EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference in Utrecht: at the beating heart of cycling

Over the three-day event, 220+ cycling delegates from 37 different countries and five continents discussed cycling for a sustainable future, shared ideas during networking gatherings and participated in six technical visits around Utrecht and the Utrecht region.

Co-organised by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), Utrecht & Partners, Provincie Utrecht, Gemeente Utrecht and Royal Jaarbeurs, the conference was defined by the theme ‘At the beating heart of cycling’, and saw 67 speakers (with equal gender representation), three plenaries, four keynote speeches, eight parallel sessions, and eight exhibitors.

How to make cycling a policy priority? Start with convincing data

After the annual EuroVelo General Meeting, the program started at the Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs on Wednesday afternoon. The master of ceremonies, Nynke Cuperus, guided the seamless moderation of both conference days.

The opening speeches were delivered by Rob van Muilekom, Provincial Deputy of the Province of Utrecht, Cor Jansen, CEO of Utrecht & Partners and Belle de Gast, Bicycle Mayor of Utrecht.

After the formal introduction, Holger Haubold, ECF Director of Intellectual Property & Data Collection, presented a new report – ‘Cycling Tourism and Leisure Cycling’. The report draws a clear picture of the economic benefits and volume of cycling tourism and leisure cycling in four European countries – France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands – and underlines the importance of advocating for consolidated and up-to-date EuroVelo data and definitions on cycling tourism.

Collaboration: Dutch secret ingredient for cycling

Four speakers from the Dutch cycling sector then discussed cycling (tourism) in the Netherlands and its influence across Europe. They described the cycling culture in the Netherlands in four words: freedom, health, independence and abundance; and agreed that the Dutch ‘secret ingredient for cycling’ lies in collaboration.

“We have to work together; otherwise, we drown because we’ re below sea level. Inside you can fight, but outside you have to stand together,” advised Esther van Garderen, CEO of Fietsersbond. Eric Nijland, Director of the Fietsplatform Foundation, also echoed the frequently emphasised importance of cycling infrastructure in order to uplift interest in cycling and cycling tourism. “You need good infrastructure to keep people cycling and then to get new ones. You don’t use the bike only for one purpose.”

Speakers also covered the high-quality node-network system that connects all routes in the Netherlands, created with cyclists' needs in mind and proven to work.

What can political leadership bring to cycling tourism?

The president of ECF, Henk Swarttouw, opened the second day of the conference by encouraging the audience to “make some noise” over the next two days, as cycling tourism and EuroVelo deserve more political attention. He reminded them that we need to call for closing the data gap in cycling tourism by making more visible what it actually represents: a lot.

During the following plenary session moderated by ECF CEO, Laurianne Krid, one of the speakers – Yvonne Nassar, CEO of the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions – shared a similar view: “Sometimes it feels cycling tourism is niche, but actually the potential is huge.”

As the discussion unfolded, Maja Bakran Marcich, Deputy Director-General of DG MOVE at the European Commission, highlighted the need at the EU level to build on cross-border coordination, long-distance cycle routes and stronger links with regional development, in the context of the forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy expected very soon. She further underlined the role of Member States in shaping national priorities, especially as part of the EU budget and funds. As of now, from the MFF 2021-2027 (EU Multiannual Financial Framework), €4.5 billion has been invested in cycling. Of those, “€3.2 billion is coming from various EU funds; the rest is covered by national and regional envelopes.”

This August, ECF submitted a package of recommendations to the European Parliament's Regional Development Committee (REGI) that called for unlocking €6 billion for cycling from the next 2028-2034 MFF.

When Laurianne Krid said: “EuroVelo is something unique and a strong asset for Europe, this is something no other continent has, and we highlight this to the Commissioner Tzitzikostas whenever we can”, Maja Bakran Marcich replied, “this is something he has very well identified”.

Building on Maja Bakran Marcich’ s call for cross-border coordination within Europe, Enzo Volponi, Director for Mobility at the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy, outlined the regional policymakers' strategies for enhancing cycling. The region connects Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean; therefore, regional collaboration within countries is an asset for a successful cycling tourism offer. “We do a lot of cross-border work. For tourists, it’s important that infrastructure is good. So we developed an integrated system and network of local and regional cycle routes, multimodality, and connectivity together with Austria and Slovenia.”

Lukasz Wyrowski, UNECE's Economic Affairs Officer, offered another perspective on the ongoing effort at UN level to draft an international convention on cycle routes, following the extensive work in harmonising cycling infrastructure definitions and quality parameters in the past years. “We consider EuroVelo as the backbone of the future international cycle route convention, wherever appropriate, and work towards expanding the concept of national and cross-border cycle routes to the whole region, up to Vladivostok”.

