ICTr-CE
ICTr-CE – short for Innovative participatory sustainable business model for cycling along the Iron Curtain Trail – is a 3-year project that aims to develop an innovative tourism product along EuroVelo 13 in Central Europe, from northern Poland and Germany to Croatia. 8 countries and more than 3,000 km of the route are involved in the project, funded by Interreg Central Europe.
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.
In the context of the project, ECF together with project partners developed an innovative cycling product - known as Good Impact Cycling - sold by official EuroVelo 13 Booking Centres to allow cyclists to experience the Iron Curtain Trail while leaving a positive influence. Using tools such as the CARMACAL carbon footprint calculator and the Impact Measurement System - also developed during the project - the offers estimate the environmental and social impact of the tours. The Good Impact Programme reduces these impacts by allocating funds to projects focusing on environmental, social, and economic impacts, strengthening the positive contributions of cycling tourism to the regions. Check out the Good Impact Cycling tours on our tour packages page!
Project partners of ICTr-CE are:
- Westpannon Regional and Economic Development Public Nonprofit Ltd., Hungary
- CROST Regional Development Nonprofit Kft, Hungary
- Iskriva, Institute for Development of Local Potentials, Slovenia
- University of Primorska, Slovenia
- Trail Angels GmbH, Austria
- Public benefit company Partnerstvi, Czechia
- City of Gdańsk, Poland
- Ekopolis Foundation, Slovakia
- European Cyclists’ Federation, Belgium
- Koprivnica Križevci County, Croatia
- Ecological Tourism in Europe Association, Germany
- Marshal Office of the Westpomeranian Region, Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Office for Cycling Communication, Poland.
Associated partners are:
- Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria
- Institute for Tourism and Development Lendava, Slovenia
- Global Sustainable Tourism Council, United States of America
- Marshal Office of the Region of Pomorskie, Poland
- Polish Tourism Organisation, Poland
- Croatian National Tourist Board, Croatia
- Austrian National Tourist Office, Austria
- Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia, Croatia
- Centre for Development of Active and Ecotourism Nonprofit Ltd., Hungary
- Bratislava Region Tourism - Destination Management Organisation, Slovakia
- Gdańsk Tourism Organisation, Poland
- EuroNatur, Germany.
Find out more about the kick-off meeting of the ICTr-CE Project which took place in April 2023 in this article.
Check out the Interreg Central Europe project website for more information.
