The Luberon by Bike : promoting bicycle routes for leisure activities in the Luberon and the Forcalquier regions

Best Practice

Topics

• Mobility
• Regional value added

Short description

* Project updated on 25 April 2007 according to information from the project contact persons * "The Luberon by Bike" was created due to an initiative of the Luberon Regional Natural Parc in 1983. From 1995 to 2002, 3 bike routes (370km) were adapted to allow bicycles to travel comfortably in the region. The main route "Around the Luberon by bike" crosses about 40 villages. Information boards have been set up to inform the visitors on the places they travel through. A network of lodgers, tourisme offices, bicycle rental shops has been created to adapt services along the route.

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Project executive

(1) Luberon Regional Natural Parc : the parc is responsible for the infrastructures (sign boards, road adaptations, maintenance, etc.). The Parc hopes to transfer this responsibility to local community clusters. (2) Vélo Loisir en Luberon : this non-profit organisation organises and promotes specific Réseau Vélo Loisir en Luberon - siège social : 13, Boulevard des Martyrs - F-04300 Forcalquier, bureau : 203, Rue Oscar Roulet / F-84440 Robion, Tél 33 (0)4 92 79 05 82 ou 4 90 76 48 05, Fax 33 (0)4 92 76 48 21 service offers for the bikers who travel along the adapted bike routes. They develop communication tools, encourage and accompany private service offerers to adapt to the bikers, etc.

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Participants

See project executive above. As a non-profit organisation, Vélo Loisir Luberon has a certain number of members (32 to this day, constantly increasing) who take part in the project : owners and keepers of hotels, bed and breakfasts, campings, bicycle rental shops, taxis, mountain guides, travel agencies. The community cluster of Forcalquier and the Lure mountain, the region of Haute-Provence, about 10 tourism offices, the Commerce and Industrie chambers of the 2 concerned Départements and the Tourisme Comitees of both Départements are privileged partners. All these members and partners contribute to developing the missions of Vélo Loisir Luberon and the services around the bicycle routes.

Objectives

(1) Promoting and organising the territory as a bicycle destination. This includes creating partnerships and networks with the local actors in the tourism branch. (2) Increasing the number of visitors in the Luberon who use soft mobility means (in this case bicycles) (3) Sensibilisation and training of local actors and visitors to environmental issues : soft mobility, ecology, etc. (4) Encouraging and accompanying the development of bicycle routes in the region. This means maintaining numerous contacts with all local actors, including politicians.

Activities

(1) Promoting, communicating on the bicycle routes in direction of potential visitors. To do this, Velo Route Luberon uses numerous tools : publications, web site in 3 languages, participation in exhibitions, organisation of several events on the bike routes ("Roue libre en Luberon", "Sortez le nez du guidon"), development of touristical products which are offered to national and international tourism agencies (2) Development of new products adapted to visitors travelling by bicycle (bike garages, adapted meals, adaptation of roads and paths, etc). Vélo Loisir Luberon accompanies the local tourism actors to set up these original products. (3) Coordination of the network of members. All the members of Vélo Loisir Luberon sign a "contract" where they engage themselves to adapt their services to bikers.

Process

Although it has been running for 10 years, the project is still in a dynamic development phase : new network members each year, constant increase of the economical impact, development of new routes, etc. Other bike routes exist in France, but few have worked on the links between the infrastructures and the services. Therefore, Vélo Loisir Luberon is continually researching and inventing prodcuts.

Results

The results are very positive, although they have not always been precisely quantified. The number of members of Vélo Loisir Luberon constantly increases (13 in 1995, 32 in 2005, 50 in 2007). 10 years ago, the commercial gain of the lodgers (members of Vélo Loisir Luberon) due to bikers was of about 0,5%, today it represents 7-10%. The estimated direct economical impact constantly increases. Today, this form of tourism is well considered and the experience is often shown as an example for other regions.

