The definition of cycling tourism routes in the Aveiro region using geographic information systems

Abstract

Bicycle constitutes an important mode of transportation with a long tradition in the Aveiro region, and it has caught the attention of the region’s stakeholders over the last years. Several projects have been developed at the local level. Thus, the development of this project, which was part of a curricular internship in the Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Aveiro (CIRA), aims to fill in the gap by defining cycling tourist routes at the regional level. First, a literature review about cycling tourism and how geographic information systems (GIS) can be used in this field was made. In terms of methodology, in a first stage, points of interest (POI) and the implementation area of each route were selected, according to municipal and regional strategies. GIS play an important role in finding the best route to travel through POI, combining elements that influence the cycling experience. Therefore, the Network Analyst extension from ArcGIS was used, taking into account the length, slope, speed limit and road capacity, as well as the landscape and the distance to industrial areas. The result is the development of ten short-haul routes, six medium-haul routes and four long-haul routes, which allow different market segments to visit POI and discover the Aveiro region. The cycling routes allow CIRA to promote cycling and tourism in the region.