They call it soft mobility and it is the one on which many advanced countries are betting today, including Italy which, through the Pnrr, will invest 600 million euros to build 1.800 km of urban cycle paths and tourist cycle paths. But already today Italians are a nation of cyclists: this is confirmed by the Marketwatch on the bicycle ecosystem presented by Banca Ifis, the Mestre-based institute that is increasingly present in the world of sport (it is a sponsor on the Sampdoria jersey) and in particular on two wheels , as premium partner of the cycling Classics in Italy. The bike industry is worth 9 billion euros and in 2020 it was supported above all by e-bikes, which alone sold 44% more. In the entire calendar year, 2 million bikes were sold, of which 280 electric bicycles, to over 10 million enthusiasts, 4 million of whom actively practice cycling and cycle tourism.
In fact, especially in the North, according to the analysis by Banca Ifis, a real bike-mania is exploding: 71% of enthusiasts, most of whom live in Lombardy, would like to reduce the use of cars, 72% prefers holidays to include physical activity. This is why another major driver will be the growth of cycle tourism, a business that has so far been little explored but which already today accounts for 55 million overnight stays a year nationwide. In this case, still in the North, the virtuous region is Trentino-Alto-Adige, which offers a wide range of routes, a transport network, refreshment points and services dedicated to two wheels. And it is no coincidence that it obtains an average of 338 thousand euros in revenues per cycle kilometre, testifying to the fact that in addition to the environmental value, soft mobility also has an economic one: from cycle tourism, according to estimates by the Banca Ifis Research Department, they could obtain around 20 billion euros nationwide, effectively quadrupling the current volumes.
But already today the two-wheeler supply chain is anything but secondary. The ecosystem has 2.900 companies, most of which are once again in the North, which employ 17 thousand people and which have nothing to envy to other manufacturing sectors: from 2018 to today, Italian production has increased by 20% (3 million bikes produced in 2020) and one out of two companies expects a further increase in revenues between now and 2022, while only 10% estimate a contraction. The supply chain is confident (90% of Italian producers have increased or left the share allocated to investments unchanged) and respects sustainability practices: the reduction of the environmental impact it is a priority for about 8 out of 10 companies. In detail, 69% of producers are engaged in waste recycling, 24% have taken action to reduce production waste, 21% focus on reducing consumption and on energy efficiency works, 16% on the use of renewable energy sources and 9% managed to reduce emissions and the use of pollutants. A quarter of companies engage in circular economy actions.
Made in Italy on two wheels is also strong abroad: 53% of manufacturers export, 52% with destination in European countries. However, there are some elements of concern. Import for example, especially that of components, has a strong weight: over half of the producers and wholesalers import material from abroad. The first supplier is China and on this front Italian industry is suffering from the increase in the prices of raw materials. The high dependence on foreign countries led in 2020, also due to the pandemic, to waiting times of up to around 300 days for component supplies in Europe. As a result, European component manufacturers (Italy's market share is 25%) have set themselves the goal of less dependence on extra-EU supplies and of tripling the value produced up to 2025 billion euros in 6.
