Assessment of recreational and tourist cycling routes. Case study in the West Region of Portugal

Recreational and tourist cycling routes in Portugal, namely in the west coast region, have been growing sharply in recent years. This trend can be generalized throughout the country, considering the importance of the strategy outlined by the Portuguese Cycling Federation, to reach more people, to offer better practice conditions, and contributing to the sustainability of the regions. In order to ensure a quality offer in terms of cycling related products, 13 routes were assessed in the territory of Caldas da Rainha municipality, as part of its Cycling Center project. An innovative methodological approach was used based on the regulations for the approval of Portuguese cycling routes, which involved different stakeholders, focus group, data triangulation, with different points of assessment, techniques and emerging technological instruments, facilitating greater depth in data collection. The results allowed for the assessment of a balanced distribution of routes and existing resources, in terms of technical difficulty, level of physical effort and touristic and landscape interest. The quality of conditions for sports and recreation can contribute to the promotion of active lifestyles, safety, comfort, the attraction of tourists and the promotion of the heritage and sustainability of the territory.

Management implications

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  Cycling Routes can contribute to the deseasonalisation of outdoor-based tourism demand.

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  The participation of stakeholders (e.g. cyclists, clubs, companies, municipality) can contribute to the development of a cycling tourism destination.

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  Planners should identify the specific needs of this segment to design and manage the offer.

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  Specialized services are needed to support recreational cycling and tourism.

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  Cycling tourism products should value the points of interest of the territory, and the satisfaction of cyclists, also considering, the level of difficulty of each route

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  The cycling industry can help improve destination positioning.

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  Climate, safety and the quality of natural resources are key to enhancing a cycling tourism destination.