EuroVelo Conference 2026

EuroVelo Conference 2026

30 September - 2 October

Contact:

Congress by design • The Netherlands
T: +31 88 089 8101


     
    [email protected]

    Subthemes & Priority Topics

    At the beating heart of cycling

    Utrecht is not only acknowledged as the best cycling city and region in the world, but is also a place of cutting-edge innovation and research, with a people-oriented focus on health and wellbeing. There is no better place to explore what makes cycling – in its many forms – a booming activity and how to grow it further, making the most of digital innovations. In 2026, the cycling tourism community gathers in Utrecht, historically a region of connections. This edition of the EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference considers the interactions between different cycle route networks and partnerships to develop cycling tourism products, as we near the 30th birthday of a prime example of international cooperation in cycling – EuroVelo.

    Subtheme 1 – Multi-purpose cycle route networks

    In Utrecht, you can tell if you are on a leisure or commuting route by the colour of the signposts. Commuters, recreational cyclists and cycling tourists often mix on the same cycle route – sometimes without even noticing, sometimes conflicting. EuroVelo routes cross both busy capitals and remote areas, connecting with other cycle routes, too. Can one cycle route fit all users? Can one (bi)cycle fit all uses, transforming daily and holiday habits?

    Priority topics for subtheme 1:

    • Crossroads between daily cycling, recreational cycling and cycling tourism from an infrastructure and planning perspective
    • From cycling to work to cycling on holiday, and vice versa: behavioural changes and monitoring usage
    • Using EuroVelo as a backbone for other cycle route networks and for all types of cycling

    Subtheme 2 – Stronger together: collaborations in cycling tourism

    A good cycling tourism experience depends on a variety of actors: authorities building and maintaining infrastructure, small enterprises offering tourist services, public transport operators ensuring multimodal connections, just to name a few. The key to building a successful cycling tourism product is therefore cooperation, at every possible level. The EuroVelo network is the result of a fruitful international collaboration that began in the mid-1990s and continues to this day.

    Priority topics for subtheme 2:

    • International, national and regional cooperation models to develop routes, destinations, the economy and livable environments
    • Public-private partnerships, including cycling-friendly labels, demonstrating the economic impact of cycling tourism
    • The EuroVelo network, a catalyst for growth: almost 30 years of cooperation

    Subtheme 3 – Innovation for more and better cycling (tourism)

    Digital innovation has dramatically changed the cycling tourism experience and will continue to shape it in the future. AI is one of the hottest topics in tourism, and the world of digital personalisation has the potential to make cycling a more accessible, appealing activity for a more diverse audience.

    Priority topics for subtheme 3:

    • AI and digital innovations: challenges and opportunities in a fast-changing world
    • Marketing cycling tourism as a cool and attractive, environmentally friendly activity, for everyone
    • Innovative projects linking cycling with health, education, environment and transport
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