Edinburgh has announced plans to cash in on cycle tourism after it emerged the Scottish capital could be missing out on £60m a year.
A recent Edinburgh City Council report raised the alarm to cabinet and the authority now aims to make a concerted marketing push over cycling - with the first stage promotional and featuring videos of the capital's routes online, Herald Scotland reports.
After losing out to Yorkshire last year, the Scottish capital has its eyes on hosting a leg of the Tour de France and has set up a cycling plan of action to garner interest in its facilities, which include miles of cycle paths, canal, river and park and lochside routes in the city alone.
Greg Ward, director of economic development said in the report: ‘A report into the value of cycle tourism produced by Transform Scotland suggests a large captive market is being missed with regards to leisure cycling.
'Despite the growth of this market and increasing popularity for mountain biking in the area, Edinburgh is not yet considered by visitors to be a leisure cycling destination.
'There are currently no cycling promotional campaigns directed expressly at visitors and there is little information readily available specifically targeting and encouraging tourists to make spontaneous decisions to use leisure cycling as a way to explore.
‘The action plan will concentrate on leisure cycling specifically and is initially focused on maximising awareness of the existing network of cycle paths and promoting areas safe and fun to explore which will complement the ongoing improvements to cycling infrastructure throughout the city.’
Among the plans being considered is the creation of cycling hubs designed to encourage visitors to spontaneously explore the city by bicycle like Amsterdam.
The news comes as the city faces legal action from cyclists who claim they have suffered injuries from incidents related to the city’s tram tracks.
