No.130 Attendance at the Cyclo Summit

The 4th National Cyclo Summit was held in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, from September 17 to 18, and I participated for the first time.

This summit is hosted by the "National Association of Mayors Promoting Community Development through Bicycles." The first meeting was held in March 2019 in Wakayama City, and the second was held in October 2019 in Imabari City. After that, due to the spread of COVID-19, the third meeting was postponed and changed to a web format, and it was subsequently suspended. Therefore, this time it will be held in person for the first time in three years.

On the first day, a board meeting was held at the Yamato Community Center in Minami-Uonuma City, and a summit was held in the hall of the community center.

In the keynote speech, representatives from companies and organizations practicing cycle tourism, along with Mr. Kanekago, an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Bicycle Utilization Promotion Headquarters, shared examples of bicycle utilization. Following this, a panel discussion was held, coordinated by Mr. Shinobu Miyauchi, the former editor-in-chief of Cycle Sports and currently a researcher at the NPO Japan Scenic Road Community. From the keynote speech and the panel discussion, we have renewed our understanding of the potential of cycle tourism.

Cycle tourism, in a nutshell, is tourism utilizing bicycles. It can involve riding a bicycle as the main purpose, enjoying sightseeing and gourmet experiences while using a bicycle, using a bicycle during travel or leisure as the main goal, or participating in bicycle-related events, among other things. This case report introduced the promising inbound tourism of Western foreign visitors enjoying guided tours. These individuals are high-income earners who stay in Japan for extended vacations, and their spending is expected to be significant. It was noted that even before COVID-19, tours accompanied by English-speaking guides on bicycles were well-received. In anticipation of the post-COVID-19 era, there seems to be ongoing development of new routes and self-guided tours where participants can download recommended route apps on their smartphones to explore courses on their own. Regardless of whether it includes accommodation, I believe cycle tourism is a promising tourism business that can be pursued in various regions.

On the morning of the second day of the summit, I rented an electric sports bicycle (E-Bike) and had the opportunity to ride a part of the "Yukiguni Uonuma Golden Cycle Route" for about 25 kilometers. Since I had never traveled such a long distance by bicycle before, I was worried about whether I could make it, but thanks to the guide who chose a relatively flat course, I was able to enjoy the beautiful rural scenery of Minami Uonuma during the peak of the rice harvesting season and Mount Hakkai (not the sake, but the mountain) without much difficulty.

In the afternoon, a bicycle race called "Criterium" was held in conjunction with this summit, and we, the mayors of the cities and towns, were able to participate in a parade lap before the main race started.

This summit was a great opportunity to consider Community Development utilizing bicycles over the course of two days. Inagi City, having been designated as the course for the cycling road race in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, advocates for "Bicycle Town Inagi" and will continue to work on various bicycle initiatives to leave a legacy from the Olympics.