Written evidence submitted by Cycling UK (TNI0008)
TOURISM IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Response from Cycling UK to the inquiry by the
Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Cycle tourism is a sector with significant untapped potential in Northern Ireland.
There is a lack of data about the number of visitors to Ireland who cycle during their trip and how this contributes to the economy, and it would be useful if this were measured. We present evidence from Scotland and the rest of the UK showing that investing in cycling is cost-effective and generates substantial economic benefits.
Cycling UK would recommend several ways to support cycle tourism in underdeveloped areas:
There are currently a range of options to travel to Northern Ireland with a cycle, but there are several measures that could be implemented to make the process smoother.
Cycle tourism is well-promoted by the CycleNI and MountainBikeNI websites as well as the cycling sections of other tourism sites such as Discover Northern Ireland. There is potential to promote Northern Ireland more to an international audience using the Eurovelo route and events such as the Giro d’Italia.
For cycle tourism to realise its full potential, the various agencies involved in promoting recreation and tourism need to work together to provide cyclists and would-be cyclists with a full supporting ‘package’, which could include: car parking, public transport connections, online and paper maps, waymarked routes, refreshments and cycle-friendly accommodation.
Cycling UK was founded in 1878 and has 68,000 members and supporters. The charity’s central mission is to make cycling a safe, accessible, enjoyable and ‘normal’ activity for people of all ages and abilities. It was previously known as CTC or the Cyclists’ Touring Club. Our interests cover cycling both as a form of day-to-day transport and as a leisure activity, which can deliver health, economic, environmental, safety and quality of life benefits both for individuals and society. We are a statutory consultee on rights of way and countryside access issues, and have work in partnership with Tourism NI to develop cycling opportunities.
Cycling UK welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry. As our expertise lies with cycling, our response focuses on cycle tourism in Northern Ireland and addresses the questions that are of most relevance for cycling.
Prior to responding to the questions, it is useful to distinguish four main types of recreational cycling and cyclists, whose distinct needs should be addressed as part of any tourism strategy:
• Touring cyclists on longer linear/circular routes with a minimum of one overnight stay, generally travelling by cycle or combination of cycle and train.
• Enthusiast road cyclists or mountain bikers who will travel to an area for a short break (or as part of a longer road trip of several locations) riding local routes, generally travelling by car.
• Non-enthusiast holidaymakers, often families or couples, who may cycle once or twice during a longer holiday, generally travelling by car.
• ‘Day trip' cyclists including cycling event participants who will visit the area for a short period of time and not stay overnight.
There is a lack of specific data about the contribution of cycling to the Northern Ireland economy, and the Committee for Regional Development recommended in 2014 that this should be addressed[1].
However, Tourism NI estimated that in 2014, activity tourism, including cycling and mountain biking, was worth approximately £100 million to the economy of Northern Ireland[2]. Of these ‘activity tourists’, 6% of overseas visitors participate in cycling during their trip[3]. In terms of domestic demand, the continuous household survey found that cycling is the third most popular form of physical activity in Northern Ireland, with around 1 in 10 respondents cycling for recreation[4].
Within the whole of the UK there are 1.23 million overnight cycle trips annually, which contribute over £439m to the economy. This equates to an average spend of £360 per trip or £46.75 per day. In addition, the 148 million cycle tourism day trips generate £1.88bn, with an average spend of £12.69 per trip[5].
Cycle tourism particularly benefits rural economies, because touring cyclists prefer to travel light which requires them to shop regularly and locally[6].
Direct spending is not the only economic contribution from cycle tourism: there are also many indirect benefits. As an example, in Scotland, cycle tourism is worth £106-228m per year – but when multiplier effects such as health, infrastructure and events are included, this increases to £117-239m. Combined with mountain biking, the total economic benefit to Scotland from cycling is valued at £241-362m per year[7].
This clearly illustrates that although the economic benefits of cycle tourism to the Northern Ireland economy are not currently measured, they are likely to be significant. Furthermore, investing in cycling is highly cost-effective: the Department of Health estimated that in the UK the median cost-benefit ratio of cycle infrastructure schemes is 19:1[8].
The geographic distribution of mountain biking trail centres – and associated economic benefit – is concentrated in the south-east, with opportunity for future growth in other areas.
Promoted road cycling routes of all lengths show a more even distribution. However, four of the five long-distance routes promoted via CycleNI are in Co. Antrim and Co. Down, with only one in the west. This means that overnight stays generated by multi-day touring cyclists following these routes will mainly benefit these two counties.
