European Greenways Award, recent Jury meeting =>33 candidacies from 13 countries! => The winners will be announced on Thursday 9/October 2025 The jury did not have an easy task to select the winners of the 12th edition of the European Greenways Award 2025, due to the high quality and variety of the applications! It was a European jury made up of experts with extensive experience in the different aspects that make up greenways. This is their composition: Dorota Tomalak. Deputy Head of Unit. Secretariat of the Commission for Natural Resources. European Committee of the Regions Daniel  Solana Basquetour. Basque Tourist Agency. (Director) Piotr Kalisz. Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Infrastructure for the Bicycle Mobility. Rep. Poland Richard Denman. The Tourism Company. Global Expert on Sustainable Tourism. European Greenways Association team: Mr Giulio Senes– President EGWA.  Italy/ Vote, in case of a tie vote Mercedes Muñoz, Jury Secretary – EGWA Director, and Dominika Zareba, EGWA manager,with voice but without vote. Ms. Ramune Genzbigelyte-Venturi. European Commission. DG Mobility and Transport. MOVE.001-Tourism Team. (excused for illness) ♥ Many thanks to the jury for their availability, and their rich debate. ♥ Many thanks to all the participants for taking part! We are delighted with the excellent response to the prize and to learn about […]

Webinar “Travelling Light Mainstreaming low-carbon mobility for tourism travel” overview   The webinar was held on 29/January /2025, organised by the Task Force Greening transport of the  EC Together for EU tourism expert group, in which EGWA participates and has actively contributed to its organisation. Provided a comprehensive overview of the different modes of transport on the path toward sustainability and the challenges facing the green transition in mobility and solutions, through the presentation of concrete examples of good practices, and regional and sectoral action plans.  Active mobility, through greenways, and inter-modality with public transport, in particular rail, were highlighted throughout the seminar. Webinar started with a welcome by the moderator Shane Colgan, and a brief introduction of the webinar and works of the Task Force Greening Transport. Andreea Staicu, Acting Head of the Tourism and Textiles Unit of DG Grow, then gave a brief overview of the main current and future actions and challenges in the tourism ecosystem.  She highlighted the appointment of a new European Commissioner for Transport and Sustainable Tourism, which for the first time explicitly includes responsibility for tourism, demonstrating the importance attached to this sector. The announcement of a forthcoming Sustainable Tourism Strategy, soon to […]

EGWA takes part in the Together for EU Tourism (T4T) stakeholder event & expert group plenary in Brussels  Organised by the EC DG GROW past 14/October To share recent policy developments in the tourism sector at EU level EGWA participates in the stakeholder event on tourism & expert group plenary in Brussels organised by the EC DG GROW, represented by her director This event was held to share recent policy developments in the tourism sector at EU level. Presentations,  were focus on EU Tourism Platform; supports to cultural and heritage tourism;  how the AI Act impacts tourism, future travel requirements to Europe, and the new law on green claims and how it will affect the tourism industry.  Examples of pledges were presented to inspire new actions. There was an opportunity for debate, in which the DG Move was also mentioned given the importance of cycling as a means of transport and the growing importance of cycle tourism, and therefore was also requested that it join the varied and expert representation from other tourism-related EC departments participating in the event. The recording of the livestream can be watch here. The presentations are available online. EC – DG Grow invite all stakeholders to check […]

    SIGWAY Sport in Greenways  –  Sport dans les voies vertes National Multiplier Event in Commune de Court-Saint-Etienne  22/September/2024 Événement national multiplicateur SIGWAY sport dans les voies vertes, à la commune de Court-Saint-Étienne, dans le cadre de la 4e village de la mobilité, dans la Semaine Européenne de la Mobilité.    10:30 Balade à vélo :  RAVEL 141, aux sources de la Dyle (29 km). Balade à vélo dans la Valée de la Dyle, encadrée par les Chemins du Rails, principalement via le RAVeL, jusqu’au centre sportif de Genappe puis retour au lieu de départ . 𝟏𝟒𝐡𝟎𝟎 : Présentation du  projet SIGWAY par l’Association européenne des Voies Vertes Présentation des principaux résultats du projet européen Erasmus SIGWAY Sport on Greenways, qui vise à promouvoir l’activité physique et le sport sur les voies vertes – RAVEL, avec l’intervention de Mercedes Muñoz Zamora, directrice de l’AEVV. Un aperçu d’exemples internationaux provenant de 6 pays, de programmes sportifs et d’actions concrètes pour promouvoir l’activité physique en vois vertes, et des idées pour organiser vos propres activités. Sport dans les Voies vertes pour la santé, le plaisir et l’environnement ! Co-organisé avec Chemins du Rail avec la collaboration de la commune de Court-Saint-Étienne, que […]

