Mountain biking - a briefing for tourism businesses

What can you do to attract mountain bikers to your business?

The Forest Tourism Initiative

Following research commissioned in 2005, on trends in cycling and mountain biking, the downloadable business development brief available here was developed by the Forest Tourism Initiative - a partnership between Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise, Forestry Commission Scotland and VisitScotland - and whose aim is to to expand and enhance the visitor experience of Scotland's forests.

Have a look through this excellent resource to see if there’s a product gap your business can fill.

Advice and ideas include:

• Can you offer a genuine, friendly welcome?
• Do you have a secure bike rack for people visiting your business?
• Do you sell bike guidebooks or maps of the area - or have a library where visitors can browse through guides? There are a number of good books about mountain biking on both built and wilderness trails in Scotland.
• Remember that the facilities you offer for mountain bikers are often similar to those needed by other active visitors – an investment in facilities for mountain bikers could also benefit walkers, kayakers, touring cyclists and others.
• Can you pick guests up at the airport, even if they’re bringing bikes?
• A mixed party of non-bikers and keen bikers may need a different approach, requiring a range of local information, events and activities, music, arts, food and drink or shopping.
• Consider the opportunities to increase your visitor numbers by packaging your local trail with other businesses in the area, or with a specialist tour operator.
• Give recommendations of good local eateries serving good sized portions, which will be open late if necessary.
• Word of mouth is a very important information resource for mountain bikers and a good experience spreads like wildfire on web forums. Sign up to mountain bike or holiday forums/websites for firsthand knowledge of what riders are looking for and the chance to help visitors prepare a great holiday.