After the plenary session, participants attended two rounds of four parallel sessions divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The morning program offered lectures on multi-purpose cycle route networks and on cycling tourists’ profiles and behaviour; a fast pedal track format focused on collaboration and governance models in cycling tourism, which concluded that "alone you go faster, together you go further"; and an insightful workshop on how to create compelling narratives and storytelling to encourage cycling tourism – attended by participants of different backgrounds, proving that diversity is an important part of storytelling.

In the afternoon’s fast pedal track, speakers explored projects and initiatives that reinvented regions with cycling tourism, and in the panel discussion experts discussed ingredients for successful public-private collaboration in cycling tourism. A lecture on planning action and cycling infrastructure provided concrete examples of decision-making and implementation models for quality cycle routes. The conference's final parallel session included a workshop on the benefits and challenges of data collection to support cycling development based on a serious game format.

We need actions. Not only numbers and words

The growing appetite for cycling is reflected not only in data but also in people’s support as well as stakeholder engagement. Switzerland is definitive proof. “In 2018, 73% of Swiss voters agreed to give more way for cycling in our Federal constitution. It was a clear mandate to create binding cycling plans and give cantons this task,” shared Mirjam Stawicki, Project Manager for Non-motorised Traffic in SwitzerlandMobility, the NECC for Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

In France, in 2021-2022, there was strong ambition across different bodies to make France a leading cycling destination, with a large consultation and clear priorities. This led to the launch of a full-scale national cycling tourism strategy, affecting a range of actors from local businesses to the press.

Similarly, in Spain, the European Recovery Fund supported a national initiative focusing on cycling tourism, Pedal Spain. This was a logical development of cycling tourism being one of the 10 thematic areas of the National Bicycle Plan. Whereas in Norway, national and European cycle routes have been added to the new Road Safety Action Plan adopted in March 2026.

There is a consensus on the need to diversify the cycling tourism offers – whether it is about reducing overtourism, such as in the Lofoten Islands, bringing new visitors to lesser-known destinations; or improving inclusive offers for families and beginners.

AI is about optimisation. Cycling tourism about spontaneity

Over the last four years, AI has slipped into nearly every conversation, and cycling tourism is no different. To be prepared to respond, we invited Joshua Ryan-Saha, Director of Tourism, Travel and Festivals at the Edinburgh Futures Institute of the University of Edinburgh. He delivered a keynote on AI’s influence on how people search for cycling tourism planning. “If we want to be found, we need good content that is up to date and consistent.” The need for trusted content makes our network of professionals and experts even more relevant for the users. He also reminded the audience that “authenticity is the lifeblood of tourism”, and although AI can help us plan cycling trips, those are usually optimised, based on large datasets, yet cycling tourism is about “spontaneity and serendipity”.

AI tools are opening a whole range of new opportunities for cycling tourism, and therefore we should not refrain from using them; however, responsibly. This was demonstrated in a workshop where participants could see and try themselves how AI, creativity, and thoughtful planning can boost cycling tourism offers.

Ci vediamo in Italia nel 2027!

The EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference concluded Thursday’s program with an invitation to its 2027 edition, in Italy, hosted by the region Friuli-Venezia Giulia. This first Italian edition of the EuroVelo Conference will take place from 29 September to 1 October 2027 in Trieste. The region has been working on building 1,400 km of cycle routes from 2019 to 2028. Of those, 480 km already exist, and 300 km more are to be realised. This is only a small preview, showing that there is a lot to look forward to for next year’s edition of the EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference! In a region where you can sky in the morning and swim in the Mediterranean sea in the afternoon.

Discovering Utrecht and its region

The conference ended with six technical visits on Friday morning. Some participants had the chance to experience the Dutch high-quality cycling network, as well as the Dutch cycling node network, which they had heard so much about during the conference. Others participated in walking and cycling tours through the most cycle-friendly city according to the Copenhagenize Index – Utrecht.

Another technical tour introduced the recently completed 23 km long F28 doorfietsroute (cycle highway) which connects the centres of Utrecht and Amersfoort. The last two tours were a little bit more adventurous. One took participants on a (surprising) Dutch mountain bike ride, and the last took them to local farms, offering insights into the regional vision of connecting nature, heritage, local businesses, and meaningful visitor experiences.

See you at next year’s EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference in Trieste, Italy, from 29 September to 1 October 2027.

Check the detailed programme of the 2026 Conference and the full list of speakers here.

Article by Barbora Labudová