Trends after lockdown

Juha "Jussa" Lauhamaa - Head of Marketing touchpoints

Suunto

Different countries had different lockdown rules. This shows in the data during the lockdown:

In France, Italy, and Spain, the % of outdoors workouts and average steps dropped clearly
In China, Germany, and Finland, the % of outdoors workouts increased, as indoors sports were limited
During lockdown, the average # of hours slept and sleep quality increased significantly. After the strict lockdown measures were eased, this effect vanished quickly.

Trends - Suunto

As people and societies learned to lived in the COVID-19 ”normal”, 2021 brought some changes to the data:

Average # of daily steps increased in many countries on average by 5% compared to 2020 data
% outdoors workouts (out of all workouts) increased in most countries compared to the pre-COVID levels

Specific Sports

Out of all outdoor sports, especially trail running, mountain biking, hiking, trekking, and mountaineering have gained popularity during COVID-19 period

% of users doing these sports has increased significantly
Average # of workouts tracked has also increased. Biggest increases are for
hiking, walking, mountaineering, and trekking.

Average duration of most outdoors sports has increased by 5-10% compared to pre-COVID-19 times.

This is especially noticeable for cycling, where the average duration has increased by 18%.

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Komoot

The demand for cycling and outdoor apps significantly increased in 2020 compared to previous years.

→ The downloads in Europe increased by +130%

Depending on the exact C19 rules the effect is visible from April – June 2020 onwards, across all countries in 2021:

The overall demand stayed on a high level
People focus on platforms with a strong USP in inspiration and recommendations
Tracking focussed apps see a smaller demand

Trends - Komoot

The downloads in Europe for cycling and outdoor apps significantly increased by +130% in 2020 compared to 2019

Depending on the exact C19 rules the effect is visible in April – June 2020 across all countries

The overall demand for outdoor and cycling apps stayed on a high level in 2021
Platforms with a strong USP in inspiration and recommendations further grow compared to 2022
Most people do multiple sports. People search for platforms for all their activities
People want to explore and get new recommendations
Komoot is now the #1 platform with the most app downloads

2021 Women’s Komoot Torino Nice Rally — Rugile Kaladyte — 074

Vallnord Pal Arinsal

The summer of 2020 was very good following all the security measures but the winter season, which was expected to be positive (2020-2021 season) was very restricted by the COVID protocols. The station lost more than 10 million euros in 2019 and 2020. A general effect in all areas.

People were looking for social distance, pure and open-air, with fewer crowds and everything has been possible in the mountains. These options, which may have been “micro-products” at times, have now become a benchmark and are now being re-enhanced by demand.

Trends - Vallnord Pal Arinsal

The station and probably all the businesses have had to adapt their strategy.

The strategy of the sector and sports, in general, has changed as the type of client has changed. The aim of the station, from the beginning, has been to be close to the client and collaborator, to compensate, adapt and preserve all the clients we have had. We have implemented a conservative pricing strategy aimed more at the end customer, aimed at enhancing all the sales channels we have.

We are a destination that was born from the beginning to offer outdoor activities, we are increasingly noticing a trend to promote the practice of mountain sports, whether winter or summer.

The growth rate is much higher than a few years ago and we are seeing more and more followers, either because it avoids congestion, more social distancing or taking advantage of fresh air. We believe that during the winter the growth is more natural as the passion for skiing has always been there but we notice that more and more, the summer has a much higher growth trend, both in terms of customers and product and prices. The resort is working to further enhance this situation and make Andorra a destination not only for winter but also 365 days a year. If the summer in Vallnord – Pal Arinsal currently accounts for 11% of turnover, the future trend is expected to be higher and an example and a reference could be Whistler, where billing riding is very similar in both summer and winter.

Alba Optics

Like the rest of Europe, over the past two years, Italians have endured various levels of lockdowns and restrictions. The severity of the pandemic in those early weeks was incredibly shocking, but as we say in Italian “andra tutto bene” – everything will be okay and we persevere.

We have experienced some issues with the supply chain, for example, some shipments of materials delaying production of our packaging, or with staff off sick and self-isolating.

And then of course bike festivals and eyewear trade fairs were cancelled or postponed multiple times, so some missed opportunities to connect with the community and grow our audience.

Despite these roadblocks, it’s important that we keep some perspective in what we do. We aren’t saving lives or sending rockets to space – but we have a platform and a responsibility to our community.

Our social media feeds are full of everyday folk sharing their passion for cycling and adventure, pushing for personal growth and making the most of this new-normal. That enthusiasm and commitment is infectious – we draw strength from our peers and our vision has always been to celebrate those who share in our value.

