Louisa Mursell, Executive Director, Ontario By Bike / Transportation Options

MP Julie Dabrusin, Government of Canada

• Canada’s National Active Transportation Strategy – Overview of Canada’s first National Active Transportation Strategy. A modal shift is needed to meet environmental, health and equity goals under the strategy that enhances active transportation infrastructure.

MPP Sheref Sabawy, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport, Government of Ontario

Rebecca Mackenzie, Incoming Chair, Board of Directors, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario; Culinary Tourism Alliance

Suzanne Caskie, Chair, Food and Tourism Studies – School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Centennial College

Michael Bertuzzi & Jennifer Tracey, Board of Directors, Transportation Options

Reaching the Cycle Tourism Market through Innovative Trail & Route Development & Marketing

Véloroute Gourmande: the Little Story of a 235 km Cycling Path – Julie Desmarais & Annie Langevin, Véloroute Gourmande & Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est/Tourism Eastern Townships, Quebec

• Julie & Anne will be presenting on the Véloroute Gourmande, a new 235km bike route that connects Montreal and Sherbrooke with many gourmet stops, various attractions and accommodations for discovery in Montérégie and the Eastern Townships/Cantons-de-l’Est. The development of this route, the resources available for cyclists and the marketing campaign for the Véloroute Gourmande, while in its early days, are indicating this route will be popular with cycle tourists.

Developing the Endless Mountains Gravel Bikepacking Loop – Cain Chamberlin, Endless Mountains Heritage Region & Robyn Cummings, Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency, Pennsylvania, USA

• A two-year collaborative effort between various local agencies has led to the creation of a four-county bikepacking route through the Endless Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Endless Mountains Gravel Bikepacking Loop (EMGBL) takes cyclists approximately 670km (415 miles) across the pastoral landscapes and through historic towns in Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties and boasts over 9,750 meters (32,000ft) in elevation changes throughout. For those keeping track, that’s collectively taller than Mount Everest! We developed an interactive map of the route on the Endless Mountains Heritage Region’s website, complete with all of our desired points of interest like museums and historic sites, scenic overlooks, state and local parks, restaurants, lodging, breweries and wineries along with links to each of their websites and social media pages. The map allows EMGBL users to plot out their adventure before even downloading the route to their GPS or mobile device using the RidewithGPS or Strava apps.

Building a Binational Trail Experience Around the Great Lakes – Marlaine Koehler, Waterfront Regeneration Trust / Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, Ontario

• Internationally recognized as one of the world’s great rides, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail has played an important role in building Ontario’s cycle tourism experiences. Learn how the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and partners are working to complete the trail with the upcoming Lake Superior expansion, creating a fully connected route by 2027 along the Canadian shores of the Great Lakes. Creating a world-class cycling experience also means building a Binational experience around the Great Lakes. With the completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge in 2024 the trails and greenways on both sides of the border between the cities of Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan will be linked making the first-ever cross border trail tourism experience possible. This historic connection and partnerships formed serve as a model for future connections.

Michigan Trails & Cross-Border Partnership for Expanding Cycle Tourism – John Hartig, The Great Lakes Way Advisory Committee, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Michigan, USA

• With the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge in 2024 or 2025, four major trail organizations have come together to expand cross-border cycle tourism experiences, including the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan which champions the 160-mile Great Lakes Way stretching from southern Lake Huron through western Lake Erie, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources which champions the more than 2,000-mile Iron-Belle Trail, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust which champions the 2,250-mile Great Lakes Waterfront Trail; and the more than 15,000-mile Trans Canada Trail. This partnership will develop binational trail destination experiences, collaborate on marketing strategies, and explore opportunities for using technology to enhance the trail user experience. Good examples of cross-border outdoor trail experiences include binational bicycle tours and cycling events, Canada-U.S. open street events, joint Underground Railroad tours and First Nations celebrations, joint celebrations of World Migratory Bird Day and Earth Day, and more.

Moderator: Louisa Mursell, Ontario By Bike / Transportation Options

France: The Path & Partners to Becoming a World-Class Cycling Destination

Camille Thomé, Director/Directrice, Velo & Territoires also France Vélo Tourisme

Routes, services, marketing, transport, promotion, working with partner regions and businesses, developing a national strategy. Has France managed to become the renowned cycle tourism destination it claims to be? Becoming a world-class cycling destination is a long-haul process with big challenges to overcome and successes to celebrate. Vélo & Territoires along with its network of over 170 partners have an ambitious plan with clear goals to achieve by 2030. Cycle tourism plays a recognized and important part with partner organization, France Vélo Tourisme providing Accueil Vélo certification services across the country and promoting the cycling routes that have put France on the map for cyclists.

*Presentation will be by live video available only at in-person conference, with Q&A to follow

Moderator: TBA

Developing Cycle Tourism Product to Reach Emerging Markets

Understanding and Attracting the Growing E-Bike Market – Jamie Stuckless, Stuckless Consulting Inc.

• Electric bicycles (e-bikes) can help more people cycle longer, further and for more trips. Research from around the world, and right here in Ontario, shows how e-bikes are helping to grow cycling and the potential for e-bikes to help increase cycling tourism is huge. This presentation will look at the e-bike opportunities that exist for municipalities and tourism operators and how jurisdictions around the world are creating great e-biking experiences for tourists. We will also discuss the challenges and policy barriers that need to be addressed to help Ontario and other destinations meet their full e-biking potential.

Developing and Marketing Mountain Biking and Fat Biking Trails – Travis Anderson, Tourism Sault Ste. Marie / City of Sault Ste. Marie

• Sault Ste. Marie has been actively developing mountain bike trails as a means to increase tourism product offerings in the northern city and surrounding areas. To capture the winter cycling market, trails for fat biking have also been developed and are maintained through snow season. To attract cyclist to ride the trails, a far reaching promotional campaign was activated over the past year, creating exposure for the city’s cycle tourism product. Relevant examples will be shared showing how Sault Ste. Marie’s trails have resulted in an increase in visitation to the area and attracted new residents to the community. 

Gravel Cycling Market: Events & Building the Gravel Community – Jody Wilson,  Growing Beaver, Photographer, Go Cycle Collingwood

• ​​The state of gravel riding in the Southern Georgian Bay area has significantly increased in recent years.  The small town of Collingwood, set directly in the middle of the region, has become a hotbed of activity, boasting one of the top gravel charity events in Canada (The Growling Beaver, est. 2015), a key portion (the hardest section) of the BT700 bike packing route, and a prime destination for countless weekend gravel warriors escaping the city.  It is also home to non-race gravel events such as Creemore’s very own Turas Mor and competitive events like Sea Otters Scare Crow gravel race. In 2023, the region will also host the UCI world amateur gravel qualifying events. This presentation will take a quick look from a local cyclist’s view point to why and how so many people are attracted to the Southern Georgian Bay area (specifically Collingwood) for the increasing trend of Gravel Cycling, why it is such a popular destination, and the impact this has had on our communities. 

Moderator: Brendan Matheson, Tourism Simcoe County

Remarks: Destination sponsor – Destination Northern Ontario

National and Regional Trail Development with Rails-To-Trails Conservancy

Liz Thorstensen, Vice President, Trail Development, Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, USA

• Since 1986, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has served as the national voice for the rail-trail movement in the U.S. As the country’s largest trails organization, it’s been their role to speak up for trails, showcasing the incredible impact that trails have on strengthening and transforming communities, and elevating the passionate work of trail supporters and advocates.

*Presentation will be by live video available only at in-person conference, with Q&A to follow

Moderator: TBA