Brief description The BIKE4TWF project developed cycling routes and carried out educational activities as part of the local development agencies’ efforts to improve tourism offers in the cross-border region.
Region Intra Western Balkan borders
Countries Croatia (HR) – Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)
Location HR:  Sisak-Moslavina County, Town of Hrvatska Kostajnica, Municipality of Jasenovac
BiH:  Municipality of Prijedor, Municipality of Kozarska Dubica
Type of project partners Municipalities
Public bodies/institutions
Chambers, business associations
Local/regional development agencies
Size (total budget including EU grants) € 200,000 to € 500,000
Main themes Tourism and cultural heritage
Keywords (Types of Activities) Education and training
Marketing, promotional activities, awareness campaigns
Construction, repairs, cleaning up
Keywords (Aspects of Good Practice) Genuine cross-border dimension
Genuine cross-border impact
Efficient
Good dissemination
Good sustainability

Background and Objectives BIKE4TWF aimed to enhance tourism competiveness in the cross-border region by improving tourism offers, with a focus on bicycle tourism.
Main activities The project partners repaired and constructed cycle paths in the cross-border area, including the clear demarcation of seven cycling routes.

The project also educated and trained tourism professionals to manage cycling packages for visitors. It also aimed to engage them in an intensive preparation of digital and printed promotional material in order to boost the number of visitors to the region for the purposes of cycling.

Other activities included:

  • An inventory of joint tourist potentials of the cross-border region
  • Installation of ‘Internet kiosks’
  • Organisation of demo tour for journalists/reporters from CRO and BiH
Main results The project created an advanced cycling infrastructure in the Lonjsko Natural Park, managed by a Lonjsko Polje tourist cluster. It also opened a new cycling route in the north-western region of Bosnia and Herzegovina and connected it to the existing cycling route in Croatia, thereby promoting tourism development in the Kozara Mountain area.

The project also:

  • established an organisational and management structure for the implementation of project activities;
  • increased the knowledge of tourism personnel for developing niche tourism in the region through cross-border cooperation;
  • raised public awareness about the joint tourist potential of the cross-border region.
Aspects of good practice Good dissemination and visibility on both sides of the border and good sustainability have been noted in the case of BIKE4TWF. Its benefits  are being felt well beyond the completion of the project. The infrastructure created by the project is of longer term value for the cross-border area. The levels of awareness and knowledge in cross-border tourism development have been significantly raised. Moreover, the project has laid the foundations for similar future projects in this cross-border region.
Start and completion dates: 30.12.2010 – 30.12.2012
More information

Partner HR:  Development Agency of the Sisak Moslavina County “SIMORA”,  www.simora.hr
Partner BiH:  Agency for Economic Development of the Municipality of Prijedor “PREDA -PD”, www.preda.rs.ba