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Tourism - 09.04.2010

Developing tourism through bicycle trails

Tourism is being developed in many Slovakian, Austrian and Hungarian cities thanks to the 'Bicycle trails without frontiers" project, financed by the European Union.

The international bicycle trail, which connects capitals via small cities, is used by thousands of cycling tourists each year.

Launched in 2005, the programme has caught the attention of a number of towns and villages in Slovakia, which have become increasingly aware of its cultural and economic potential.

Indeed, the cross border programme has notably helped to give more visibility to small border cities in Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Hitherto overshadowed by large capitals, these cities, due to their rich cultural and historical heritage, are the subject of a heightened interest on the behalf of tourists.

Besides tourism, the initiative has also allowed Slovakia to develop its infrastructure and bicycle trails, constructed until now without any real plan and with no municipal authority authorisation. Since the launch of the initiative, 108 kilometers of additional bicycle trails have been built in Slovakia. Slovakians are therefore starting to diminish their carbon footprint by using bicycles on a more regular basis.

According to Eva Lovasikova, from the Slovak regional development agency, the tracks offer new opportunities in terms of tourism but also serve as a means of developing new forms of cooperation between border regions, such as those along the Danube or Moravia rivers. An additional project is also currently underway to connect the regions of Austria and Slovakia with those of the Czech Republic.

For more information read the article from Euractiv

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