Active mobility for Sustainable Tourism    Promoting active mobility in the Together for EU Tourism expert group Declarations on Cycling and the Mobility of Tomorrow to guide the future action in the EU. Investments of EUR 4.5 billion planned under Cohesion Policy 2021-2027 for cycling infrastructure, a great opportunity for greenways   EGWA contributes to the Transition Pathway for Tourism through its participation in the group of experts with proposals, sharing and disseminating information, and the implementation of the Association’s pledges, basically oriented towards raising awareness, promotion and dissemination of good practices linked to active mobility on greenways. Trough the Togheter 4 EU Tourism informal Commission expert group, (Green subgroup / greening transport Taskforce) EGWA requests more visibility for cycle tourism and rural tourism through which many of the greenways run. The director of the Association regularly participates in activities promoted by the EC related to T4T. Among other the two-year anniversary event in Brussels, in where DG Grow presented the publication Transition pathway Taking stock of progress by 2023 (implementation of the Pledges by stakeholders) available at the different EU languages . The event presentations, as well as the recording of the event are accessible on the event dedicated […]

Definition of greenways revised in UNECE The EGWA presented a proposal to modify the definition of greenways to UNECE to better reflect the reality of what greenways are. This is the latest proposal included in the Unece documents, that takes up the proposal of the association, and is as follows. Greenway: A greenway is an independent road designated for non-motorized users, including pedestrians and cyclists, signposted as such. Its use might be open to other non-motorized users, for example horseback riders, if signed as such or defined in the national legislation. Explanatory note: This definition is proposed by GE.5. A greenway often follows a canal or a disused railroad. A greenway may include parts of the road dedicated for specific categories of its users, for example a soft shoulder for horseback riders. A greenway sign can be posted either by shared pedestrian/horse rider and cycle track sign or by a dedicated greenway sign, if such exists in the national legislation. Previous definition: Greenway: A greenway is a non-mandatory cycle track independent from the road network, which often follows a canal or a disused railroad. Its use is open to road users as sign posted or defined in the national legislation. […]

Conference on Greenways and Sustainable Tourism in Europe, European Greenways Award. Rome 20th November 21 speakers from all over Europe sharing real experiences linked to 11 countries: Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, Poland, and cross-border Poland/Czech Republic, Latvia, Belgium, Serbia, Germany, and Europe as a whole.  More than 100 participants enjoyed learning about new initiatives and sharing their passion for greenways and for moving towards a more sustainable tourism in Europe, based on greenways, non-motorised itineraries, active mobility and public transport, in an incomparable setting in Rome, in the Campidoglio overlooking the ancient Roman Forum. Welcome messages from the co-organising institutions in Rome (RFI, and Roma Capitale) expressing their clear commitment to the transformation of tourism and sustainable travel, based on active mobility at local and national level. Promotion of the use of the train as part of the tourist experience, and valorisation of disused railway infrastructures. Clear commitment of European Greenways to the green transition of tourism, disseminating good practices that can inspire new actions in Europe. Giving visibility to the importance of national greenways programmes, (“Ecopistas” in Portugal, “30 years of the greenways programme” in Spain), the promotion of the reuse of disused railway heritage (Italy), as examples […]

European Greenways present at THE PEP/EHP Partnership on Healthy and Active Mobility meeting in Madrid 26-27 October.  EGWA has presented good practices of greenways, linked to active mobility in Europe, at the expert meeting. The meeting of THE PEP / EHP Partnership on Healthy Active Mobility, was focus on cycling. Hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.   In her presentation, the director of the EGWA addressed three lines of action on which the association is working. The first of these is linked to the green transition of tourism. In this line, examples of greenways and sustainable (active) mobility from Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Germany, and Italy, all of which have been recognised with the European Greenways Award, were presented. These examples are part of the commitments (“Pledges”) of the EGWA concerning the co-implementation of the transition pathway for tourism “Together for EU Tourism”  in which the European Association participates. The aim is to disseminate good practices that showcase success stories, which can inspire new examples based on these initiatives and contribute to the transformation of tourism. A second block included different examples from the HANDBOOK: 7 cases of successful sport activities in greenways, implemented in Austria, […]

