EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Award winners: celebrating inspirations
For the first time ever in the EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference, awards were given out in the categories “Best Cycle Route Development” and “Best Cycling Tourism Initiative”. ECF CEO Laurianne Krid and ECF President Henk Swarttouw presented the winners with their awards in front of 340 participants in the sold-out Balatonfüred Congress Centre.
Without further ado, we are delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Awards:
- The Amazon of Europe Bike Trail for the Best Cycling Tourism Initiative Award, sponsored by SRAM
- The Western Pomerania Voivodeship for the Best Cycle Route Development Award
Commenting on the awards, EuroVelo and cycling tourism Director Agathe Daudibon, who hosted the ceremony, said: “This conference is where the cycling tourism community unites under one roof, so it is the perfect occasion to spotlight some remarkable achievements in cycling tourism and route development. Through these awards, we aim to inspire, spread innovative ideas and share best practices that benefit all, with a special focus on sustainability to match this year’s theme.”
About the winners
The Amazon of Europe Bike Trail, Best Cycling Tourism Initiative Award
The Amazon of Europe Bike Trail is a 1,250 km cycle route following the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers. The project connects responsible tourism with the preservation of nature through a booking platform that sees parts of its proceeds donated to nature conservation programmes in the region. Through redefining business cooperation between the public and private sectors, the Amazon of Europe Bike Trail also contributes to more resilient rural communities in the region and improves the well-being of both residents and visitors. The Amazon of Europe Bike Trail was developed in the scope of a project co-funded by the European Union funds via the Danube Transnational Programme.
The Western Pomerania Voivodeship, Best Cycle Route Development Award
The regional authority of Western Pomerania in Poland started the implementation of a network of regional cycle routes in 2015. Thanks to quality management and the prioritisation of regional routes with the highest potential, it established a network of more than 1,100 km of cycle routes, including more than 400km with dedicated cycle tracks, over the past decade. The leadership of the Region, in cooperation with other Polish partners, helped the establishment of a national coordination body for EuroVelo in Poland in 2025, a breakthrough moment for the development of cycling tourism in the country. This award highlights the strategic role of regions in supporting cycle route development and encourages cycling tourism.
Congratulations to the winners on this well-deserved recognition and thank you to SRAM for sponsoring this inaugural edition of the Best cycling tourism award! The EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Awards 2025 were launched following the successful example of the ECF Awards.
Author: Jana Koch