3rd of June marks World Bicycle Day, established in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly. The bicycle is not just a mode of transportation: it is a driver of local development, sustainability, and economic growth, especially for SMEs and European businesses.

According to the report by Europe Cycle Tourism Market (2025-2033), European cycle tourism is now worth over $53 billion and is growing at a rate of 10.9% annually. In Germany, in 2023, approximately 37.4 million people took cycling vacations or trips, generating over 22 billion euros in spending and 284,000 jobs. Cycling tourists spend an average of 24% more than traditional visitors.

Emerging markets also show promising trends: Greece is developing cycling tourism networks on its islands and in coastal areas to complement its beach tourism offerings; Bulgaria is promoting nature trails in the Rhodope Mountains and along the Danube (EuroVelo 6), positioning itself as an affordable “slow travel” destination offering a rich experiential value; Türkiye is investing in urban cycling infrastructure in Istanbul and Ankara, while Cappadocia and the Aegean region are also attracting international cycling tourists with rapidly expanding infrastructure.

Repair shops, agritourism farms along cycling routes, local rental shops, and specialized guides: it is SMEs that shape and give identity to the cycling experience in the region. The European Commission recognizes the cycling sector as representing over 1,000 SMEs and approximately 1 million jobs in the EU economy, with explicit reference to the benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises. The sector has a higher employment intensity per million euros of turnover than other transport sectors, with a local presence that protects inland areas from business relocation and depopulation.

In this context, European projects such as DETOUR play an important role in providing opportunities and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship along the walking routes. Among these opportunities, services for the growing number of cyclists travelling along European routes represent a concrete field for business development and continuous innovation for SMEs: from bike-friendly accommodation, repair points, luggage transport, digital tools, guided experiences, and integrated offers combining cycling, heritage, food, and local communities, to rapidly expanding markets such as e-bikes, cargo bikes for urban logistics, and digital cycling hospitality services.

Cycle tourism benefits from an increasingly favorable policy environment. On May 28, 2026, the EU Council adopted strategic conclusions for sustainable and competitive tourism, recognizing the sector’s significance in the European economy (approximately 10% of gross value added, 10% of employment, over 4.6 million businesses, 99% of which are SMEs). It is an agenda in which soft mobility, bike paths, and slow tourism fit naturally as tools to distribute tourist flows, reduce environmental impact, and create value for local communities, especially in more inland areas.

Cycling is an economic, social, and environmental act. For businesses that can seize this opportunity, it is also a concrete path to growth.

[Credits: AEVF]