Cycling tourism is becoming an increasingly important part of the tourism industry, especially in terms of its contribution to sustainable tourism development. This project aimed to support the development and promotion of cycling and outdoor tourism in certain rural areas of the cross-border regions of Montenegro and Herzegovina, as well as its integration into the overall tourism offer of the Adriatic hinterland.

The project targeted the municipality of Herceg Novi in Montenegro and the city of Široki Brijeg and the municipalities of Grude, Ljubuški and Posušje in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This project introduced the “bike-friendly” designation, which is awarded to facilities and services that are welcoming to cyclists. It also helped map and equip a network of cycling heritage trails in West Herzegovina and Herceg Novi. In West Herzegovina, all the four municipalities have been connected by cycling routes, which helped integrate cultural and natural heritage into a recognised tourism product. In Herceg Novi, the project helped integrate attractive but still little-known mountain bike trails in the hinterland into one tourism product, which also features resting places and viewpoints.

In short, the project further promoted the cross-border region as an attractive outdoor tourism destination, strengthened the capacities of cross-border stakeholders for outdoor tourism and enhanced their mutual partnership and cooperation.