Preview program
What awaits you at IBTC 2026?
Here are a few topics to give you a first glimpse. Please bear with us—we’re still finalizing the program.
Shanna Bussink
Professional hiker, solo adventurer, wilderness guide, coach, and writer: Shanna is an expert in the hiking world, unafraid to venture off the beaten path and inspiring others to do the same. Right now, she’s exploring Greenland’s wilderness. She created the Hike Profiler to find out which types of routes are best suited for you and other hikers.
Wandelstarter
Fabio Tat of Brabant Partners in the Netherlands presents the award-winning Wandelstarter (“Walking Starter”), a digital platform designed to help manage and distribute recreational pressure across natural areas. It is part of the MONA project, that aims to promote sustainable tourism in nature areas in Northwestern Europe. Wandelstarter is listed among the 15 best European initiatives in 2025 in the field of sustainable tourism, an award initiative of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism global.
France: looking out for No. 1
The goals are ambitious, the results already very promising; France wants to be the no.1 cycling destination in the world in 2030. But there’s still a lot of work to be done… Karine Dupuy, director France Vélo Tourisme, presents a fresh update of the developments and tells about how the shift in mindset was brought about.
Destination and route marketing
How do you attract cyclists when no one has heard of your region or your route? Limited budgets, competition from iconic regions and a crowded marketing landscape make this a common pain point. Clare Dewey and Kate Norris from Epic Road Rides give participants practical, actionable strategies for raising the profile of lesser-known destinations and routes. Drawing on real-world case studies and eight years spent helping Epic Road Rides’ clients reach and connect with cyclists.
Sustainable development & regenerative tourism
This presentation from Bert Smit (Ginder) explores how regenerative tourism experiences, co-created with local stakeholders contribute to sustainable destination development and regional identity. By exploring examples from Huesca, Lapland, Lausitz and Flanders the story will demonstrate how cycling & hiking tourism cannot only reroute tourist behaviour but also reroot local collaboration in restorative tourism practices. The session offers a rich blend of practice and theory, grounded in regenerative tourism and sustainable experience design.
Ziltepad,
hiking along an unexplored coast
Discover the Ziltepad, a 312 km walking and cycling route along the unexplored Wadden Coast. Cycling or walking from church to church, the trail invites reflection and cultural exploration, offers unique experiences, and succeeds in engaging local communities. A true example of regenerative tourism.
What’s new?
The EuroVelo trends
EuroVelo and cycling tourism director Agathe Daudibon from the ECF (European Cyclists’ Federation) will share the latest trends for 2026 in cycling tourism across Europe.
Breakout session Eco-Counter
This session will explore how to combine “fixed” data (fixed counts, sensors) and “floating” data (GPS, apps, surveys) to measure and redistribute tourist pressure on hiking trails and bike paths. Through case studies of the Stołowe Mountains (Poland) and La Torche (France), we will show how this data has made it possible to re-balance visitor flows, reduce overcrowding, and improve the experience while preserving ecosystems.
An interactive discussion will allow participants to share their challenges, solutions, and ideas for more sustainable and intelligent management of outdoor tourism.
Roundtables: connect, share, and engage
Back by popular demand, our roundtables will cover a variety of topics – discussion groups with a diverse mix of professionals, designed to exchange ideas, experiences, and insights.