Trends - Alba Optics

Our largest customer audience has always been road cyclists, it’s a significant part of Italian sporting culture and deeply rooted in our soul. Over the past 4 years, the company has naturally expanded to cater to other disciplines within the sport, entering the world of gravel riding, bike packing, ultra running and mountain biking.

Likewise, with the arrival of Covid, we’ve seen a lot of growth and change in how our dominant audience is spending their free time. Generally speaking, if you’re a lover of the outdoors, you will always seek to explore new ways to experience the world.

Working with athletes committed to a variety of sporting arenas has pushed us to become better creators when it comes to product design and performance.

The shift to lead a more sustainable lifestyle is necessary in giving back to the natural world we are so lucky to enjoy daily.

When we started Alba Optics in 2017 we had no idea how big the brand would become, nonetheless we remain focused on keeping production local and ethical (our factory is less than 40km from our Milanese HQ) and we avoid over-ordering wherever possible.

“Less is more” is the approach to both our design aesthetic and sales ethos. The goal isn’t to sell 100 pairs of sunglasses to 1 rider, but perhaps 1 pair of sunglasses to 100 riders.

Our online store can ship worldwide, but we hope by expanding our presence in local bike shops across all continents we can reduce the amount of km’s and carbon output our products are creating. Supporting these local retailers is fundamental in reference to sustainability… from economic, to environmental, to the community. Now they need our loyalty more than ever.

Finally, moving forward we are shifting our production to use a BIO-BASED version of the material Tr90 for our frames. There is still a long way to go for the cycling and eyewear industries to be circular economies, however, we must all make small steps in a positive direction to secure a greener future for all generations

Ryzon

How Ryzon has been affected by the lockdown?

We moved forward from a multi-channel brand (Events, POS, Online) to a pure Online player and partly back to the multi-channel setup (when events and POS were allowed again)
So learning a lot about Online Channels at this time and hopefully we will be able to add the RYZON emotions in person soon to the fullest, when events, camps and races are allowed again.

Trends - Ryzon

Lots of people start doing sports in the pandemic. Some of them started completely new (run or bike), others switched from Tri to gravel or pure biking.

We do not think about sustainability as a sales key factor, but furthermore as a matter of course. Treating employees, Supply Chain members and workers and our home planet fairly and on a basis of respect and non-exploitation is key. Hopefully, many people can connect to this and do see it as an inspiration for themselves.

Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona

Sporting activity was one of the first to resume after the lockdown, thanks to the fact that it can be done in relatively uncrowded outdoor spaces, thus allowing people to maintain social distance.

At a strategic promotional level, the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board has focused on local and neighbouring markets.

According to data from the Observatory of the Eurecat Foundation’s Department of Tourism Innovation, in 2021 the province of Girona received 5,668,696 tourists, 28% less than 2019, generating 17,057,303 overnight stays, a drop of 34% from 2019. Broken down into tourism brands, the Costa Brava registered 4,916,529 tourists who generated 15,296,879 overnight stays. The Girona Pyrenees received 752,167 tourists who generated 1,760,424 overnight stays.

In 2021 Girona-Costa Brava Airport recorded 312,897 users, an increase of 81% compared with 2020, but still well short of the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. The passengers who most used the airport in Girona were Germans with 67,577 users, followed by British, with 47,911 passengers.

Trends - Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona

The typical sports tourist is no longer seeking just a place to train or compete away from home, they are also looking for a healthy environment and services aligned with a health-conscious and responsible lifestyle.

We have noticed an improvement in the destination’s positioning in the sports tourism segment as a result of publicising the activities of professional teams and sportspeople who were able to travel during the strictest period of the lockdown.

During the pandemic, the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees have been the chosen destination for international training camps such as those of Al Sadd SC, Olympique Lyonnaise’s first women’s team, the national men’s football teams of France and Poland, the Swiss mountain bike selection, and various meetings of men’s and women’s road cycling teams such as Jumbo Visma, Israel Premier Tech, and Team Canyon-Sram, to name just a few.

The destination also hosted the first Sports Tourism Global Congress with the aim of analysing the relationship between sports tourism and sustainable and inclusive development, diversification, differentiation, deseasonalisation of tourist activity and current trends, as well as positioning the destination as a leader in sports tourism.

The rise in the number of people practising sport has led to higher demand for certain infrastructure. The clearest example of this is the network of Greenways, which during certain periods have experienced huge increases in the number of users. The pandemic has accelerated expansion projects for this type of infrastructure in order to meet demand.

In addition, the growing number of visitors to protected natural spaces has required stricter access control to ensure capacity is not exceeded and protect the delicate balance between the preservation and conservation of these spaces and tourist activity that creates pleasant experiences for visitors. To help achieve this positive user experience, the region’s parks have accelerated the digitalisation of visitor content in the form of maps, augmented reality apps, etc.