Taiwan's Bicycle Tourism... What's Next?

Joyce Enjoys Riding The Roads

Jack Becker, the Director of the 2012 Velo-City Conference, is in town to attend the Bicycle-Environment Friendly City Conference at the Chung-hua University in Hsin-chu, where he presented on cycling tourism. Check his blog for some early impressions: HERE

This got me thinking of a little something I just read from Ryan Anderson over at Savage Minds, the Anthropology blog. Anderson writes:

I often wonder about the future of places like Las Vegas, Cancun, and Nakheel, especially since many international organizations (like the UNWTO) promote tourism development as a sustainable, surefire solution for socio-economic development. What will Vegas–or Cancun–look like in 100 years? What purpose will these places serve, and how sustainable will they actually be in the long run?

Many countries around the world continue to promote and finance ever more tourism development, in hopes that these investments will create long-lasting social and economic benefits. At least, that’s how the narrative goes. But what kinds of social spaces and places are being created under the guise of tourism, and what futures do these places face? What are the lasting social, political, and economic effects of these spaces?

Yes, what will become of these tourism bikeways and their infrastructure once the Chinese have biked them and gone home?

• Taiwan's government now offers a downloadable e-book to help tourists and cyclists navigate Taiwan. I fear this will be ripe for misuse, but hope it could be of help.

Also:

Congrats to all the RAAM finishers and competitors. Still, you're no Jure Robic!