Greek program “Bike Friendly” launched in Serbia

The Business Association of Hotel and Restaurant Industry of Serbia HORES has announced that the program “Bike Friendly” has been launched in Serbia in order to attract tourists to visit destinations in the country using the bicycle as the principal means of transport.

The program “Bike Friendly”, as said, certifies and marks with special branded signs the municipalities, destinations, tourism organizations, hotels, cycling associations, companies and individuals that meet the mandatory of optional criteria meant for the improvement of the cyclists’ experience, and the project was initiated by the Greek association “NatTour”, which was founded with the aim of promoting sustainable tourism practices throughout the Balkans, whereas the representative of this program for Serbia is Veselinov Tourism Consulting.

It is pointed out that, in addition to the tourism offer, which will be improved, this program will also contribute to the preservation of the environment, the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the support of the local community in the development of sustainable practices.

The growing interest and the increased demand for such services have led to the fact that the guests are looking for a self-sustainable way of tourism, which has resulted in the registration of “Bike Friendly” hotels, partners (bicycle and other companies and tourism companies), individuals (those familiar with cycling in Serbia), as well as municipalities and destinations, the press release says.

A minimal investment is expected from hotels, bicycle companies and local communities, which is directed at the basic services and the equipment that cyclists need, and in order to become official partners and get the right of use and the placement of the “Bike Friendly” tag, they need to meet a list of mandatory criteria which pertain to specialized services meant for bicycle users.

It is also necessary for municipalities and organizations of cycling events to form, mark and maintain bicycle routes.

It is reminded that, in many parts of Serbia, there are already bicycle routes or adequate services which should be further developed so that local communities within each destination would become recognized among cyclists.

It has been announced that the “Bike Friendly” tourism offer will soon become available on the special-purpose site with up-to-date information about the offer of the accommodation, bike renting, photographs, news, cycling maps and contact information for the booking of accommodation and reservation of bicycles.

The development of the “Bike Friendly” network began in Greece in 2017, and in Serbia, the program is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Youth of Serbia, as well as HORES.

HORES Beograd

HORES

NatTour association

Bike Friendly