Jury meeting of the 11th European Greenways Award 2023 The jury of the 11th European Greenways Award was composed of a panel of experts with different expertise to approach, from different perspectives, the analysis of the 24 excellent shortlisted applications from 11 different countries:   Ms. Ramune Genzbigelyte-Venturi. Policy officer-Tourism. European Commission. DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Unit GROW G1 – Tourism and Textiles Ms. Dorota Tomalak. Deputy Head of Unit. Secretariat of the Commission for Natural Resources. European Committee of the Regions Ms. Veronika Sárik. Technical Manager – EIM – European Rail Infrastructure Managers Ms. Iulia Niculica. Head of Administration. European Travel Commission Ms.  Alessandra Bonfanti. Legambiente. National Responsible for Mobility Mr Giulio Senes – President EGWA. (1) Italy/ EGWA , and Ms. Mercedes Muñoz, Jury Secretary  – EGWA Director (1) Vote, in case of a tie vote / (2) With voice but without vote. >> The winners will be announced in Rome on Thursday, September 21st 2023 The awards contribute to the promotion of best practices in greenways, to encourage the qualitative development of these new facilities open to the general public in Europe, that are “Communication routes reserved exclusively for non-motorised journeys. These routes should meet satisfactory […]

      >> Call for candidacies for the 11th European Greenways Award 2023   >> Deadline for applications: Wednesday 14 June 2023       The European Greenways Association (EGWA) announces the call for candidacies for the 11th European Greenways Award (EGA) 2023 organised by EGWA in co-operation with the the EGWA in cooperation with Rete Ferroviaria Italiana and the Associazione Italiana Greenways. The awards ceremony will take place on September 21st in Rome, in Italy.   The objective is to promote examples of best practices and to support their replication on other greenways all over Europe. The European Greenways Award will only be granted to greenways under the Lille Declaration, as well as to initiatives already in existence. This biennial award will recognise examples of greenways best practices in three categories: A) Excellence awards In this category the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will be awarded to three exemplary greenways that show the best integration of the various characteristics which define greenways (Art. 1 of Regulations) and that also demonstrate specific strengths which, in the opinion of the jury, make them exemplary. (…) B) Exemplary initiatives  A 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize will be awarded to exemplary initiatives carried out in relation to greenways. This category is open to any activity related […]

A strong presence of greenways at FITUR 2023, and of cycle tourism in general. The FITUR 2023 fair has been an excellent occasion for presentations and dissemination of new tourism products based on greenways; signing of collaboration agreements, meetings with EGWA partners and friends of the greenways, and exploring future plans.    >> We attended presentations and round tables on greenways to back up the action of our members in favour of greenways. Common message in the presentations: the great transformation that greenways have brought about and the need for optimal maintenance, demanded by citizens and companies that focus their activity on these non-motorised routes, and which constitute a major economic resource for the territories through which they run.                  > We received the visit of Paulo Rodrigues, manager of the National Plan of Ecopistas of Portugal, of IP Patrimonio, who presented the new brochure of Ecopistas. We learned first-hand about the advances in infrastructures and governance in the Portuguese ecopistas, and explored new possibilities for closer international collaboration to advance an Iberian vision of greenways. In this sense, possibilities for collaboration can be opened up in the framework of the agreement signed […]

The European Commision, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship & SMEs organised a stakeholder event on 13 September to update on the transition pathway related developments and received pledges.   The objective was to increase and support engagement in the transition pathway co-implementation with concrete actions. The event was organized in hybrid format, physically in Brussels and the online participation All the presentations of the event are available online at the event web page: EU Tourism transition pathway stakeholder meeting (europa.eu) Presentations Introduction by Marie-Helene Pradines, Head of Unit Directorate-General for Industry & SMEs Unit G1 Tourism, textiles Four lenses to the Transition Pathway for Tourism by Directorate-General for Industry & SMEs Tourism team Industrial Forum Task force 2 feedback by Luis Campos, Co-curator Industrial forum TF2 for Tourism Overview of T4T pledges and commitments by Kirsti Ala-Mutka, Policy officer Directorate-General for Industry & SMEs Example pledges from Ile-de-France region, Françoise Guaspare, Senior policy officer Example pledges from Azores DMO  by Carolina Mendonça, Coordinator Example pledges from European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) by Ivor Ambrose, Managing Director Example pledges from Booking.com  by Inge Janssen, Director of Public Affairs EMEA, Example pledges from EcoMarine Malta by Patrizia Patti, Founder Example pledges from NECSTouR by […]

