Cycling holidays a dusty image? Forget it. An increasingly younger target group is embracing this sustainable and active holiday experience. Cycling holidays involve large numbers: in 2021, 3 million Dutch people undertook about 7,2 million cycling holidays in their own country. They spent approximately 942 million euros. And all this with a score of 8,5. The growing use of the Long Distance Cycle Routes is striking. The new approach for these LF routes is working. Service, convenience and experience make multi-day cycling accessible. All current cycling holiday figures can be found in the report Key figures cycling holidays 2021-2022. Bureau Kien carried out research on behalf of the National Bicycle Platform.
Hiking and camping holidays
The total of spacious 7,2 million cycling holidays is made up of almost 5,4 million bicycle parking holidays, whereby people undertake several bicycle trips from a fixed holiday address, and almost 1,9 million bicycle tours. An average trek in our own country consisted of 3,8 nights. This means that approximately 6,8 million overnight stays took place during cycling trips. In 2021, the Dutch spent a total of 942 million euros during cycling holidays in their own country.
Who is the holiday cyclist?
Just as the Dutchman does not exist, the holiday cyclist does not exist either. So many people, so many cycling holiday wishes. In general, the trekking cyclist is younger than the stationary cyclist and more often goes out with children. More than half of the hikers are under the age of 40 and a third belong to a family with children. The stationary cyclist is relatively more often above 60 (37%), but in this group, too, almost a third is below 40 years of age.
Strong increase in LF usage
With an LF route, hikers choose the convenience of one route – with continuous signage – over a longer distance. Some reactions from the survey: “The signposting of the LF routes is top notch. So nice to cycle an LF route” and “Cycling along bicycle paths and LF routes is a dream.” More and more cyclists are using these routes. In 2021, more than half of all hiking cyclists will have used an LF route during one or more hikes; in 2020 this was about a third. In total, an LF route was used on 2021 treks in 756.000.
New approach works
In order to tailor the long-distance cycling routes even better to the wishes of the (beginning) holiday cyclist, the Cycling Platform is renewing the range of LF routes together with regional partners. The aim is to arrive at about ten so-called LF icon routes.
“It is fantastic to see that the new approach to the LF routes is taking off. These routes offer more service, convenience and experience. This makes multi-day cycling more accessible for a growing group. This translates into high usage: 210.000 hikes on the LF Maasroute; 178.000 on the LF Coastal Route and 155.000 on the LF Zuiderzee Route. The newest LF icon route is the LF Waterline Route. Delivered last year and immediately nominated for Bicycle Route of the Year. That is a price in itself.”