Northern Ireland is well served with attractive road cycling routes, but traffic can put many people off cycling for leisure, particularly families with young children. To extend the benefits of cycle tourism to a wider range of areas, we recommend the regeneration of more disused railway lines into greenways.
In 2016 Chris Hazzard announced plans by the Department for Infrastructure to develop a 1,000km greenway network[9], following campaigning by NI Greenways, Sustrans NI and Cycling UK.
A cohesive nation-wide network of traffic-free routes has huge potential on multiple counts: to attract both day and overnight cycle tourists, create more cycling, walking and horse-riding leisure routes for local residents, and provide active travel corridors for short journeys. Greenways also provide additional ecosystem services by acting as wildlife corridors and increasing biodiversity. As a first principle, disused railway lines should be safeguarded from development pressures so as not to lose the opportunity for future conversion to traffic-free routes.
The success of the Great Western Greenway in County Mayo demonstrates the untapped potential in Northern Ireland. An assessment of the economic impact of the 42km greenway estimated that all direct expenditure related to the greenway would contribute to a projected €7.2m (£5.9m) boost to the local economy during 2011.
Aspirations to extend the existing Newry to Portadown Greenway so it eventually reaches down to Dublin[10] are welcome, and this has the potential to be a fantastic 52km cross-border traffic-free route which not only connects two major cities but is easily accessible to overseas visitors.
Northern Ireland has a much less extensive public rights of way (PRoW) network compared with England and Wales: only 0.2 miles of PRoW length per square mile compared to around 2.4 miles per square mile in England and Wales[11].
This severely limits opportunities for off-road cycling, horse riding and even walking: it is conceded on the WalkNI website that “Northern Ireland has very few public rights of way and therefore in many areas walkers can only enjoy the countryside because of the goodwill and tolerance of landowners”[12].
Access legislation in Northern Ireland is more restrictive than in the rest of the UK. Scotland implemented the ‘right to roam’ policy under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 subject to visitors following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and England and Wales have the Countryside Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000 and the Marine Coastal Access Act 2009, all of which give greater levels of public access than in Northern Ireland.
We understand that the Department of the Environment conducted a consultation in 1999 on whether to introduce a right to roam over specified access land in Northern Ireland in a similar way to the CROW Act, but this was rejected due to landowners’ liability concerns. However, these concerns appear to be unfounded: information regarding occupiers’ liability law produced by the DOE and DFP highlights that “there is no known evidence that successful claims are being made in Northern Ireland against private landowners as a result of allowing use of permissive paths or otherwise allowing their land to be used for informal open-air recreation”[13].
Cycling UK has been active in lobbying the UK Government to ensure that the Agriculture Bill specifically includes public access as a public good, so that after the UK leaves the EU maintaining and enhancing public access should be one of the criteria for receiving agricultural payments. We would recommend that future distribution of agricultural subsidies in Northern Ireland should also reflect these priorities.
E-bikes make cycling accessible to a wider range of people, including those who are inactive, elderly or have mobility difficulties. They can also reduce barriers to cycling in hilly areas, whether for transport or leisure. These benefits have been recognised: promoting e-bikes formed part of the 2015 Bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland[14].
However, riding an e-bike is currently complicated by the need to register it with the DVLA, tax and insure it, pass a theory and practical test, and wear a motorbike helmet. We hope that once the Assembly returns, the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles – EAPC – (Amendment) Regulations that came into force in the rest of Europe in 2015 will be passed so that people have the freedom to ride an e-bike in the same way as a standard cycle. This would create opportunities for e-bike hire centres to attract a wider range of day cyclists, including domestic visitors and those from further afield as an activity during a longer stay.
There are several options for travelling from Great Britain. People travelling with only bikes will generally prefer to take the train and ferry, either to Dublin for onward travel or directly to Belfast. Those who wish to transport their bikes by car are able to do so on the ferries.
There is also a choice of airport links for both domestic and overseas visitors, most of whom travel to Belfast or Dublin.
From ROI, the only option to reach Northern Ireland by rail is from Dublin. Travelling north from western Ireland by car or coach is more lengthy as there are fewer major roads.
In terms of travelling within Northern Ireland, although railway coverage is limited, provision for carrying bikes on buses and coaches is good compared to the rest of the UK. The ability to carry cycles on public transport is also important for day tourists from within Northern Ireland, to ensure equal opportunities for outdoor recreation for people who do not have access to a car.
