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Ontario By Bike Network:
Industry Update - October
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Ontario By Bike Updates & News
It has been a few months since our last industry enewsletter, sent late spring, and as we barrel into fall and the end of the cycling season for many, we wanted to reach out to all our industry contacts and share some updates from the summer and projects we are moving forward with over the winter.
We welcome the following new destinations and businesses participating in the Ontario By Bike Network from:
We held workshops and conducted outreach in all the above areas and also in
Manitoulin and
Windsor Essex County and
York Region, in total reaching over to 330 tourism operators and stakeholders in the past 6 months.
Renewal Regions and Webinar Series
If you have a listing in any one of the areas listed below, as part of the Ontario By Bike Destination Partner Renewal program, verifying your listing is up to date is a requirement and will better enable cyclists to find your certified bicycle friendly location. This month, watch out for an email notification, or pre-register for one of the upcoming webinars for each renewal destination, and/or get other tourism businesses involved by telling them about the Network and information webinars for your destination.
For dates, times and pre-registration information click
HERE.
- Kawarthas & Peterborough, November 15; Niagara, November 16 & 21; Grey County, November 20; Haliburton County, November 20; Haldimand & Norfolk Counties, and South Eastern Ontario / The Great Waterway - November.
Ontario150 - Celebrate By Bike
Over the summer and to celebrate Canada's 150th, Ontario By Bike along with partners, launched a legacy project with 15 ride itineraries, 15 celebratory events and cycling education programming for Ontario150 Celebrate By Bike. Featuring Ontario By Bike Destinations, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and Greenbelt Route, as well as the safe cycling education programs and bicycle friendly communities of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition. More information can be found at
www.OntarioByBike.ca/150
Provincial Updates
While we continue to work on a number of projects supporting product development and marketing of cycle tourism at a regional level, Ontario By Bike is also playing an active role at the provincial level. Positive momentum continues as both the Government of Ontario, Ministers and Ministries of Transportation and Tourism, Culture, and Sport are prioritizing strategic planning to grow cycling in Ontario.
Building on the 2013 #CycleON Ontario's Cycling Strategy, action plan 2.0 is now being developed with more details to be announced early 2018. There is to be a continued focus on growth of cycle tourism, with one of the 5 pillars dedicated to positioning Ontario as a premier destination for cycle tourism. Find more information at:
www.Ontario.ca/cycling
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2018 Marketing Partnerships Now Available
Ontario By Bike / Transportation Options is pleased to announce our 2018 marketing partnership opportunities for destinations, cycling events and certified bicycle friendly businesses, including print advertising in the 6th annual 2018 Cycling in Ontario / Le vélo en Ontario Guide.
The well received 2017 edition grew to 32 pages, with 37,000 print copies distributed (25,000 in English and 12,000 in French). Cyclists eagerly await this yearly publication using it as a key resource to assist with trip planning to destinations around Ontario.
New in 2018 is 1/8 page marketplace advertising ideal for tourism businesses and cycling events. All print advertising sales close November 17.
Other partnership offers include digital advertising on www.OntarioByBike.ca website and/or our popular consumer e-newsletters, as well as event and consumer show partnerships featuring Ontario destinations at a variety of prominent Ontario shows and cycling events, as well as the Montreal Vélo Show.
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Digital Advertising Campaign
In support of the campaign that ran into mid-autumn, Ontario By Bike created a dedicated campaign landing page on our website - www.OntarioByBike.ca/Explore -showcasing 15 legacy cycling itineraries along portions of the two iconic cycling routes that were developed as part of the Ontario150 Celebrate by Bike project.
Final results are still to be tallied, but initial reports indicated over 4 million impressions and over 60,000 visits to www.OntarioByBike.ca during the campaign period, where Ontario By Bike regions and certified bicycle friendly businesses were placed front and center.
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U.S. Cycling Market Research
Earlier this year, Ontario's Southwest (RTO1)
partnered with the
Adventure Cycling Association, to gather market research on the New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan cycling markets through an online survey.
While the majority of the results aligned with much of the primary and secondary research Transportation Options / Ontario By Bike has conducted in recent years, there was one area of differentiation.
Where past research has indicated a preference for roofed accommodation, n
early 70% of survey respondents had a preference for camping when staying overnight.
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Impact of Cycling Tour Weekend Rides
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| Days Inn Lindsay Credit:Justen Soule/RTO8 |
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Our
Ontario By Bike Rides, small group tours continue to be popular. This year we hosted 3 weekend tours all of which sold out well in advance.
With a focus on recreational riders and trails, these overnight tours allow us to track the economic impact from our group, numbers that can be likened to that of self-supported riders visiting the areas independently.