Evaluation

(1) Vélo Loisir Luberon does progress reports each year to evaluate the project and improve it. These reports are prepared and validated by various commitees of the organisation, including the general assembly. (2) The Regional Natural Parc of Luberon is planning an important survey in 2006, which should allow to evaluate the impacts more precisely. (3) Each year, the Parc and Vélo Loisir Luberon ask the local tourism actors for feedback on the visitors, but it is difficult to collect information.

Difficulties

(1) Each year technicians and politicians of the various financial partners have to be convinced to continue supporting this activity. The activites have to be justified each year. This represents a great time investment, which could be invested elsewhere if the funding was obtained for several years. (2)The region is originally not very sensibilised to the use of bicycles. There are some times cultural barriers to get over.

Budget

80 000 euros/year (Euro)

Financial backer

Conseil Général Hautes-Alpes, Conseil Général Vaucluse, Région Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, French government (till 2004), European Union for certain projects.

Source of information

Competition

Participant at the 2005 Future in the Alps competition

Homepage

http://www.veloloisirluberon.com/ http://www.velopaysforcalquier.com http://www.ocresenvelo.com

Publication

(1) National and international tourism guides (Michelin, Gallimard, Dumont...) (2) Numerous articles in local newspapers (3) Publications of the local and regional institutions (Conseil Général, Comité Départemental du Tourisme) (4) Articles in professionnal books, reports, magazines : evaluation report of Leader+ Luberon - Lure (2005); "Piloter le tourisme durable", AFIT (2004); Publication of AFIT (2003); Technical documents of the European Union association for Bicycle routes (2003); Report of the Summer Academy of Rural Tourism (Clermont-Ferrand, 2002); Gazette officielle du tourisme; L'acteur rural. ODIT-France is presently preparing a study on the economical impacts of bicycle routes. (5) « France à vélo, France des voies vertes » ODIT France – décembre 2006

Comments

Impact on nature and environment

(1) The use of bicycles to travel has a much smaller impact on the environment than the use of cars. The Luberon used to be a region where nobody had the idea of travelling by bike. This project contributes to promote the bicycle as a way to travel. This type of vacation is not very developed in France. (2) Vélo Loisir Luberon and the Parc also try to promote the use of the bike routes for everyday use by the residents of the region. This can contribute to reducing the use of cars by locals.

Economic value added

The increase of the direct economical revenues is an indicator for the econcomic value added thanks to the bike routes. A coming study coordinated by ODIT-France should give further information on the economical impact of bike routes.

Socio-cultural value added

This project has created links between all types of actors and between different villages. It has also contributed to make villages more attractive, although they were not considered by the traditional tourism form in the Luberon.

Innovative content

(1) Having created and coordinating a network in the Luberon is a very innovative initative. The population and actors of the Luberon are composed of very different social groups who do little together. This project has made it possible for people from all these groups to work together on a common project. (2) Other bike routes exist, but few pay attention to the links between the infrastructures and services. The experience in the Luberon has shown that this coordination is very important, that adapted services are a great part of the succes of a bike route. In this field, Vélo Loisir Luberon is constantly inventing, adapting ideas seen here and there, etc.

Good governance

The good governance is garanteed by the great number of partners who are active in the project. They are invested on the long term, which is an important point for the success and stability of such a project. The members of Vélo Loisir Luberon are also active in the decision making and carrying out of the project. Many of them identify strongly to the project and take initiatives to help the progress of actions.

PR impact

Numerous articles, guides, radio programs, events and several televisions have contributed to promoting the bike route. To go further, for example to work more intensly with televisions, would require a full time employee for the relationships with the media.

Multiplier effect / networking

Little networking is done, however there is interest for such work, inculding at an international level. Vélo Loisir Luberon contributes to create bike routes in other regions. In this context, it would be interesting to start exchanges between the coordinators of the various routes.

Transferability

Vélo Loisir Luberon is often called upon to present its experience and to contribute to the creation of other bike routes. Several on going projects concern the Haut Vaucluse, the region of Vigan, the route from the Geneva lake to the Mediteranean...

Further information