The Heritage India Cyclothon is being organized on 1st March 2020 through the beautiful heritage region of Shekhawati. The event will witness participation from various parts of India and the youth as well as local communities. The proposal is to make it a joint venture between Shruti Foundation and INTACH as an annual feature through different parts of Rajasthan.
Objective: Tangible heritage reveals unique stories about how our cities came to be. It adds character and beauty, fostering a sense of community and Rajasthan’s history. The objective of the Heritage India Cyclothon-2020 is to bring people and groups together to not only become aware, learn from and celebrate our heritage, but also to work together to safeguard, conserve, protect and restore our ‘Tangible and Intangible Heritage.’
The Benefits of Cycling Tourism
- Participation of hundreds of cyclists
- Spread awareness about the importance of restoring heritage and interact with village communities.
- Spread awareness about the rich history of our Heritage sites and showcase cultural activities in heritage spaces.
- Promote use of Non–motorized mode of transportation to reduce pollution.
- Promote physical fitness
Economic benefits:
- Economic benefits are measured in terms of the effect on destinations from visitor numbers (trips) including, inter alia, expenditure, employment generation and business start-ups.
- Cycle tourism can provide incentives for people to visit an area and can help to attract new types of visitors who stay longer and spend more in a destination;
- Cycle tourism can support existing local trade (particularly in hospitality sector) and offers business start-up opportunities (such as bike-hire), particularly in rural areas.
- It is an environmentally sustainable form of tourism with minimal impact on the environment.
Other benefits:
- Ultimately, those who participate in cycling while on holiday or as a leisure activity, may then be encouraged to cycle more frequently for other (utility) purposes.
- Cycling holidays involve one night or more away from home, where cycling is the principal purpose of the holiday. It can be center based or as a tour involving staying at different places. A cycling holiday can also be sub - categorized into an organised package or independent tour.
- Holiday cycling – this involves day cycle rides from holiday accommodation or another places (such as a cycle hire at a railway station). This forms part of the holiday experience but is not necessarily the only one.
- Cycle day excursions – cycle trips of more than 3 hours duration made from home principally for leisure and recreation. This division is significant as day excursions are almost 100 times more frequent in volume to Holidays. However, overnight trips (holidays) generate higher revenue.
Other features of a cycling destination
- Circled route or linear route- It utilizes existing and often under-used facilities such as quiet laneways, canal towpaths and disused railway lines
- Beauty and detail of surroundings is the most important destination attribute of cycling
- The scenery needs to be varied, as too much of the same thing will become boring
- Weather is often a key consideration in a cycling holiday
- Cycling routes incorporating attractive cities and towns, followed by access to historical/cultural attractions, and destinations that are easy to get to, complete the list of attributes required to make a good cycling destination
