BIKE & SPA

The Bike & Spa project started in September 2024 and will run for three years. During this time, together with our project partners, we aim to build an effective partnership network of companies, tourism businesses, service providers, and to engage the local population in the regions of Podravje and Pomurje on the Slovenian side, and the Thermen & Vulkanland region on the Austrian side. The latter includes 12 thermal spa providers offering a well-rounded tourism experience focused on wellness and active leisure in a broader, unified tourist area. Our goal is to include providers and stakeholders who will help us co-create a destination tailored to the needs of the demanding and experience-seeking cycling tourist, and to encourage extended stays in our region.

Key activities in the project will focus on:

• Sustainable visitor management in the defined tourist and project area
• Building a shared vision of sustainable management
• Developing a strategic document for cycling tourism, integrated with the wellness offerings of the wider cross-border region
• Establishing a platform for the exchange of professional knowledge and training among companies, especially SMEs in the tourism sector, and facilitating knowledge and experience transfer

Key mission will be attracting partners from among tourism companies, service providers, hospitality businesses, accommodations, and other service industries to cooperate in the project, with the goal of achieving:

• Quality assurance for businesses through the creation of standards and tracking of results
• A pilot initiative: Green Bike & Spa Academy with sustainable outcomes
• Training programs for cycling guides in the unified tourism area
• Establishing sustainable mobility options for cyclists and creating rest stops

Link to previously implemented activities:

• Press conference of the lead partner and partners from Austria