(ANSA) - ROME, APRIL 08 - The nominations for the Italian Green Road Award 2021 open today, the sixth edition of the Italian cycling tourism Oscar, which is awarded to the "green ways" of those Italian regions that have distinguished themselves in their attention to "slow" tourism and which have been able to enhance the cycle paths, completing them with suitable services.
The award takes place in a golden moment for bicycles, both in terms of sales (2,010,000 bikes sold in 2020, + 17% compared to 2019, ANCMA data), and for the growing trend of cycle tourism (approximately 5 million Italians used bicycles during the 2020 summer holidays, with an expenditure of about 4 billion euros out of the total 23, Isnart-Unioncamere and Legambiente Cycle Tourism Report).
Regions can nominate up to two greenways.
For the territories and, in particular, the small villages, cycling is a tourist with high added value and zero impact: it respects the environment, travels frequently without concentrating on a single area, uses tourist services, visits museums, buy thematic tours, food and wine products.
Along the cycle paths, new entrepreneurial forms can develop and new job opportunities arise: bicycle tour guides, services ranging from the bicycle workshop to the bike café, bike friendly structures, agribike.
The finalists of the award will be announced at the beginning of June and the award ceremony will be held on Saturday 19 June in Pescara, Abruzzo, Oscar del Cicloturismo 2020 with the Bike to Coast cycle route.
