Cycle tourism between tourist destination and territorial marketing: the DINAclub project

Why dedicate a panel discussion to the topic of cyclotourism, tourist destination and territorial marketing? 

Because as data from the 4th “Traveling by Bike 2024” Report, ISNART and Legambiente remind us, cycling tourism is a healthy and growing sector. 

In 2023 +35% turnover, compared to 4.4 in 2022* (5.5 billion euros) with over 56 million bicycle tourism presences in 2023, 6.7% of the total presences recorded in Italy, up 4% from 54 million in 2019. 

In this market, an energy and sustainable mobility operator like Repower entered in 2021 with the DINAclub project, the first charging network dedicated to e-bikes through which the multinational aims to electrify Italy's cycleways. 

Davide Damiani, head of external relations at Repower Italy, will talk about its features, such as the three cornerstones on which the project is based: visibility and communication to accommodation facilities thanks to the partnership with komoot, gamification for cyclists, and DINA, the design rack, designed by the Golden Compass for Lifetime Achievement studio Makio Hasuike, capable of accommodating 5 bikes and recharging 3 e-bikes at the same time. More than 250 accommodation facilities throughout Italy have joined DINAclub, obtaining through membership, the creation of dedicated profile and itineraries on komoot, an online interview on the DINAclub news portal and related promotion of activities on Repower social channels. 

But the construction of a territorial marketing strategy passes as much through digital channels as through a territorial presence made up of events and activations. In this sense, in the creation of a tourism destination, the work of entities such as tourism consortia that manage to network among accommodation facilities that otherwise alone would not have the strength to promote themselves to the public and offer certain integrated services is crucial.
 
A fine example of how territorial marketing can be applied in strengthening the attractiveness of a tourist destination is also the involvement of industry influencers. One of the leading figures in Italy is Ilaria Fiorillo, a bike influencer who specializes in helping the hospitality sector to better welcome bike tourists. And it is precisely Ilaria Fiorillo who will participate in the panel discussion, after her recent collaboration that saw her pedaling along the new DINAclub itinerary in Salento through masserias, hotels and campsites that have joined the DINAclub network to tell how in Salento facilities are increasingly teaming up to welcome soft tourism, on two wheels.