Back to all

ICTr-CE

Funded by the Interreg Central Europe programme 2021-2027, ICTr-CE involves 8 countries and 3,000 km of EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail. The project kicked off in March 2023 lasted three years. During the project, a new, innovative, participatory and sustainable business model for a single tourism product along the Iron Curtain Trail was developed.

Contents

  1. 1. History ✍
  2. 2. Summary 💡
    1. 2.1. Six Market-Ready, Bookable Cycling Offers
    2. 2.2. Impact Measurement System (IMS): A Practical Solution for Sustainable Cycling Tourism
    3. 2.3. Carbon Footprint Calculator: Simple, Transparent, Action Driven
    4. 2.4. Good Impact Cycling: A New Way to Engage People in Circularity
    5. 2.5. Capacity Building at Scale: 285 SMEs and 1.200 Participants Reached
    6. 2.6. A Solid Foundation for Future Growth
  3. 3. Partners 🤝
    1. 3.1. Project Partners
    2. 3.2. Associated Partners

History ✍

EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail bears a significant historical and cultural meaning for European contemporary history. Since 2019, EuroVelo 13 is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, and it overlaps with the European Green Belt. It has a high potential to be a successful tourism product, but there is a lack of innovation, capacities and awareness of the impacts of cycling tourism on the local level. These challenges affect in particular SMEs and sectoral agencies from regions along the Iron Curtain Trail, which cannot afford to adopt the needed green and digital solutions.

Summary 💡

The ICTr-CE project has successfully concluded its mission of empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to transition toward a more resource-efficient and climate-responsible future in cycling tourism. Through a combination of practical tools, hands-on support, and capacity-building activities, the project created measurable impact across regions and industries – and built a replicable model for sustainable transformation.

Six Market-Ready, Bookable Cycling Offers

A major milestone of the project is the establishment of the first two EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail Official Info & Booking Centres, significantly improving the accessibility and visibility of this iconic long-distance cycling route.

Each centre serves as the central contact point for travellers seeking an exceptional cycling experience along the Iron Curtain Trail. The centres are operated by qualified regional tour operators selected through a public tender within the ICTr-CE project. These operators are contractually committed to the goals and principles of the Iron Curtain Trail, ensuring professional, reliable planning and organisation of cycling trips.

In addition, ICTr-CE developed six bookable, ready-to-use cycling tourism packages. These packages combine sustainability, regional storytelling, and high-quality visitor experience, offering tourism providers a complete, market-ready product that meets the growing demand for climate-friendly travel.

Impact Measurement System (IMS): A Practical Solution for Sustainable Cycling Tourism

One of the flagship results of the project is the Impact Measurement System (IMS) – a modular, SME friendly framework that brings together the key dimensions of circularity, quality management, environmental responsibility, and social impact. The IMS reflects all components that shape the cycling tourism experience:

  • the work of booking centres and tour operators,
  • the sustainability of accommodation providers,
  • food and service quality along the route,
  • transport and activity organisation, and
  • the crucial role of trained, knowledgeable tour guides.

To create a reliable and transparent assessment, the IMS uses two complementary information sources:

Tour Script (for guided tours):

A day-by-day plan including logistics, cultural stops, safety considerations, and sustainability measures.

User Feedback (for self-guided tours):

A short questionnaire capturing real user impressions and revealing how well sustainability measures were implemented.

Combining planned and experienced perspectives makes the IMS both credible and practical – a tool that not only evaluates but helps improve cycling tourism offers.

Carbon Footprint Calculator: Simple, Transparent, Action Driven

Whether planning an eco-friendly cycling holiday, a multimodal cultural journey, or any form of sustainable travel, tools likeCARMACAL enable travellers and professionals to make data-driven, responsible choices.

Evaluating a travel carbon footprint brings several benefits:

  • It covers all components of the journey, providing a complete, transparent picture.
  • Cyclists can compare transport choices – for example, train vs. plane – and understand their impact.
  • Different travel packages can be compared to identify the most sustainable option.
  • Tour operators and travel companies can assess the footprint of their services.
  • Businesses can better understand and reduce their own environmental impacts.

This empowers travellers and tourism professionals alike to reduce emissions and design more sustainable travel experiences.

Good Impact Cycling: A New Way to Engage People in Circularity

ICTr-CE introduced Good Impact Cycling, an innovative, motivating approach to raising awareness about sustainability and regenerative tourism.

The concept aims to make cycling along EuroVelo 13 climate-friendly and transparent by implementing the European Commission’s new Directive on Green Claims at the highest standard. For each trip, both the traveller’s personal CO₂ footprint and, for the first time, the Sustainability Score of the cycling tour are calculated – giving every journey meaningful added value.

The vision behind Good Impact Cycling is not only to avoid negative environmental, cultural, or social impacts but to create positive regenerative effects along the Iron Curtain Trail.

From 2027 onwards, the Sustainability Scores will be converted into a Good Impact Cycling Contribution, included in the travel price. These funds will be directed to ecological and social projects along EuroVelo 13 through the newly established Good Impact Cycling, ensuring that local communities benefit directly from regenerative tourism.

Capacity Building at Scale: 285 SMEs and 1.200 Participants Reached

ICTr-CE has demonstrated extensive outreach and engagement across sectors. Organisations involved in workshops, services, and advisory activities include:

  • 285 SMEs
  • 98 business support organisations
  • 164 public institutions
  • 8 higher education and research organisations
  • 93 additional participating organisations

In total, more than 1.200 participants joined workshops, awareness sessions, and training programmes organised within the ICTr-CE project.

These activities strengthened knowledge, built competencies, and supported real behavioural change across regions. The high level of participation confirms that sustainable solutions and improvement of digital and marketing skills resonate strongly with SMEs when they are practical, accessible, and directly relevant.

A Solid Foundation for Future Growth

The conclusion of the ICTr-CE project marks not an end, but a beginning. With six market-ready cycling offers, powerful evaluation tools, and an engaged network of SMEs and stakeholders, the project has laid a strong foundation for continued collaboration, innovation, and circular value creation.

As regions and companies increasingly recognise the urgency of transitioning toward circular and climate-resilient business models, ICTr-CE provides both the tools and the expertise to make this transformation achievable and effective.

Partners 🤝

Project Partners

Associated Partners

Check out the Interreg Central Europe project website for more information.