sydney City offering mountain biking tours to the Blue Mountains and Kangaroo Valley.
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- The Central Coast Cycling Guide
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  This website has been developed to encourage local and visiting bike riders to enjoy the outdoors and explore the picturesque Central Coast. Here you'll find details of a variety of local rides, each graded with a level of difficulty and experience required to negotiate the proposed routes. There are rides suitable for everyone - from individuals to families to professional riders.
Clarence Coast Walks Network
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Regional Partnership funding for this project will enable the creation of two scenic walking and cycling trails along the foreshore of the Clarence River. Grant details can be found through the Regional Partnerships search facility for approved grants.
Adelaide Free City Bike Program
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The free city bike program provides 2 hours free bicycle hire in Adelaide's CBD. Run by Adelaide City Council and Bicycle South Australia.
A Rail Trail & future economic/tourism development
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In Victoria’s northeast, around 94 kms of cycle path runs from Wangaratta to the delightful towns of Beechworth and Bright, the ‘Murray to Mountains Rail Trail’. A recent study has found that the way in which cycle tourism advocates go about presenting tourism-related opportunities to small businesses - such as bike hire, cafes, restaurants, winery tours and accommodation houses - can help in the economic development process.

Examples of International Cycle Tourism:

Valley of the 100-Mile Diet Bike Tour
Roberta Cruger, 14 August 2009, USA: TreeHugger - Travel & Nature
Come to the Fraser Valley, home of the 100-Mile Diet, where locavores can feast on artisanal cheeses, organic produce and hand-crafted wines, and get an insider’s peak into food production at local farms. A self-guided map shows the way through the Agassiz and Chilliwack Farm Cycle Tours with many stops open to the public only on these two days. The Slow Food Movement of Vancouver hosts this annual event, August 22 and 23, so book your train ride to British Columbia, Canada (Seattle just added another daily trip), rent a bike there or BYOB -- and eat well. Here’s a taste of the delicious weekend:
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4 Days and 2 Wheels on the Oregon Coast
DAVID LASKIN, 12 July 2009, The New York Times - Travel
IN a car, you’d cover the hundred miles of the southern third of the Oregon coast in a couple of hours, and you’d think, How gorgeous! But on a bike, you don’t so much view the scenery as absorb it. With every sense and muscle, you register how the hills fold and join, how the air and the light change with distance from the sea. You notice the seed heads ripening beside the road and hear the birds cheering you on your way. Visit Site
Quebec’s Valleyfield a cycling haven for enthusiasts
DAVID JOHNSTON, 26 May 2009, Amherst Daily News (Canada)
This year’s season begins with a new tour between Ottawa and Montreal. The tour leaves Ottawa Saturday and ends up in the Old Port of Montreal the following weekend. Another new tour, back and forth between Montreal and Kingston, is also planned for this year.

The way it works is this: The barge follows the cyclists by day, and the cyclists sleep on it at night. Every morning and night, meals are served in the dining room. Each room has two single beds, a toilet and a shower. After breakfast, cyclists set out with a tour leader to do a good 35 to 75 kilometres of cycling.
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Taiwan pedals ahead with bike tours to lure visitors
Ralph Jennings, 19 May 2009, Reuters - Life!
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TAIPEI, May 19 (Reuters Life!) - Taiwan is rolling out Asia's first comprehensive bicycle tourism plan, including rentals, special railway cars and guides for rides down the rugged coastline or up the island's steep central mountains.
The World’s 15 Most Bike Friendly Cities
Hal Amen, 30 April 2009, MatadorTrips
Grab a helmet and check out these 15 pedal heavens, where drivers have actually been known to use all five fingers when they wave at you.
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'Death strip' becomes cycling trail
Reuters, via 17 April 2009, The Age
Twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, a project to convert the former "death strip" into a cycling path is picking up speed.

The new cycle trail, which will run 7000 km from the Barents Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, is aimed at promoting eco-tourism along the former militarized zone and tapping into booming interest in cycling holidays.
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Where Nomads Trekked, Cyclists Will Roam
Jennifer Hattam, 14 March 2009, Turkey: TreeHugger - Travel & Nature
Every summer, thousands of visitors descend upon Antalya, one of Turkey's popular Mediterranean resort cities, to bask in the sun and swim in the sea. But these days, some local groups are trying to attract a different type of tourist -- one more interested in cycling historic mountain paths than sipping cocktails under a beach umbrella.
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