The seminars were organised by the Latvian Greenways Association and held in Keipene and Gulbene. EGWA Director presented European Greenways best practices that can inspire new actions in Latvia, as part of the EU Interreg project “Greenways Riga-Vilaka”. The seminars involved local administrations promoting greenways and private sector stakeholders who have set up businesses in the vicinity of greenways, in particular in former railway stations. EGWA director presented best practices in European greenways that can inspire new actions in Latvia, as part of the Interreg project “Greenways Riga-Vilaka”. It was a great opportunity to see the great progress and increase of public and private initiatives involved in the development of greenways in Latvia! => Transforming disused railway tracks as greenways. => Recovery of collapsed bridges and building new ones => Rehabilitation of old stations for tourist uses, community activity centers, museums. => Strong commitment to move forward with new greenways projects! The finishing touch was a “chance meeting” with the Latvian Minister of Transport on the way home. Sincere thanks to Minister Talis Linkaits for his support for greenway initiatives, and for listening carefully to our proposals for moving forward, enhancing services around greenways, improvements in intermodality with public transport, […]

EGWA presented Greenways Europe iniciative to the PEP (Pan-European Transport, Health & Environment Programme) experts’ working group on Sustainable Tourism Mobility.   The two days partnership meeting in Madrid was focused on setting the scope of the partnership and the tool-kit to push forward sustainable mobility in tourism.  Part of the expert group meeting focused on specific initiatives in the field of cycle tourism, which included the presentations of greenways: the Spanish “Vias Verdes Program”, and the European initiative, presented by the EGWA. The meeting was hosted by the Spanish Railways Foundation, and was organised by Spanish Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda,  Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism. Many thanks for the invite! A pleasure to contribute and spread the word on greenways as great infrastructure for sustainable tourism mobility       Supported by the secretariats of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Transport and Environment Divisions in Geneva and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) in Copenhagen, THE PEP is a unique policy platform that seeks to encourage transport policymakers and urban planners to consider the health and environmental impacts of transport, and address them through shared policy approaches. […]

OurWay Study visit to Murcia on 5-6 April. >> Two intense days to learn in detail the best practices of the greenways of the Region of Murcia, which inspired the project partners from Poland and Ireland in the design of their action plans. >> EGWA was closely involved in the technical preparation of the study visit and the round table, which also moderated.   The objective of the visit was to learn in detail the good practices proposed by the region of Murcia in the OurWay , an Interreg Europe project, in order to support the implementation of the action plans of the visiting partners from Poland and Ireland. The agenda included a Seminar and a field visit. The Seminar was held at the Murcia Tourism Institute and was attended by the general directors of the European Union and the Tourism Institute, members of the General Directorate of the Natural Environment, and representatives of the Consortium of Greenways of the Murcia Region, the European Greenways Association, and stakeholders directly involved in the development of the Good Practices linked to the Greenway of the Northwest of Murcia. In addition, to the OurWay partners from Poland and Ireland-who had selected the best […]

The international conference and the ulterior visit on 1st October are organized on the occasion of the 10th European Greenways Award 2021 ceremony, that will be held on Thursday 30th September 2021 in Valencia.

