About MBTA

Overview

The Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association (MBTA) was created to coordinate communities, resorts and industry partners and to pool resources in order to firstly help make mountain bike experiences sustainable at the local level and secondly more accessible to a variety of visitor markets. We are a stakeholder based organization that consists of communities, resorts and industry operators in British Columbia that recognize the emergence and significance of mountain bike tourism. Our aim is to create a stakeholder based organization to realize our goal…

Our goal is to have BC recognized for its world class sustainable trails and abundant mountain bike experiences that are supported by enthusiastic communities and resort operators offering high quality services.

BC’s product is already recognized worldwide, Mountain BIKE¹ magazine stated that “Vancouver happens to be where you’ll discover the most incredible…..riding on the planet. No self respecting mountain biker should go through life without seeing it.” and Whistler was named North America’s lift-accessed biking leader, with Sun Peaks Resort also placing in the top six². Many of the resources are already in place, however, coordination is needed so that the product delivered is consistent and well supported, the value acknowledged and the message is clear; that BC offers the most sustainable and diverse mountain biking experiences in the world.

Growth in Mountain Biking

Mountain bike tourism is growing throughout North America, Europe and other parts of the world. There are over 10 million mountain bikers in the US alone and participation in mountain biking has grown by 78%³ over the last ten years. Furthermore, as society transitions toward no carbon transportation options, cycling is anticipated to grow substantially and generate greater interest in cycling recreation and lifestyle including mountain biking.

British Columbia has World-Class Resources

British Columbia has the potential to become the premier destination for both domestic and international mountain biking markets. Research suggests that mountain biking is a travel generator and that mountain bikers are very interested in BC as a biking destination5.  Mountain bike tourism is also recognized for its ability to help diversify rural economies, foster community pride and attract and retain residents.

  1. Mountain BIKE magazine article “Vancouver, British Columbia”, June 2000.
  2. BIKE magazine article “The New Frontier”, February 2003.
  3. National Sporting Goods Association, 2003
  4. National Sporting Goods Association, 2003
  5. International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) 2003 Membership Survey, Ride the Shore Inc.