We mountain bikers are no longer a new star in the tourism firmament. For thirty years now, we've been riding through the Alps, and anyone who wanted to take a serious look at us would have had more than enough time to do so. And yet: when I travel through the Alps today, I always come across the same tourism fails over and over again. Here is my top 5 list of mistakes that are made when dealing with us mountain bikers.

Mistake 1: Control through prohibitions

The idea that mountain bikers can be controlled by bans is a misconception. Experience shows that bike bans are only enforced where there is a sensible alternative route. Which is hardly ever the case. Mountain bikers refuse to use a road for the descent and ignore the ban on the trail. This leads to more rather than fewer conflicts of use. Many mountain bikers recognize the message behind the signs: they are second-class guests and a problem that needs to be dealt with.

Mistake 2: please everyone

The tourism industry's favorite target group is "everyone". This does not only apply to mountain biking, but this approach is particularly unsuitable here due to the pronounced heterogeneity. The balancing act between beginners and downhillers, between families and e-mountain bikers is in fact not possible. Tourism managers generally lack the courage to focus on one segment and consciously forgo others. There is a well-known basic rule: if you please everyone, you please nothing.

Mistake 3: E-mountain bikers are a separate target group

Recently, regions have been positioning themselves specifically for e-mountain bikers. The reason for this is not particularly progressive product development. Rather, it is a distraction from the fact that the region cannot get a grip on actual mountain bike tourism. It is hoped that e-mountain bikers can be fobbed off with gravel roads and not have to struggle with the complex access to single trails. But if you can't cater to mountain bikers, you won't be successful with e-mountain bikers either.

Mistake 4: copying the competition

Tourism is dominated by the idea of having to adapt successful offers. This has been applied for decades in winter until all ski resorts in the Alps have become interchangeable. This approach is now also being adopted in summer and one flow trail after another is being shoveled into the mountains - all of which are more or less the same. Instead of learning from the mistakes of winter, they are now repeating them in summer.

Mistake 5: approaching mountain bikers without a strategy

Mountain bike tourism is still primarily a case of shooting from the hip. Clear concepts, well thought-out strategies and long-term perspectives are generally lacking. However, mountain bike tourism is too multi-layered and complex to be handled casually. And if you don't have a plan, you will definitely make one thing: the first four mistakes listed above.



These are my top 5 mistakes that I unfortunately encounter all too often on the trails throughout the year as a mountain biker. Mountain bike tourism is not really a closed book. It may be challenging, but it's not that difficult. What would help against the failures: thinking, listening and learning from the mistakes of others. It's no different in "real" life.

More blog posts by Thomas Giger

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