In a survey carried out for the Motor Cycle Industry Association almost half of bikers (45%) said their dream motorcycle adventure would be ‘Coast to Coast in America. The second most popular trip was a ‘Mediterranean tour” (26%) closely followed by the adventurous 20% who dream of travelling ‘The Silk Road – London to Bejing’.
A British adventure with all it’s breathtaking beauty and scenery came in last place with a 4% of riders considering ‘Lands End to John O Groats ‘ . This was just beaten by a ‘Sahara Desert’ trip chosen by 5% of the riders.
Motorcycle travel experiences are becoming a growing hobby for British motorcyclists with motorcycle-related tourism expenditure in the UK at round £569 million, supporting approximately 13,250 tourism jobs. Overseas tourism accounts for around £17 million of tourism spend and around 23,000 international riders visit the UK compared to 100,000 riders who take tourism trips abroad each year.
UK based tours are typically focused on the more rural and scenic areas of the country, including Cornwall, the Lake District, Wales and particularly Scotland. Most overseas tours have traditionally focused on destinations in Europe and the US, although there has been significant recent growth in tours to Northern Africa, South America, Asia and Australasia.
Steve Kenward MCI’s CEO commented, “ There is a great opportunity for home businesses to tap into the UK market as well as benefiting from the 23,000 international riders that visit the UK annually”.
“ The average motorcyclist currently spends around £380 per annum taking into account food, drink accommodation and other services, but with the right promotion and tailor-made services there is plenty of room for growth to entice both UK and overseas travelers to get on their bikes and enjoy our open roads.”
Anyone who is interested in getting onto two wheels can get started with the motorcycle industry’s Get On campaign. It is easy to sign up for a one-hour free ride with a local trainer by going to the website www.geton.co.uk . You’ll get an hour riding a scooter or geared motorbike on a safe area away from the road, with a qualified motorcycle instructor, as well as access to a helmet and other safety kit.