Bike tourism in Australia has a new ally making it easier for two-wheeled travellers to connect directly with bike-friendly accommodation, services and experiences.
Bike Hotels is the brainchild of former professional road cyclist, Matteo Bono, aiming to create a one-stop platform to take the hassle out of planning an adventure on your bike by connecting riders with accommodation partners that are guaranteed to cater to their needs.
Bono—who has competed in 6 x Tour de France and 5 x Giro d'Italia—relocated from his hometown in Italy to Australia in 2018, and brought his passion for cycling with him.
![Matteo Bono](https://bicyclenetwork.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Bono.png)
“This beautiful country has so much to offer cyclists,” said Bono, “but there just wasn’t enough information to connect cyclists with bike-friendly businesses to make their travels easy, so I created Bike Hotels to do just this and support their needs."
Hotel partners are selected based on their commitment to providing minimum guaranteed services for bike riders, including:
- Bike storage options
- Bike wash options
- Laundry services
- Breakfast options
As well as some additional services such as workshop areas, bike maintenance tools, spare parts and transfers.
“Because our partners must meet criteria that deem them to be bike-friendly, cyclists can feel confident their accommodation will provide services and cycling information to make their trip easy and hassle-free,” said Bono.
And the idea couldn't have come at a better time.
Recent Tourism Victoria research found three of the top four factors that would encourage bike tourism related to obtaining additional information:
- downloadable maps or tracks, trails and facilities (39%)
- accessible information online (38%)
- a website that provides comprehensive information about planning a cycle trip (37%).
The financial benefits of bike tourism are certainly no secret. Bike tourists spend more, stay longer and engage in a broader range of experiences than the average tourist.
Identified globally by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation as a major future growth activity, bike tourists report an average stay of 16 nights compared to 4.5 nights for the average visitor.
In Victoria alone, bike tourism contributes approximately $362 million per annum to the economy.
You can learn more about Bike Hotels via:
Website: www.bikehotels.com.au
Facebook: @bikehotelsaustralia
Instagram: @bikehotels_australia