Tourism businesses in the Peak District and Derbyshire can benefit from a new series of free webinars aimed at boosting the local cycling economy.

Supported by Visit Peak District & Derbyshire and Derbyshire County Council, visitor economy businesses can learn about the benefits of being a cycle-friendly business on a series of webinars taking place in September and October.

The webinars aim to help small and medium-sized enterprises in Derbyshire to be more competitive and to gain a greater understanding of the cycle tourism market, which is worth £2.9 billion to the UK economy annually and is growing at a rate of 10-15% every year.

As well as helping businesses learn how to attract cycle tourists, the webinars will help businesses understand how they can play a valuable role in making the area the ultimate destination for active travel.

Derbyshire has over 260 miles of traffic-free cycle routes to explore, and the webinars are part of Derbyshire County Council’s ambition to make Derbyshire the most connected and integrated county for cycling in England.

Visit Peak District & Derbyshire has identified cycle tourism as a key area of growth for the local visitor economy, highlighting its ability to increase the value of tourism, extend the visitor season and enhance the area’s sustainable visitor offer.

The 60-minute webinars will be held weekly from 20^th September to 17^th October 2023 and consist of five modules:

• What cyclists want: Wednesday 20^th September, 10:30am
  Hear top tips from local cycle-friendly businesses, understand how becoming cycle friendly can boost your business, and discover the free resources available to help your business attract cyclists.
• Cycling for all: Wednesday 27^th September, 10:30am
  Learn how to encourage participation in cycling for all abilities and discover the steps you can take to provide a warm welcome for visitors with additional access needs.
• Enabling sustainable travel: Wednesday 4^th October, 10:30am
  Understand the importance of active travel and how cycling can support the development of sustainable tourism.
• The cycling pound: Wednesday 11^th October, 10:30am
  Learn about the economic value of cycle tourism and discover how your business can access the fast-growing domestic and international cycling tourism market.
• How to become cycle friendly: Tuesday 17^th October, 10:30am
  Learn about the facilities that make a business ‘cycle friendly’, gain top tips on how to exceed customer expectations, and hear about some of the latest cycling tourism developments.

The webinars are FREE for visitor economy businesses (accommodation, attractions, activity providers, cafes, pubs, restaurants etc) based in Derbyshire.

To book a place and find out more, please visit: www.visitpeakdistrict.com/industry/business-support/cycling-webinars.

Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change Councillor Barry Lewis said:
“This joint initiative shows our commitment to supporting local businesses to be more sustainable in a way that can also help them to thrive and gain more share of the cycle tourism market.

“It also supports our ambitions to become a net zero county by 2050 or sooner. We have some great speakers lined up and I hope local tourism businesses will sign up for these free sessions and find out about how they can benefit their business and enhance the well-being of our communities and visitors.”

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Derbyshire County Council to offer local tourism businesses this new programme of cycling webinars, which will provide useful and practical information on how to provide a warm welcome for cyclists.

“As an environmentally sustainable form of tourism, cycling benefits local communities as well as bringing numerous economic benefits to the area, and making your business cycle friendly doesn’t always require major or expensive changes. These webinars offer a fantastic opportunity for businesses to gain a share of the growing cycle tourism market, helping to extend the tourism season, obtain loyal customers, and, above all else, promote our world-class cycling offer.”