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New York’s trail network has witnessed tremendous growth over the past 20 years, underscored by the completion of the Empire State Trail. The growth in outdoor recreation opportunities across the State has resulted in a resurgence of outdoor enthusiasts; notably, long-distance cyclists.

Since 2009, Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) has hosted an annual Bicyclists Bring Business (B3) event in a community along the Erie or Champlain Canalway Trail. The event offers community partners, businesses, residents, and cyclists a unique set of resources to help them capitalize on the growing bicycle tourism market in their area.

Bicyclists Bring Business provides communities with a better understanding of how they can attract and retain bicycle tourists by providing the services, amenities, and accommodations that bicycle tourists seek— safe, off-road cycling between historic communities, scenic landscapes, interesting attractions, and plentiful services.

Bicyclists Bring Business 2022: Brockport

The 2022 Bicyclists Bring Business event was held in the at Village Court, 49 State Street, Brockport at 6:00 PM on the evening of Wednesday, October 19. This public event served as an opportunity for Brockport community members and other trail advocates to come together to learn about the steps Brockport has taken through the Empire State Trail Town pilot program so far, and the recommendations PTNY is proposing in Brockport's Trail Town Action Plan for the village to take it to the next level. The workshop included opportunities for the public to comment on the recommendations.

Previous Bicyclists Bring Business Roundtables

Suggestions for increasing local bicycle tourism from previous roundtables

  • Share and distribute information about benefits of bicycle tourism via meetings, signage, maps, brochures, and public education among business owners, tourism offices, and nearby attractions
  • Focus on services that are particularly important to bicyclists, such as lodging and campsites, local maps, transport of luggage, bicycle repairs and bicycle security
  • Link local trails into a larger network of potential users
  • Promote local events and bicycle-friendliness on web and elsewhere
  • Anticipate issues that may arise, such as trail appropriateness for bicycles and conflicts with walkers and motorized vehicles
  • Modest investments can result in a substantial boost for tourism

Ilion, NY (2021)

On September 30, 2021 PTNY, the New York State Canal Corporation and Herkimer County HealthNet held our annual Bicyclists Bring Business event virtually. PTNY and partners conducted a bicycle and pedestrian assessment in Ilion, NY to help illuminate the factors that encourage, and deter, cyclists from leaving the trail and making their way into the Village of Ilion. The webinar on September 30, 2021 presented our findings from the assessment and provide elected officials, tourism professionals, and local business owners with recommendations to:

  • Encourage bicycle tourists to visit Ilion;
  • Ensure that bicycle tourists can safely and comfortably get to and around Ilion;
  • Meet the needs and desires of bicyclists with cyclist-oriented infrastructure and amenities;
  • Give bicyclists positive experiences that draw them back for repeated visits and that they will share with fellow cyclists;
  • Take the first steps to foster partnerships and secure resources

2012-2020

Due to COVID19, Bicyclists Bring Business event was held virtually in 2020. The event took a corridor-wide approach to help community leaders attract cyclists and help grow local economies along the Canalway Trail. Program highlights included information about the popularity of cycling and the growth of the bicycle tourism market, strategies to create and sustain a bicycle friendly community, and guest speaker presentations on initiatives currently underway across the state and country.

Guest presenters shared strategies successfully used to help communities realize the economic benefits of bicycling, and participated in a discussion that touched on aspects of community engagement, planning and design, obstacles, low-cost improvements, partnerships, and the role of social media.


The goal of the event was to help participants gain insight into the needs and trends that can influence a bicycle tourist’s decision to visit a community, and how communities can use this information to grow their local economy by appealing to bicyclists.


Glens Falls (2019)

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On September 10, 2019, the annual Bicycles Bring Business roundtable and community bike-a-round stopped in Glens Falls, returning to the city ten years after it was first hosted there. In a Bicyclists Bring Business first, the host for the evening round-table, the Queensbury Hotel was named as the newest official Bike Friendly New York certified business, showcasing the local business community's dedication to accommodating cyclists.

Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) and the New York State Canal Corporation released the 2019 Glens Falls "Bicyclists Bring Business" summary report that provides five major recommendations, each with a set of underlying strategies, to help communities like Glens Falls capitalize on the growing bicycle tourism market and the completion of the Empire State trail in 2020.


Bicyclists Bring Business: A Handbook for Attracting Bicyclists to New York's Canal Communities

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Learn more about the cyclists that travel the Erie Canalway Corridor now as well as how your business and community can market to and profit from future cycling tourists.

Attendees at the Bicyclists Bring Business roundtable receive a copy of Parks & Trails New York’s guide, “Bicyclists Bring Business: A Handbook for Attracting Bicyclists to New York’s Canal Communities.”

Email any questions to canaltrail@ptny.org. Register as a Bicycle Friendly Business through the Bike Friendly New York Program, and sign up to receive PTNY's e-Newsletter for updates on upcoming event and the latest information on the parks, trails and all forms of outdoor recreation from around the state.