  New Deadline/ Nouveau délai /Nuevo plazo/ Following requests, the deadline for the submission of candidacies for the 10th European Greenways Award 2021 has been extended to: Tuesday 8 June 2021 / Mardi 8 June 2021/  Martes 8 Junio 2021 Thank you for your interest in participating! Nous vous remercions de votre intérêt à participer !  ¡Gracias por su interés en participar! >> Regulations and Application forms: 10th European Greenways Award 2021  #GreenwaysEurope #GreenwaysAward2021   Share this…FacebookPinterestTwitterLinkedin

Call for candidacies for the 10th European Greenways Award 2021 (Deadline for applications: Thursday 27th May 2021) The European Greenways Association (EGWA) announces the call for candidacies for the 10th European Greenways Award (EGA) 2021 organised by EGWA in co-operation with the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencia Region), through the Regional Ministry of Territorial Policy, Public Works and Mobility and the Spanish Railways Foundation (FFE).   The awards ceremony will take place on September 30th in Valencia.     The objective is to promote examples of best practices and to support their replication on other greenways all over Europe. The European Greenways Award will only be granted to greenways under the Lille Declaration, as well as to initiatives already in existence. This biennial award will recognise examples of greenways best practices in three categories: A) Excellence awards In this category the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will be awarded to three exemplary greenways that show the best integration of the various characteristics which define greenways (Art. 1 of Regulations) and that also demonstrate specific strengths which, in the opinion of the jury, make them exemplary. (… B) Exemplary initiatives  A 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize will be awarded to exemplary initiatives carried out in relation to greenways. This category is open to any activity related to […]

EGWA & Greenways in the European Tourism Convention next 12/10/2020  Following nine consecutive years of growth, the EU tourism ecosystem is among the hardest hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic affecting Europe since early 2020. The European Commission is organising the European Tourism Convention on 12th October 2020. The Convention will launch a dialogue on sustainable recovery and the strategic orientations for the tourism of tomorrow and guide future work and cooperation on tourism (towards a European Agenda for Tourism 2050). In the framework of the European Tourism Convention, the European Commission will organise three on-line thematic workshops, which will be held in parallel in the morning of 12th October: 1. Safe and Seamless Tourism Experience, 2. Greener Holidays, and 3. Tourism Powered by Data The aim of the workshops is to map key issues, generate a discussion about the challenges and opportunities of the EU tourism sector linked with the three topics mentioned above and propose a set of SMART action points to be presented and discussed during the Plenary of the European Tourism Convention in the afternoon. Each workshop will gather up to 30 participants, including representatives of the EU institutions, representatives of public authorities, European sectorial industry […]

The action plans will serve to improve the territories represented, with concrete actions to make their cultural and natural resources more visible, attractive and accessible to more domestic and internationals tourists. In these plans there will be a greater or lesser extent of the presence of greenways.

International Workshop in Milan & Study Tour along the Naviglio Pavese Greenway, 24 -25 October 2019   Thursday 24th October International Greenways Heritage Workshop: “Development and promotion of a transnational cultural tourism product linked to Greenways and UNESCO cultural sites”  14:00 – Registration Section 1: Greenways Heritage Project Results 14:40 – The “Greenways Heritage” Project – Mercedes Muñoz, European Greenways Association 15:00 – The “Greenways Heritage” Touristic GIS and Web-App – Giulio Senes, Roberto Rovelli, Gianpaolo Cirone, University of Milan (Italy) 15:20 –  “Greenways Heritage”: quality protocol and visitor profile – Giulio Senes, Roberto Rovelli, Gianpaolo Cirone, University of Milan (Italy) 15:40 – 360° and augmented reality experience for UNESCO sites and greenways – Els Van Zele, City of Mechelen (Belgium) 16:00 – “Greenways Heritage” Touristic Product – Arantxa Hernández Colorado, Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles – Vias Verdes Program (Spain) 16:20 – “Greenways Heritage” Promotion & communication – Nuno Ferreira, Inter-municipal Community of Ave (Portugal) 16:40 – Coffee break Section 2: Key stakeholders’ experiences 17:00 – The Voghera-Varzi Greenway and the Pavia provincial soft mobility network – Paolo Gramigna, Province of Pavia (Italy). See video. 17:20 – Soft mobility and cultural heritage in Italy – Anna Donati, Italian Soft Mobility Alliance […]

