We were on the road to success then…
It promised to be a successful year like never before – 2020 was looking good to us. The bookings literally floored us! Our employees were working flat out and stayed in the office for an hour or two of overtime so that bookings could be confirmed as quickly as possible. In January, the first piece of information about a new type of virus coming from China to Italy slowly started to leak out. We observed the situation in Italy with some concern – after all, a large selection of our Eurobike Original Tours take place in Italy. And then the first travel warnings were issued. A wave of cancellations started to pick up!
And suddenly everything changed
The virus quickly spread to all corners of Europe and other continents. Things that had never been thought possible actually happened! Who would have thought it possible just a few weeks ago that a mask would become the most important accessory of the season, that you could no longer hug your best friend and you could see your colleagues only on screen? The tide turned – there were no bookings because no one knew what to do next. The staff had their hands full handling the many free cancellations. Things were certainly not how we imagined them.
We rolled up our sleeves
And at some point, there comes a moment when you have to decide whether you should let things run their course, or whether you should get moving and make the best of the situation! The decision was not difficult for us! And at that moment the mood suddenly changed. The entire team pulled together. Marketing strategies were considered, the cycling season was extended in some regions, safety concepts for our guests and employees were worked out and we concentrated on those cycling trips that seemed the most promising. We went back to our original idea of staycations and set up short trips and looked positively to the future. And this positive outlook paid off. At the beginning of June, we were finally able to start our cycling season – first in Germany, then Austria and finally in Northern Italy.
Never lose sight of the positives
As uncertain as the prospects for the 2020 cycling season were in March, the bottom line is that we can draw a positive balance. Despite the delayed start of the season in Germany and Austria, the cycling season in these areas turned out to be a complete success. People wanted to head out into nature, they wanted to do sports and spend their holidays in their home country. We had our finger on the pulse! And thanks to careful safety measures from our employees on site and in hotels, we can proudly look back on a shortened cycling season without major incidents. According to our current state of affairs, not a single guest was infected with COVID-19 on our tours!
Our best-selling cycle tours of the 2020 season
As already mentioned, the trend this year was holidays at home! Many people got to know their immediate surroundings anew and became aware of how beautiful it is at home. It is therefore no surprise that tours such as Munich Lakes in all variants, the Chiemsee region, the Danube Cycle Path and of course the Ten Lakes Tour were among the most popular cycle tours of 2020. But the Palatinate, the Lake Constance cycle path and the Salzkammergut were also popular destinations. Will this trend continue into 2021? We are excited to find out!
Missed their big entrance…
Some of our tours were brand new to the 2020 programme, but unfortunately could not be carried out due to Corona. Unfortunately, we had to put our Loire Castles and the romantic Loire Cycle Path, as well as the sunny Turin – Sanremo cycle tour and the Mallorca cycle tour with charm on hold for the 2020 season. Fortunately, cycle tours don’t go bad – on the contrary! So we look forward to the first guests who can try out these brand new cycle tours!
And at the end of the year…
…we are grateful under the circumstances that we were able to have a somewhat successful cycling season, that our team are healthy and that our guests have remained loyal to us! The bottom line is that the crisis has taught us that there is nothing more important than our health! And maybe it has brought us back down to earth and has shown us that not everything has to be more, better, more expensive, further away or more exclusive.
The only thing left for us to do now is to say thank you to our guests who have placed their trust in us despite the difficult situation! We wish you and your loved ones the best of health, happiness and lots of strength in your calf muscles, so that we can meet again next year on one of our cycle tours!
