ICTr Project Meeting

On May 14–15, we participated in a working meeting for the ICTr project in Valtice, South Moravia. Not only did we attend, but we also co-organized the meeting alongside Partnerství, o.p.s.. The project, supported by the Central Europe Program and the Slovak Republic, focuses on developing an innovative cycle tourism product along the long-distance EuroVelo 13 Iron Curtain Trail. This route traces the former border between East and West, stretching from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea. Today, it is also a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. The ICTr project involves 12 partners from nine European countries, including the Ekopolis Foundation.

During the meeting, we reviewed the project’s progress and planned its next steps. Launched in March 2023, the project has already achieved several significant milestones, such as a comprehensive survey of the needs of cycle tourism businesses, an analysis of carbon footprint calculators and the selection of the most suitable one for the project, a near-final draft of a system to monitor the economic, social, and environmental impacts of cycle tourism. We have also developed the concept of “booking centers,” which will provide small businesses in the region with innovative digital tools to offer services to cyclists. Additionally, three test cycle tourism journeys are planned in the northern (Poland and Germany), central (Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovakia), and southern (Hungary and Slovenia) regions of the project area. These journeys aim to test the emerging product to ensure it is ready for the pilot season in 2025. In the central region, the test ride will begin in early June and will follow the Morava River from Moravský Sv. Ján to Bratislava.

In the coming months, especially in autumn, we will organize training sessions and mentoring programs for small business owners to better prepare them to participate in cycle tourism products. The Ekopolis Foundation will also lead the creation of the “Good Impact Program,” designed to offset the negative impacts of tourism on local environments. This financial mechanism will support local social and environmental initiatives along the route that aim to mitigate the adverse effects of tourism.

Discussions during the meeting were highly insightful, extending beyond cycle tourism to include environmental protection, economic principles for small tourism businesses, and broader topics related to cycle tourism. Given that the project consortium includes influential organizations, we can expect the innovative tools resulting from this project to shape the future development of cycle tourism across Europe.

The meeting also included a cycling tour along the EuroVelo 13 Iron Curtain Trail near the Moravian-Austrian border, in the Valtice–Mikulov region. The theme of the Iron Curtain is well interpreted here and could serve as an excellent inspiration for its Slovak section.

The next project team meeting will take place in autumn in Croatia.