Prospects for the development of recreational cycling in the Pomeranian province of Poland

The purpose of this article is to identify and analyze factors determining the recreational cycling development in Pomerania (Poland), and then indicate the prospects of this type of recreation in the province. The paper describes the universal and the specific factors of the recreational cycling development in Pomerania. The universal factors include: recreational qualities, accommodation and transport accessibility, State Tourism Policy, legal, social and economic factors. The specific factors of the development include: the availability of cycling infrastructure, public transportation’s adoption to the needs of the cyclists, availability and price of products for recreational cycling, safety of the cyclists, cycling enthusiasts’ activity and competing forms of recreation. The analysis shows that there is a significant potential for recreational cycling development in the province of Pomerania. The use of the potential will depend on the authorities policy and its investments as well as local bike organizations’ activity, but the most important factor will be health-oriented social trends. The higher dynamics is expected within local cycle recreation and short cycle excursions comparing with cycle tourism.