Jury members at meeting in Brussels  The Jury of the 9th European Greenways Award was made up of experts whose professional background allowed them to approach, from a range of perspectives, the analysis of the exceptional candidates from 7 different countries. Ms. Girma Anuskeviciute – DG GROW, Unit F4 – Tourism, Emerging and Creative Industries. European Commission Ms. Anne GRADY. European Commission. Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC). Unit D.1 – Cultural Policy Ms. Ilaria MAGGIOROTTI,  Rete Ferroviaria Italiana R.F.I. S.p.A. Responsible of the disused railways Mr. Javier MORENO. Technical Advisor of EIM aisbl (European Rail Infrastructure Managers) Mr. Ignace Schops. Director. President EUROPARC Federation Mr. Giulio SENES: EGWA President of the EGWA (Vote, in case of a tie vote) The jury was assisted technically by Isabelle Dullaert (Waloon region and Vice-president EGWA), Gilbert Perrin, (Chemind du Rail and past president of the EGWA) and Mercedes Muñoz (EGWA director and jury Secretary). As laid down in the award regulations, the jury set out to select 3 awards for the categories Excellence and Exemplary Initiatives and 1 special award for “Exemplary innovative action / product to improve the info and experience for tourist”; this last one being part of the activities included in […]

The 2nd Steering Group Meeting & 1st Interregional Thematic Workshop of the OurWay Project, held in Westport, County Mayo (Ireland), on 5-6 March 2019. This was a great opportunity to learn all about the Irish Greenways strategy and, in particular, the successful Great Western Greenway in County Mayo, at the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA), the hosting project partner. A few months ago, the Irish government approved The Greenways Strategy – Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways, promoted by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The strategy was devised through cross-departmental collaboration and with contributions from all kinds of interested parties, in a process which took more than one year to complete.  Right up until the final approval stage, the design was open to the participation of all interested parties and enjoyed the substantial involvement of various government departments, authorities and stakeholders at local, regional and national level. Ireland’s greenways are based on the concept outlined in the EGWA’s Lille Declaration. This first seminar provided us with a great opportunity to learn about the whole process in depth, at first hand from the key players involved in the process. Specific examples of the development of greenways and […]

 Next Workshop “UNESCO sites and Greenways, a common destination” These events are organized in the framework of the Greenways Heritage project, in the city of Guimarães ⇒  Historic centre of Guimarães is World Heritage Site (WHS) ⇒  The Ecopista of Guimarães, as greenways are called in Portugal, is about 14 km long, between Guimarães and Fafe and uses the old railway line of Guimaraes. Date/Data:  Encontro: Quinta-feira/ Thursday /29  de Noviembre 2018 Venue/Local:   Sociedade Martins Sarmento, Rua Paio Galvão, Guimarães, Portugal. Language / Idioma: Portuguese / English with simultaneous translation from / to  Objetivos:  Dar a conhecer o projeto europeu Greenways HERITAGE (Ecovias e património UNESCO) e as oportunidades de cooperação em Portugal. Favorecer a participação público-privada na criação de produtos turísticos e iniciativas para o aproveitamento turístico, vinculadas à promoção do património UNESCO e Ecovias na Europa. Promover a aplicação das novas tecnologias para informar os visitantes e melhorar o conhecimento do património cultural existente no território. Favorecer o intercambio e a cooperação europeia, no âmbito do projeto Greenways HERITAGE: como os territórios que contam com património UNESCO e “Greenways” podem contribuir para o projeto e como o projeto europeu pode ajudá-los a estar melhor preparados para o turismo […]

Greenways and UNESCO sites a common destination. Activities and opportunities of cooperation. Workshop & Working meeting.  Namur (Belgium) Thursday 28 June 2018   – 16:30  Venue:  C/o Siège de Chemins du Rail – Rue van Opré 97 ;  5th floor  – Namur Objectives: →   To present the new EU funded project Greenways Heritage to the EGWA members and greenways network, and the opportunities of cooperation →   To encourage greenways network to cooperate and to request the contribution to the project from partners outside the consortium. →   To promote the application of new technologies to inform visitors and to improve the knowledge of the existing cultural heritage of the territory. →   Networking between partners and participants: how you can contribute to the project Greenways Heritage and how the project can help your greenways and Cultural resources to become better prepared for tourism and for being more internationally well-known. Program Greenways Heritage (10′) Project General Overview: Greenways and UNESCO sites a winning duo. Mercedes Muñoz, AEVV-EGWA – Lead Partner/Coordinator. Detailed content of the work and opportunities to participate in the different actions of Greenways Heritage. (40′) Team partners: Arantxa Hernández, FFE Vias Verdes; Giulio Senes Milan University; Kris Rokelé and representatives from Stad Mechelen / Provincie Antwerpen, Mercedes […]

