Slow Taipei Cycle 2011

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The 24th edition of the Taipei International Cycle Show will not enter in the history books as the best ever. Slow is the best word to characterize this year’s edition; slow in the number of visitors and slow business-wise.

The disasters in Japan are responsible for the fact that Taipei Cycle 2011 is not having that many foreign visitors as in the year’s before. Despite the fact that the show organizers said after the first show day that they counted about 2,500 foreign visitors – 220 more than during the first show day in 2010 – exhibitors said to have less at their booths or at meetings than in years before.

In particular buyers and business people from Germany miss out on this year’s show while at least one exhibitor from Europe’s biggest bike market closed its booth after the first day and took the next flight back home. Next to Germans also lots of Italians cancelled their trips to Taipei Cycle because of the radiations threats coming from the badly damaged nuclear reactors in Japan. This also stopped many from South America to come to Taipei as their flights transfer in Tokyo.

After two show days it’s clear that the 24th Taipei Cycle is business wise not breaking any records. And that’s putting it mildly. Piled up stocks in Europe after a rainy summer and an early and cold winter in combination with the economic decline is causing a clogged up market. Also the all around announced price increases by exhibitors is contributing to a slow Taipei Cycle of 2011.