Bicycle travel on the rise: the results of the 2024 ADFC Bicycle Travel Analysis
In 2023, 37.4 million Germans regularly cycled during day trips or holidays. This is more than half of the adult population of Germany. The annual Bicycle Travel Analysis carried out by the German Cycling Association (ADFC) takes an expert look at the potential of this market. Every year, the results of the survey are presented to the public at the ITB Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin.
Holiday expenditure by cyclists
For the first time this year, the analysis also surveyed the budget invested during a cycling holiday or day trip. The estimated total volume of holiday expenditure generated by cyclists were between 22 and 25 billion euros.
This is an impressive figure, especially when compared to the total expenditure on holiday trips in Germany, which amounts to just under 87 billion euros as determined in the 2024 Reiseanalyse.
This shows: Cycling tourists have a high economic potential and contribute a significant share to the total tourism expenditure.
The ADFC Bicycle Travel Analysis in a nutshell
More than 16,000 people took part in the 2023 cycling year survey. This provides insights into the interests of the overall German population.
During this year’s analysis, the ADFC for the first time examined the following four segments of cycle tourism:
- cycling holidays with three or more overnight stays
- short cycling trips with one or two overnight stays
- cycling day trips without an overnight stay
- cycling during a holiday trip that is not a cycling holiday
In addition, the ADFC also surveyed the willingness of non-cycle tourists to go on a cycling holiday. The result shows that nearly 55 % can imagine going on a cycling holiday in the future.
Potential turnover generated by cycle tourists
The holiday expenditures of cycle tourists, which were surveyed for the first time for the cycling year 2023, are especially interesting for tourism.
- Cyclists on a short break spent around 130 euros per day.
- Cycle tourists with at least three overnight stays had an average travel budget of 117 euros per day.
- With only 32 euros per day, cyclists on a day trip spent far less. However, they did not have to cover any costs for overnight stays.
- People who only occasionally cycled during their holiday trip, spent around 123 euros per day and person.
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Media usage of cycle tourists
The media usage of cycle tourists is another fascinating field of analysis. The participants of the survey were asked to name their preferred types of media for on-site orientation. The result across all segments: Apps are now the number one navigation tool, followed by local signage and internet research.
In addition, respondents provided information on the type of apps they used for navigation purposes. With 81.3 %, komoot took first place among cyclists with more than three overnight stays.
In the other segments, Germany’s most frequently used outdoor app ranks second behind Google Maps, with values ranging between 70.2 % and 56.1 %. Other outdoor apps trail behind with a significant distance of an average 10 %.
Cycling holidays abroad
The primary destination for German cycle tourists remains their own country. However, 44.1 % of cycling holidays were spent abroad, with the top destinations being Austria (31.6 %), Italy (27.3 %), France (18.2 %), the Netherlands (13.3 %) and Denmark (11.4 %).
The conclusion: German cycle tourists are a popular target group for foreign destinations with an attractive potential revenue.
Future prospects in cycle tourism
As part of their survey, the ADFC also asked participants for their 2024 travel plans. With 55 %, the clear majority of non-cycle tourists can imagine going on a cycling holiday in the future. 73.7 % of those already planning a cycling holiday for the upcoming season named Germany as their preferred destination.
Our tip: Visit the ADFC website to see results and more detailed information about the analysis!
Destination marketing with komoot
The results show the huge potential of cycling holidays and day trips. This makes it all the more important to position your destination with a suitable offer. komoot provides you with great opportunities to create high-quality outdoor content and distribute it to your preferred target audience. What’s more, tours created with komoot can easily be embedded into your own website using an iFrame solution.
Take advantage of komoot’s enormous reach with more than 38 million users worldwide! Simply get in touch to discuss the details!
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