New EU funded project Greenways HERITAGE     EGWA will co-ordinate this new EU project funded under the COSME programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The general objective of the project is the development and diversification of the European tourism offer by generating new tourism products related to heritage greenways and UNESCO cultural heritage sites located nearby. This is to be achieved by widely disseminating this appealing offer in order to attract more tourists and to generate an economic impact on territories which have both UNESCO sites and greenways, and in particular on the SMEs located in their vicinity. To promote the use of new technologies applied to greenways and UNESCO sites to better inform tourists and so enhance their experience. To achieve this objective various types of concrete actions will be implemented: The creation of product and generation of an offer of tourism packages of greenways and UNESCO sites, and “go as you please” trip proposals. Work with local companies to improve competitiveness. Meetings promoting Public Private Partnership (PPP) To improve useful information for tourists by using new information technologies (web-GIS multi-platform with information on cultural sites and related greenways; Furthermore a specific example […]

“European Greenways: an opportunity for local and sustainable tourism development”  Date: Thursday 28 September, 2017 – 2-5pm  Venue:  Dunraven Arms Hotel – Main St, Adare, Co. Limerick, Ireland. Objectives: To provide an overview of European greenways, paying special attention to Ireland. To present examples of greenway best practices as avenues of local and tourism development that can be replicated in other European territories. To encourage interested parties to continue to develop greenways in Europe, with reference to funding opportunities for implementation and promotion. Exchange and networking among greenway promotors and managers in order to foster mutual collaboration. Addressed to: tourism promotion and greenway management authorities; public authorities and private organizations wishing to promote greenways for tourism in their territories; local service and equipment providers (SMEs) in the vicinity of greenways. Press & Media. Program: 2-2:30           Opening speeches. Giulio Senes, President European Greenways Association. Brian Kennedy, Senior Executive Officer, Economic Development, Limerick City & County Council. 2:30 – 3:30    European Greenways. Overview with special focus on Ireland. European Greenways an asset for sustainable tourism. Mercedes Muñoz, Director, European Greenways Association. (Europe) Greenways in Ireland, the current network and development plan strategy. Derek O’Neill. Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (the Transport Section) (Ireland). […]

Key recommendations for making greenways accessible When designing accessible greenways we need to take into consideration a set of minimum, technical, accessibility-related criteria in order to ensure that greenways can be used and enjoyed by everyone – including people with disabilities – under safe and comfortable conditions. Accessibility to natural spaces has been less well developed than accessibility in urban environments. For this reason we believe it is essential to provide some guidelines that can be implemented not only on greenways but also in any action carried out in natural areas, such as paths, nature trails, etc. We are confident that this brochure will help European greenway planners and managers to develop initiatives aimed at improving accessibility along their routes and making greenways an integrating element for the development of accessible tourism experiences and products. All this technical information, best practices for accessible greenways in Europe, and plenty more besides is available in the Greenways4ALL “Practical Guide to Opening Up the Territory to Accessible Greenways”.  (in Spanish).  Brochures are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese Download from http://greenways4all.org/publications/  Share this…FacebookPinterestTwitterLinkedin

Conference “Accessible Tourism on European Greenways: Greenways for All” The European Greenways Association and the Spanish Railways Foundation, as project coordinator partner of “Greenways4ALL” project organize on Friday, September 30, the first conference of this European project which began last July 1, 2016. The conference will take place at the FFE headquarters (C / Santa Isabel, 44, Madrid). The conference “Accessible Tourism on European Greenways: Greenways for All” aims to publicize the “Greenways4ALL” project and share experiences on accessible tourism, improving accessibility around greenways and the dissemination of these routes as resources for all. It is aimed at political and technical professionals at national and regional level, county councils, municipalities, greenways managers, experts, entrepreneurs and workers in the tourism sector, the third sector and specialized media. View Program and presentations >> Registration Form >> The conference is the starting point of the European project Greenways4ALL with the aim of moving towards a product that meets the value chain of accessibility; from the accessible travel path to an accessible experience. Thus, accessibility is the common element to all resources that integrate the tourism product: walking the greenway, eating in restaurants in the area, lodging in the immediate vicinity to the greenway, […]

