One of the key events of this weekend's Padua Cycling Tourism Fair is the presentation of the Cycle Tourism Charter of Values, a new initiative that Toscana Promozione Turistica has launched to shed new light on the region's slow pace of cycling. Tuscany is always at the forefront of the cycling world and wants to make its mark on the way it presents itself to cycling enthusiasts , demonstrating how to welcome those who arrive looking to enjoy a truly relaxing holiday.
A concept developed in its essence by the director of Toscana Promozione Turistica Francesco Tappinassi: "Tuscany is the first region to have created an atlas of the region's cycling itineraries, which has reached 20.000 kilometres, mapping all the feasible routes., from cycle paths, cycle routes, mountain bike trails, gravel and so on. It's a project that began in 2022. We created the Charter of Values, a tool already successfully used for other tourism verticals in the region (family, pet-friendly, sustainable, mental wellness, women's tourism), where we speak in a slightly more elevated way about bike-friendly hospitality, without relying on simple services like bike rooms, bike workshops, and GPS tracks, but a sense of hospitality that goes much further."
Why this choice?
I, too, personally find myself asking for information from the receptionist at a hotel, and they can't tell me where to rent a bike or where I can go cycling around the corner—all answers that a cycle tourist needs to be offered. So we created it together with the accommodation facilities, rental companies, and all the players in the cycle tourism ecosystem, listing and drafting a manifesto that represents a commitment from both the institutional and operational sides to provide adequate hospitality for those who come to visit our region by bike.
What was the response?
There were some objections, but overall it was well received. Toscana Promozione regularly organizes various workshops, such as those on creating specific offers for certain events, as was the case for the Tour de France. We held workshops for operators to help them, guiding them in creating dedicated product co-design offers, which go beyond cycling tourism, because we know that cycling tourists don't just ride bicycles; they also want to enjoy other experiences , combining food and wine tourism, experiential tourism, and perhaps even mental wellness. The response was more enthusiastic than usual.
Where did you move?
We did it extensively, so we traveled across Tuscany , and obviously everyone in the industry came, as well as sports associations, because we wanted to engage the communities. One of the values that emerged was the Tuscan lifestyle, to maintain a tradition that also extends to food and wine and beyond.
The Charter of Values has been borrowed from other areas. How did it work in these cases?
The other maps created previously are those for families, sustainable tourism, mental wellness, women's tourism, and pet-friendly tourism. Cycling tourism was the last one, partly because it's one of the most mature tourism categories in Tuscany, but for this reason too, we wanted to validate and affirm this primacy, Tuscany's position as Italy's leading destination . The other maps have always been organized in the same way, always involving operators. For each vertical, there are dedicated consultants, always accompanied by the director, of course. We asked questions about why a cycling tourist should come to Tuscany, what they appreciate, and what they feel they can offer that is different and distinctive to the area.
What does the card consist of?
The operators have made seven commitments: authenticity, hospitality, humanism, expertise, attention to beauty, the right to slow down, and sustainability . The next step will be to increase the number of businesses signing this commitment so that tourists know who to turn to.
Tuscany is at the forefront of cycling tourism and, more importantly, has many provinces, with many different routes. Which provinces perhaps offer further development?
The Tuscany Region's exhibition stand will host eight of the 28 regional communities that comprise the region, which also encompass several provinces. In Padua, the Amiata, Casentino, Chianti, Etruscan Coast, Lunigiana, Lucca Plain, Apuan Riviera, and Pisan Lands are promoting them . Some areas are working to develop cycling tourism, such as Mugello or Maremma, which boasts the unique Maremma Park, immersing you in nature in its purest and most protected state. Another regional community that is certainly growing in cycling tourism is Lunigiana, along with Garfagnana.
What do you expect from this charter of values that you will present at the cycle tourism fair?
A stronger connection with the guest, that is, the host and the guest, defined by the same term to symbolize the relationship that is established between the traveler, who must feel welcomed, and the tourism operators who must be the standard-bearers of Tuscany, honoring its values of hospitality. We want to focus not only on beauty, but on how one feels part of the territory, sustainably and slowly, to fully experience inner balance.
