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Project overview
Innovative participatory sustainable business model for cycling along the Iron Curtain Trail
The potential of transnational cycling routes for tourism is still underdeveloped in central Europe. This includes the Iron Curtain Eurovelo Trail, which connects regions from Poland to Croatia along the European Green Belt. The ICTr-CE project improves the business case for this route by developing new tourism products. These result from a newly developed participatory business model, which strengthens the innovation capacities of local businesses.
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2,67m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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9
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Countries
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11
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Regions
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12
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Partners
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2
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
Innovative ICTr Cycling develops an innovative tourism product along the Iron Curtain/ EuroVelo 13 as a long-distance cycling trail. The 3.000 km long route crosses the Central Europe territory from northern Poland to Croatia through 8 countries. The trail bears a significant historical and cultural meaning and overlaps with the European Green Belt. We will first develop the innovative ICTr international cycling product and a participatory business model involving service providers and tourism boards along the route. We will then work on the development of the impact measurement system and ICTr Good Impact valorization program for NGOs. In the end, solutions will be transferred to all EuroVelo routes and mainstreamed. As a result, SMEs, tourism boards, regions, and NGOs will gain innovation competencies and successfully minimize negative and stimulate positive tourism impacts to foster overall sustainability appeal and economic prosperity along the Iron Curtain Cycling Trail.
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Westpannon Regional and Economic Development Public Nonprofit Ltd.
Project partner
Main unit
Total partner budget
226,800 €
Total partner budget
327,600 €
Faculty for tourism studies - Turistica
Total partner budget
173,880 €
Total partner budget
332,640 €
Total partner budget
189,000 €
Marshal's Office of the Westpomeranian Region / Marshal's Cabinet / Office of Promotional and Information Projects and Department of Infrastructure and Transport / Office for Cycling Communication
Total partner budget
151,200 €
Wydział Gospodarki Komunalnej – Referat Mobilności Aktywnej (The Municipal Services Management Department – The Active Mobility Unit)
Total partner budget
151,200 €
Total partner budget
161,280 €
Total partner budget
245,200 €
Total partner budget
189,000 €
Total partner budget
191,520 €
Roadmap
1
Mission:
To develop an innovative participatory sustainable business model for cycling along the Iron Curtain Cycling Trail.
2
Challenges:
• lack of innovation capacity • lack of awareness of the impacts of sustainable tourism and its potential benefits • lack of international cooperation and tailor-made business education
3
Goal:
We will create a bookable Iron Curtain Cycling Trail in 3 sections of the trail: • North: PL-DE • Central: AT-CZ-SK • South: SI-HR-HU
4
Results:
• joint innovation network of SMEs, tourism boards, regions and NGOs along the ICTr • improved quality of the offer along the Iron Curtain cycling trail available for international markets • improved competitiveness and innovation competences of SMEs, NGOs and tourism organisations
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
Photo: Daniel Mourek, Partnerstvi
Explorer Tour Central June 2024
Pilot action for testing the ICTr cycling product and business model
ICTr cycling product and business model will be tested in 3 cross-border pilot areas in selected sections of ICTr: Center (AT-CZ-SK), South (SI-HRHU) and North (PL-DE). We will involve SME tourism service providers and other target groups in
developing and testing the 10-stages linear product, digital tools, and booking system. The pilot testing process will be systematically explained in the final report useful as a guideline for other regions implementing bookable cycling products in CE.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
www.eurovelo13.com Copyright EuroVelo
Innovative ICTr tourism product and business model
The personalized ICTr cycling product, including user friendly digital tools for SMEs and tourists, and participatory business model for fair sharing of business benefits, represent the final solution of this WP. The solution, available to public and private target groups, will define key organisations that are part of the product and model, product requirements, sustainability criteria and options for adoption and transfer of the solution to other ICTr sections and EuroVelo routes.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
www.eurovelo13.com Copyright EuroVelo
Impact measurement system for cycling tourism product
A detailed impact measurement system for ICTr cycling product will be developed integrating all three pillars of sustainability indicators. This will be backed up by innovative ICTs and integrated to the ICTr booking system. The functionality of the system will be validated through the pilot action, followed by a validation report. The system will be in use for every tourist booking the ICTr product and also transferable to other EuroVelo routes.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
www.eurovelo13.com Copyright EuroVelo
Pilot action on climate neutral ICTr travel by testing the environmental footprint calculator and cycling product impact measurement system
Pilot action will be implemented in the pilot South (resp.: Crost) and North (ETE) in which the functionality of both tools will be tested and its usefulness assessed by the tourist and ICTr stakeholders. We will carefully test the reliance of the input and output data and the performance of technology as well as the storage of the data. Following the pilot action, other parts of ICTr will be able to adopt the system following the step-by-step implementation guide we will prepare.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
www.eurovelo13.com Copyright EuroVelo
ICTr Good Impact Programme
ICTr Good Impact Programme will be created (resp. Ekopolis), including the action plan for its uptake in 8 ICTr countries. The Programme will define how the tourists contribute to a selected Good Impact, a fee based on the measured impact they cause with their ICTr itinerary. It will also define the selection criteria and the mechanism for allocation of funds for green and just development of the IC area. The Programme will be available to be used by other EuroVelo/cycling tourism products.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
European Cyclists' Federation (ECF)
Sustainability and transferability plan for the integrated ICTr
STP will define the approaches to ensure institutional and financial sustainability of the project solutions. It will define an action plan of mainstreaming and transferability measures, including identification of key areas, plan of activities, responsibilities of PPs, financial aspects and time plan. Ambition is to transfer the model to other EV routes and to national policies. Plan of future public and private investments for infrastructure and digital solutions will be defined.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Project images
ICTr-CE
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