The Algarve wants to assert itself as a destination for the practice of competition and leisure cycling, having entered in the 2015 calendar five events that will help boost the sport in the region, promoted by the Portuguese Cycling Federation.
The aim is to attract more stages, events and cycling tourists to the Algarve, which could become a natural sporting hub for cyclists in the coming years.
«The temperate climate, the quality of the hotel offer and the variety of routes and equipment make the Algarve an attractive destination for sports. We are, for example, on the route of sporting stages of high football competition, which in 2014 brought England and Netherlands teams to the region. But we also want to stand out in cycling», says the president of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), Desidério Silva, for whom the Cyclin'Portugal Algarve program, of which the regional entity is a partner, «is already a good stimulus to the sport in the Algarve».
In addition to the visibility that the destination gains during these events, some of which have national and international television coverage, there is another advantage that cannot be "neglected" for the host destination: the contribution to reducing seasonality, defends the president.
«The events included in the Cyclin'Portugal Algarve take place in February and March, precisely at the time of the lowest tourist flow. This is therefore a niche that we are interested in exploring, as is cycle tourism, which in 2012 alone generated more than two million trips in Europe», continues Desidério Silva.
The Algarve region is part of the European Network of Transnational Cycling Paths (EuroVelo) and has infrastructures designed for cycling, as in the case of the Ecovia do Litoral, with about 214 kilometers that connect Cabo de São Vicente, in Sagres, to Vila Real de Santo Antonio.
Reasons that lead Desidério Silva to conclude that «the Algarve is currently an excellent destination for the practice of outdoor activities, such as cycle tourism and cycling, which, due to their importance, are already included in the Strategic Marketing Plan for Algarve Tourism ».
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