How the pandemic could help bike tourism in the Chattanooga region

This year upended Jim Johnson's plans for retirement and has decimated his successful European bicycle tourism business for the foreseeable future. However, the local cyclist hopes his previous bike advocacy work and an updated business model can lead to a new venture in regional bike tourism in 2021.

Johnson has owned and operated BikeTours.com for almost 18 years, utilizing his contacts with overseas bike tour companies to connect American adventure travelers to a variety of cycling adventures around the world. His company has helped thousands of travelers see Europe by bicycle.

After almost two decades building his business, Johnson was looking forward to retirement and passing on his business to new ownership in 2020. But then COVID-19 hit the world, ending the possibility of international travel and putting the brakes on BikeTours.com.

"At first, like most people, we thought it would be over quickly and we could get back to normal," Johnson says. "But eventually it became clear this pandemic would be around for a long time. We used a [Payroll Protection Program] grant to keep people employed at first, but when that ran out, I was forced to lay off all 10 of my employees, including myself."

Johnson is one of many in the tourism industry who have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has kept travelers at home since the early part of the year. According to a September article in USA Today, airline travel is expected to drop by 70% in 2020 and all sectors of the tourism industry have seen dramatic losses this year.

Johnson decided to shift his focus and find new opportunities in regional bike tourism. He plans to launch a new company, Bike the South, to help connect adventure travelers with bike tours in the American South, particularly within a 100-mile radius of Chattanooga.

With many unable or unwilling to travel internationally, Johnson says offering adventures close to home can be attractive to people who have spent the past six months cooped up at home while working and doing school remotely.

"What we're hearing is tourism as an industry is going to be hit the worst and longest, and international travel is probably going to be the slowest of all coming back," he says. "But the flip side of that is that all those people who would have traveled to Europe and further trips - what I'm hearing increasingly is that regional travel is going to rebound dramatically. Whereas it may take two or three years for international travel to return to 2019 levels, in 2021 it's possible that regional travel will exceed 2019 levels."

Photo contributed by Jim Johnson, BikeTours.com / Riders cruise through Florence, Italy, in 2005.

Johnson has long been an advocate of building a more robust bike infrastructure in the Southeast. He has worked with local and state officials to develop bikeways connecting Chattanooga with other areas using the scenic roads that make Southeast Tennessee a favorite for all kinds of tourists. These efforts resulted in the website Bikeways of the Scenic South, which features several bike routes throughout Southeast Tennessee to highlight the beauty of the region and its many bike routes.

"If you look at the Sequatchie Valley, that is just as beautiful as any place in Europe," says Johnson. "This area has everything needed to attract bike tourists from anywhere in the world."

He recently completed a survey to gauge interest in regional bike travel. The poll, sent to Chattanooga Bicycle Club members and previous customers and promoted via social media and news outlets, generated nearly 100 responses. Johnson found that there is interest in regional bike tours such as those that Bike the South will offer. He hopes to have Bike the South up and running by early next year. While most of his initial tours will be focused in the area surrounding Chattanooga, Johnson has also connected with tour operators to explore the interest in multi-day tours as far away as Savannah, Georgia.

Despite the enthusiasm for regional bike tourism indicated in his recent survey, prospective travelers remain concerned about safety and health as the pandemic continues. To address those concerns, Bike the South tours will adhere to strict safety protocols and the company will initially focus on smaller half- and full-day tours before expanding to multi-day adventures.

The pandemic also may have helped build a new customer base for bike tourism. According to several news and industry reports, bicycle sales have doubled in the past six months over the same time last year, and this could lead to a greater number of interested but inexperienced cyclists who could build the demand for bike tourism going forward. To help these new cyclists, Johnson says Bike the South tours will offer various levels of support to address any issues that riders may face on the road.

Working with local business, Johnson hopes that Bike the South can grow quickly and help give travelers an outlet for travel that is fun and exciting while still remaining safe in a world forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The industry's feeling is that if people can go (a short distance) by car and do something, it's still a good trip," he says. "In addition, bicycle tourism is an activity that is really tailor-made for social distancing and staying safe."