Program IBTC 2025
Thursday 13th February
Location: Domstad
Utrecht, the Netherlands
9.00-9.45
Walk-in
9.45-10.00
Hicle Main Hall
Introduction/kick-off
10.00 - 10.45
Hicle Main Hall
Keynote
The Fishermen’s Trail
Walking with my daughter and walking alone. The physical, mental and spiritual journey.
Tim Voors
author, adventurer, long-distance hiker
A walking story about fatherhood, letting go and the art of enjoyment.
Read more
11.00-11.45
Hicle Main Hall
Panel session
Discussions and opinions on current trends in cycling and walking by a panel team of experts.
Panel:
Fiona Smart, owner Girona Cycling
Christian Tänzler, visitBerlin, ADFC
Moniek Hover, professor storytelling BUas
Tom Oosterwegel, Royal Dutch Walking Federation (KWbN)
Representative Tourism Luxembourg
Moderator: Nina Nesterova (Professor Sustainable Tourism and Transport, BUas)
12.00- 13.30
Lunch with poster sessions
13.30 – 14.15
Hicle Main Hall
Breakout session
Storytelling and routes: design, development and marketing in 7 steps
Moniek Hover
Professor of Storytelling at Breda University of Applied Sciences
Veronique de Kort
Project manager at VisitBrabant Routebureau
Breda University and VisitBrabant work together in the creation, development and marketing of bicycle routes based on well-known local and regional stories. In this session, Moniek and Veronique will share the 7-steps method we use in these projects.
13.30 – 14.15
Hicle Conference Room
Breakout session
Photo: ©visitBerlin/Philip Koschel
The do's and dont´s of the cycling promotion and policy of Berlin
Christian Tänzler
Spokesman visitBerlin
Board member ADFC (German Cyclists Association)
A session about making cycling in Berlin more attractive for residents and tourists. It describes in a very practical way what these challenges mean for marketing and politics.
14.30 – 15.15
Hicle Main Hall
Breakout session
How did the Vías Verdes become a fully-fledged tourism product in 30 years?
Marjan Gielen
Owner Destinationmakers
Marion Hoogwegt
Journalist, co-owner of spanjemagazine.net
Marion and Marjan delve into the story behind the transformation of 3,000 km of old railway lines in Spain into routes for cyclists and hikers.
14.30 – 15.15
Hicle Conference Room
Breakout session
Research as a basis for improving cycling and walking routes
Frank Hart
Wandelnet (Dutch walking route network)
Eric Nijland
Fietsplatform (Dutch cycling platform)
Wandelnet en Landelijk Fietsplatform make extensive use of data and research to improve the quality of cycling and walking routes and route networks in the Netherlands. In our contribution we provide insight into how this works in practice.
Read more
15.30 – 16.15
Hicle Main Hall
Breakout session
How to design a microadventure?
Brigitte Ars
Writer, micro adventurer and lecturer Tourist Experience Design at Breda University of Applied Science
Discover the power of microadventures. Learn how small, local adventures can inspire travelers and open new opportunities for destinations, for those seeking to redefine adventure tourism.
15.30 – 16.15
Hicle Conference Room
Breakout session
The Development of Ireland's National Cycle Network
Richard Bowen
Portfolio Manager with Transport Infrastructure Ireland
This session will give an overview of the development of the National Cycle Network (NCN) Plan for Ireland and current actions being undertaken to deliver the NCN.
Read more
16.30 - 17.30
Networking drinks
