Bicycle Tourism in the Case of Konya

Abstract

Nowadays, cycling has become widespread as a tourism activity and has attracted great interest since the beginning of the 20th century. Every year, 2.3 billion cycling trips worth €44 billion are made in Europe. The return to the EU economy from overnight stays of cycling tourists alone exceeds €9 billion annually. In this study, it is aimed to emphasize the importance of bicycle tourism development for destinations and to reveal the bicycle tourism potential of Konya. In the study, case study design was used within the scope of qualitative research and interview technique was utilized. Konya's cycling authorities, communities and other stakeholders were included in the interviews. As a result of the study, it was concluded that Konya has a high potential in terms of bicycle tourism, but more effective studies should be carried out on issues such as promotion, marketing, bicycle routes, bicycle friendly facilities in order to become an important bicycle tourism destination.