Our impact studies show a per person spend ranges from $310 to $252 on a 2-day ride; dollars going directly into host communities and being spent at Ontario By Bike certified bicycle friendly locations. These figures prove that cycle tourism is valuable and contributing sector of the overall tourism industry in Ontario.
Once our weekend rides are completed, we place the ride itinerary online and post a blog to promote the route and make it possible for cyclists to easily replicate our rides. To view all past itineraries go to:
www.OntarioByBike.ca/rides. We look forward to announcing our 2018 rides in February and bringing cyclists to new destinations next summer.
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Inspiring Cyclists to Explore Ontario by bike
Advocating for increasingly more exposure for cycling in the marketing of Ontario as a tourism destination is something that Ontario By Bike and our cycling partners work for everyday.
We were thrilled to see Ontario's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Honourable Minister Eleanor McMahon, release a truly inspiring cycling video at a Minister's Meeting this fall. The video was developed by the
Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and with support of regional partners.
Click, watch and share this great video and consider embedding it on to your website to inspire your visitors and to promote Ontario as a premier cycling destination.
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Stay Connected with Ontario By Bike!
Share your destination or business posts using the hashtag #OntarioByBike!
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Camping Certification Criteria Survey
This fall, we are conducting a survey to explore what facilities cyclists are looking for at campgrounds with the purpose of potentially updating the criteria for this category of bicycle friendly locations.
To view current criteria link HERE.
Survey will be held open until mid-November. Contact us directly if you have any comments from the perspective of a campground operator.
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Keep Cycling Maps and Resources on Hand
While the weather is cooling and winter is on its way, there is no better time to have cycling maps and resources on display at your location.
Cyclists always appreciate getting the latest cycling maps and resources available to help them plan their next cycling adventure. This is a fantastic way to encourage repeat visitation to your business and community.
Don't have any maps or resources at your business?
We suggest calling your local tourism office to find out how you can get a quantity.
Cycling maps often move fast, laminating a copy for display may have more longevity. Also consider making an Internet-connected computer readily available for cyclists.
Not sure who to contact? Connecting with Ontario By Bike by sending us an
email, as we do have a limited selection here in our office of maps, or can help direct your inquiry.
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How Bicycles Impact Small Communities
It's something Ontario By Bike speaks about frequently at our workshops, at industry
speaking engagements and with tourism businesses and destinations across Ontario.
Cycle tourism is having a big impact on small communities and the people that live in them.
Bicycle Times Magazine published a fantastic article that highlights some examples of how bicycles are contributed to local economic development around the world.
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Bicycle Friendly Businesses
Bicycle friendly designations of businesses is not new in places such as Europe and other international destinations. We recently came across the following programs promoting bike friendly cafes and accommodations, with similarities to the Ontario By Bike Network.
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Bike Friendly Cafes
Add your Ontario listing if you are a cafe and already part of the Ontario By Bike Network.
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Italy Bike Hotels
56 accommodation partners catering to cyclists with destinations around the country.
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Industry & Consumer E-Newsletters
You are receiving our Industry E-Newsletter which is sent out two times or more annually to businesses certified as bicycle friendly, and contacts from around Ontario who have attended past workshops. The content includes updates from Ontario By Bike, marketing tips and promotional opportunities, best practices and trends in cycle tourism product development, featured businesses, new cycling infrastructure announcements and other valuable industry insight. To view past issues
click here.
We also publish a popular Consumer E-Newsletter, that reaches close to 8,000 cyclists.
We have a lot of fun putting together content for our 7+ annual issues and hope to inspire more consumers to explore
Ontario by bike.
We are always looking for content suggestions, so do send us your news.
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The Busy and Business of 'Off Season'
What a fantastic ride season. Each year there seems to be more cyclists taking to the trails and riding road routes around the province. From young to old, tricycles to tandems and all versions in between.
As the seasonal and best ride weather of the year draws to a close, folks often ask us what we do in the 'off season' and we answer we are busier than ever working on projects that are shared in brief above and so much more; getting ready for 2018 and beyond.
If we can help you make plans to reach a larger number of cyclists in the new year do reach out, consider our marketing partnership options, sign-up for one of our webinars, use the resources we have online and tune into our consumer channels on social media. Stay in touch and let us know what is new for you and cycling in your region and perhaps we can share that onwards with Ontario By Bike's ever growing cycling community.
Cheers,
From Louisa & Michael
Ontario By Bike Network
Project of Transportation Options
850 Coxwell Ave ~ Toronto, ON ~ M4C 5R1
Office: 416-827-2774
Toll-Free: 1-866-701-2774
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