Majorca is going to be the main holiday destination for European cyclists next year with an estimated 250,000 cyclists, a 25% increase over this year, expected to come to the island according to tour operators which specialise in cycle holidays, companies involved in organising sporting events and data from the regional administration.
The increase in cyclists has been progressive since 2010, hence the hotels’ commitment to adapt facilities and services to cater for this offer of active tourism that plays a key role in decentralising the season considering that nearly 80% of cyclists come in the low season months from mid-December to the end of June.
At present, nearly 200 hotels on the island have opted to stay open during the winter and cater for cyclists and have converted basements into bicycle repair workshops and also adapted their restaurant menus and food offers.
Artá, Muro, Alcúdia-Can Picafort, the Playa de Palma and Cala Serena hotels have all experienced a significant increase in their occupancy levels during the low and middle season months with the arrival of cyclists and their families.
“The demand for Majorca has been growing steadily since 2010 and this positively affects all the productive sectors, which is why the turnover generated by cycling and bicycle tourism will exceed 300 million euros in 2019, mainly because the main international professional cycling teams have chosen the island to train and compete during December, January and February.
“Each professional team brings between 60 and 70 people and usually occupies a whole hotel,” said from the AETIB, Max Hürzeler, Bicycle Holidays and Diana Sportreisen.
The Hotel Majorcan Hotel Federation values this tourism product in a positive way: “Businesses have spent years investing in equipment to offer a complete package to cycle tourists and professional teams. And more and more hotels have opted for this sector of active tourism and have installed workshops for storage, maintenance and the repair of bicycles, training gyms and specialised menus for athletes,” said the executive vice president of federation, María José Aguiló.
Another factor that has a positive effect in capturing this sector of active tourism throughout Europe is the road network and cycle routes that municipalities, the government and the Council of Majorca are promoting every year and investing in improving the infrastructure and safety.