Category: Tourism & Travel

1. The HUBB UK Overland Adventure Travellers event

   Posted on 10:36am Tuesday 14th Jan 2014

   This vibrant event from Overlander’s website Horizons Unlimited will be in its 14th year in 2014, making it the longest running overlanding event in the UK.

   It’s all happening between June 19th and 22nd at the new venue – the Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel DE74 2RN. The intention of the event is to inspire, to inform and to connect overland travellers. Got travel questions? This is the place to find the answers – frequently from people who have been there and done.

   The 4-day event will see over 150 sessions of presentations and demonstrations, authors and film makers, and competitions. In addition to all the activities, specialist overlanding companies will be on site to display and talk through the kit that they have designed, manufactured or sourced specifically with overlander in mind. Overland travel related clubs, magazines and forums are also made very welcome.
   
   The buzzy but laid back atmosphere is pretty much unique to the adventure traveller and though many of the attendees are experienced overlanders, newcomers will experience no airs and graces. The buzz of the event comes just as much from the activities and fantastic presentations, as from the sight of friends meeting up for the first time since the road, or new friends being made. It comes from the happily exchanged advice and tips of the road, to the real ale and the excellent food that’s on offer from the hotel at tremendously good value. You’ll even find a small mini market on the campsite.
   
   Please be aware that this isn’t a day visitor event. That would defeat the object of the event and scupper the amazing atmosphere.
   
   For the full details just go here
   
   The HUBB UK - Inspiring, Informing and Connecting Overland Adventure Travellers
   
   www.horizonsunlimited.com
   
   
   

2. The Motorcycle Industry

   Posted on 9:48am Tuesday 14th Jan 2014

   · Contributes £7.2 billion a year to the UK economy

   · Directly employs 65,500 people in more than 6,350 businesses (that’s more than UK call centres or taxi drivers)

   · Can help ease congestion and ‘green’ targets for personal transport

   · Meets social need through making personal transport affordable
   
   www.mcia.co.uk

3. Motorcyclists can provide the tourist industry with a lucrative summer... whatever the weather!

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 1st Jan 2014

   A survey carried out for the Motorcycle industry* researched the impact of bikers on the tourist industry and found that Motorcycle-related tourism spending in the UK is over £565 million each year, supporting over 13, 000 tourism jobs.

   In recent years the most significant growth in motorcyclists has been in female riders and with this the rise in longer stays under bricks & mortar such as B&B's, hotels, cottages, etc, rather than just for one night... Many riders know there is nothing worse than arriving somewhere after a long ride, unpacking, showering, eating, drinking, sleeping and then up the next day to pack up and move on. With this there is a significant rise in finding a great Biker Friendly place to stay as a base for a few days and then to go out each day to tour and explore the area.

   Hoteliers, cafes, pubs, event organisers and other tourist related organisations could be getting more money from the biker pound, by choosing the correct medium to promote themselves within, especially as many Bikers travel in the UK for their holidays, along with overseas motorcycling tourists spending over £17 million on trips here.

   The traditional stereotype of bikers being free-spirited, leather clad hooligan is thing of the past, according to research** the profile of the ‘average biker’ in 21st Century Britain, a seemingly upstanding, 40+-something middle-class citizen who is a married, professional, family man, who almost certainly owns a car. Challenging the old perceptions of bikers even further, only 7% sport either long hair or a pony tail. This is probably because nearly 60% of those surveyed hold down a professional senior/management job, taking home an average wage 25% higher than the national average.

   By simply advertising your business as 'Biker friendly' here on THE BIKER GUIDE is letting this niche audience know that you welcome them, which many times is enough in itself... by also offering drying facilities, garaged and/or secure parking is a bonus and not a necessary, for you to capitalise on this growing market.

   Other interesting facts:

   More than half of all motorcyclists are over 40, with the vast majority of motorcycle tourists being in this age category.

   “The lack of interest in the motorcycle tourism sector may be due to a perceived image of rebellious youthful bikers which is at odds with their current demographic," (Dr Cater, lecturer at Aberystwyth University).

   * by GHK on behalf of the MCI ** by Bennetts

4. Hear The Road Motorcycle Tours Italy

   Posted on 8:53am Tuesday 26th Nov 2013

   An Italian tour operator dedicated exclusively to those who want to know Italy while riding a motorcycle.

   Hear The Road offers great motorcycle road-trips to choose from depending on the time you have available, and the type of road experience you are looking for. All trips start and end in Rome.

   The guided tours run from May to September. Experienced motorcyclists will take you along the most beautiful and breathtaking scenic drives of Italy. Ride along quiet back country roads in the gentle morning breeze; discover the charm, history, and traditions of this marvelous land; ride through cool, pristine mountains as the day gets warmer; stop for a taste of local food or wine in one of the many small less-known villages; visit famous art cities such as Rome, Siena, Orvieto, Assisi, and Florence. Stop overnight in welcoming, family-run hotels; taste delicious local cuisine in the typical “trattorie”; explore the friendly Italian summer nightlife. Participants can be set up by us with our motorcycles, or – if they are coming from another European country – they can bring their own bike! Hear The Road: a wonderful way to explore Italy on a motorcycle, with gas, heart, and eyes wide open!

   www.motorcycletoursitaly.com

5. Compass Expeditions to join forces with Triumph

   Posted on 7:01am Wednesday 20th Nov 2013

   Compass Expeditions is pleased to announce that it has joined forces with Triumph Australia to run motorcycle adventures in Australia each year. The inaugural event known as the Triumph Otway Dirty RATS weekend will take place late March 2014 while the second event known as the Triumph Flinders Ranges Dirty Rats Adventure takes place early August 2014.

   “We are thrilled that Triumph reached out to us to run these fantastic events” says Compass Expeditions co-founder Mick McDonald, “ both events are open to non Triumph riders as long as they are accompanied by a Triumph riding mate” continues Mick.

   “The Triumph Tiger is a wonderful bike and this will give us a great opportunity to test this bike out”, says Mick

   The Otway’s weekend is a 2-day event focusing on the many and varied dirt tracks in and around Victoria’s Otway’s National Park and offers riders some superb temperate rainforest riding coupled with stunning Great Ocean Road views.

   The Flinders adventure is a 5-day ride that takes place in and around the beautiful Flinders and Gammon Rangers National Parks in South Australia. This ride will offer clients a chance to experience wonderful outback riding through immense landscapes or gorges and ranges.

   Triumph FLINDERS RANGES DIRTY RATS ADVENTURE

   Triumph OTWAYS DIRTY RATS WEEKEND