Cycling UK would make the following recommendations to make travelling to and within Northern Ireland for cycle tourism smoother and more coherent, similar to measures identified in Fáilte Ireland’s cycle tourism strategy:
The CycleNI and MountainBikeNI websites both provide good dedicated sources of information about cycling in Northern Ireland, as do the cycling sections of other tourism sites such as Discover Northern Ireland. Outdoor Recreation NI reports that the MountainBikeNI website has had over 1 million views since its creation with 62% of these being from outside of Northern Ireland[15].
Events such as the Giro d’Italia are effective for promoting Northern Ireland as a cycling destination to an international audience, and efforts to secure further events like this will reap the benefits.
For cycle tourism to realise its full potential, the various agencies involved in promoting recreation and tourism need to work together to provide cyclists and would-be cyclists with a full supporting ‘package’. Depending on the type of cycling they want to take part in, this could include: car parking, public transport connections, online and paper maps, waymarked routes, refreshments and cycle-friendly accommodation.
The Eurovelo 1 route which runs through Northern Ireland is a fantastic asset, connecting not only to ROI’s Wild Atlantic Way but also – once the route is fully complete – from Norway through to Portugal. This could be promoted much more to attract both day visitors and long-distance touring cyclists. There has also been consideration of developing the route along the dramatic Causeway Coast in the future and incorporating possible new greenways[16], which would be a significant draw for international tourists by linking to world-famous attractions such as Giant’s Causeway.
Cycling UK asks the Committee to:
[1] Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Regional Development (2014) Inquiry into the Benefits of Cycling to the Economy. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/regional-development/reports/inquiry-into-the-benefits-of-cycling-to-the-economy.pdf
[2] Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Regional Development (2014) Inquiry into the Benefits of Cycling to the Economy: Northern Ireland Tourist Board. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/official-report/committee-minutes-of-evidence/session-2013-2014/june-2014/inquiry-into-the-benefits-of-cycling-to-the-economy-northern-ireland-tourist-board/
[3] Stennett (2015) Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service Briefing Paper: Northern Ireland tourism: sectors. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/raise/publications/2015/eti/12615.pdf
[4] Department for Communities (2016) Experience of sport and physical activity in Northern Ireland. https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/communities/experience-of-sport-and-physical-activity-in-northern-ireland-201516.pdf
[5] McKibbin, D. (2014) Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service Briefing Paper: Cycling for leisure, recreation and tourism. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/raise/publications/2015/regdev/2415.pdf
[6] Fáilte Ireland (2007) A strategy for the development of Irish tourism: Conclusions report. http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/3_Research_Insights/1_Sectoral_SurveysReports/CyclingStrategy2007.pdf?ext=.pdf
[7] Zovko (2013) The Value of Cycle Tourism: Opportunities for the Scottish economy. http://transformscotland.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/The-Value-of-Cycle-Tourism-full-report.pdf
[8] Davis, A. for the Department of Health/Government Office for the South West (2010) Value for Money: An Economic Assessment of Investment in Walking and Cycling. https://bikehub.ca/sites/default/files/valueformoneyaneconomicassessmentofinvestmentinw.pdf
[9] Department for Infrastructure (2016) Hazzard gives green light to greenways. https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/news/hazzard-gives-green-light-greenways
[10] http://www.newrymournedown.org/the-carlingford-lough-greenway
[11] Cave, S. & Gillen, B. (2012) Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service Briefing Paper: Access to the countryside in Northern Ireland – occupiers’ liability. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/raise/publications/2013/environment/1913.pdf
[12] WalkNI: Access. http://www.walkni.com/useful-info/
[13] Department of the Environment & Department of Finance and Personnel (2015) Occupiers’ Liability Law
in the Context of Access to the Countryside in Northern Ireland. http://www.outdoorrecreationni.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Occupiers-Liability-in-the-Context-of-Access-to-the-Countryside-in-Northern-Ireland_NIEA.pdf
[14] Department for Regional Development (2015) Northern Ireland Changing Gear: A Bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland. https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/drd/a-bicycle-strategy-for-northern-ireland.pdf
[15] Outdoor Recreation NI: MountainBikeNI Consortium. http://www.outdoorrecreationni.com/case-study/tenth-case-study/
[16] Northern Ireland Assembly Debate, 17 November 2015. Bicycle Strategy: EuroVelo. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2015-11-17.5.28