What happens when you take cycling seriously

An interesting article in Saturday's AFR on NZ's efforts to provide facilities for cyclists and the effect it can have on the economy.

The 18 “Great Rides” comprising the New Zealand Cycle Trail will span the country and are designed to be conquered by biking dynamos and amateurs alike. When completed early next year, it will provide 2300 kilometres of trail, linking up with other largely on-road cycling routes and giving tourists more opportunities to cover the country by bike.
Prime Minister John Key, also Tourism Minister, has pledged $NZ50 million ($39 million) over three years in government funding for the development.
Cycle tourism is a $NZ320 million business in New Zealand, but with the trail – also known as Nga Haerenga – that could more than double, says a Tourism Resource Consultants report. The report says New Zealand annually receives more than 300,000 domestic and international tourists who ride bicycles while in the country.
Domestic cycle tourists dominate the market (219,000 annually, not including domestic day-trippers), but their total expenditure of $NZ82.7 million pales in comparison with the $NZ222 million spent by the 51,000 international cycle tourists a year.

http://www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/life_leisure/nz_v...