IMBA’s Thursday Summit to discuss cycle tourism recovery plan
With mountain bike parks such as the world-famous Les Gets now once again open, this week’s IMBA summit will focus its attention on how the cycle tourism segment recovers ground lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
To be held online this Thursday, the Summit itself is working around the ongoing health crisis and will focus its dialogue on a recovery plan for the cycle tourism sector, which has been hit particularly hard by bike industry standards.
There will, however, be a lot of new cyclists to invite to trails across Europe and the IMBA Summit will therefore be led by experts in stimulating demand and driving the associated economic benefit.
Mark Torsius, General Manager of IMBA Europe said “Everyone in the MTB sector needs an overview of the international position. Our sector has many small companies, trail managers, tour guides and MTB groups who can become very disconnected during this pandemic, we at IMBA want to help them prepare for a recovery that works for everyone. Mountain biking is one of the most sustainable ways to reopen the tourism sector, but we need to coordinate our voices.”
Keynote speakers and panelists include Gergana Nikolova, Regional Director Europe & Central Asia of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, Teodora Marinska, Head of Finance and Public Affairs of the European Travel Commission, Lee Craigie, Active Nation Commissioner for Scotland and co-founder of the Adventure Syndicate and Thomas Larsen Schmidt, President of IMBA Europe.
The lineup of panelists will be completed with contributions by Randy Neufeld, Director SRAM Cycling Fund, Thomas Egger, Director of the Swiss Centre for mountain regions (SAB), Luca d ’Angelo, Director Dolomiti Paganella Tourism and Mike McClure, president of the European Network of Outdoor Sports.
The event moderator will be Kevin Mayne, CEO of Cycling Industries Europe, who said: “At this time we are seeing a strong recovery in many parts of cycling. It is important to invest in a strong MTB industry as well because many brands depend on MTB and tourism as a critical part of their business. That’s why CIE supports IMBA Europe, they play an essential role in bringing the sector together.”
The online summit will take place on 18 June 2020, 3.00 – 4.30 pm CET. Find the latest Information and updates about the program and speakers on the website, where you can register now.
Cycle tourism has become a focal point of many countries’ strategy thanks to its growing worth. In Germany, around 10% of all tourism cash is said to be linked to cycling.