CONGRATULATIONS to all the WINNERS of the first European Greenways Photo Contest We loved all your photos!!! WINNERS: PRIZE 1 ©Helen Rigard – Waterford Greenway Viaduct – IRELAND PRIZE 2 ©Oscar Garcia – Terra Alta Greenway – SPAIN PRIZE 3 ©Pablo Toboso – Terra Alta Greenway – SPAIN PRIZE 4 ©David Quintas – Vasco Navarro Greenway_Alava – SPAIN PRIZE 5 ©Derek Halsey – Iron Curtain Trail – CZECH REPUBLIC MENTIONS: M1 ©Oscar Garcia – Sierra de la Demanda Greenway – SPAIN M2 ©Tessa Serrano – Hehlingen – GERMANY M3 ©Anita Tīlena – Old Narroy-gauge Railway Bridge – LATVIA M4 ©Gregorio Egea Jimenez – Murcia Greenway – SPAIN M5 ©Salvador Camaño – Plazaola Greenway – SPAIN M5 ©Alicia Polo – Bidasoa Greenway – SPAIN M5 ©Derek Halsey – Iron Curtain Trail – CZECH REPUBLIC Thank you all for participating! We have discovered new greenways thanks to your photos. Please keep on sharing and tagging your favourite European greenways! Also thanks to all our judges for taking their time and rating all the pictures! Roberto Rovelli – IT Associazione Italiana Greenways Jenny Martin – UK Sustrans Dominika Zareba – PL Stowarzyszenie Greenways Poland Gilbert Perrin – BE Chemins du Rail Carmen Aycart – ES Vías Verdes de Andalucía Liam O’Mahony – IR Great Southern Trail / Greenway And […]

  On Friday 20 May the workshop “Greenways: Attracting new clients and selling the product” was held in Bütgenbach (Belgium). It was organized by Tourismusagentur Ostbelgien (the Belgian tourism agency) in cooperation with EGWA, within the framework of the EU funded project, Greenways Outdoor. The workshop was followed by a very interesting technical visit to the award-winning cross-border route, Vennbahn, passing through 3 countries, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. To end the day a new bridge near the Lommersweiler tunnel was opened. It was named after Gilbert Perrin in recognition of his tireless work in the creation of Vennbahn. The interesting presentations made during the workshop can be seen at https://www.aevv-egwa.org/event/workshop-greenways-attracting-new-clients-and-selling-the-product/. Workshop “Greenways: Attracting new clients and selling the product”         The workshop kicked off with a warm welcome to the participants by Sandra De Taeye, director of Tourismusagentur Ostbelgien, who pointed out the importance of the Vennbahn as a key tourist attraction in East Belgium and the continuous work by the many stakeholders to provide the best offer and welcome to visitors.     Greenways Outdoor overview. Mercedes Muñoz. European Greenways Association (EGWA) Director and Greenways Outdoor Coordinator. The EGWA director and coordinator of the project showed […]

On the 14th of October 2016 the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) and the European Greenways Association (EGWA) organise a EuroVelo, Greenways and Cycling Tourism Conference in Vienna Austria. Like every other year, the conference is the opportunity to bring together leading experts working on cycle tourism, route development and other related fields from across the continent to learn about the latest developments and share best practices. The registrations for the event will be opened soon. Please stay tuned on the website and Follow us on social media!   This conference is organized in the framework of the EU funded project Silver cyclist and Greenways Outdoor Share this…FacebookPinterestTwitterLinkedin

Family picture after General Assembly (from left to right): Jānis Sijāts, Vidzeme Tourism Association (Latvia)  ; Nicolas  Poulouin (AF3V -France)  ; Albert Gómez (Consorci Vies Verdes De Girona – Spain )  ; Dany Heck – Tourismusagentur Ostbelgien, Belgium  ; Daniel Mourek , Environmental Partnership Association (EPA), Czech Republic  / Giulio Senes, New President,  Italian Greenways Association, Italy / Kris Rockelé  (Province Antwerpen, Belgium); Anne Daubechies, Walonie (Belgium); Gilbert Perrin, Outgoing President, Chemins du Rail (Belgium); Mercedes Muñoz, EGWA Director. Giulio Senes from the Italian Greenways Association (Italy) is the new EGWA president by acclamation of the General Assembly held in Namur (Belgium) last October. Senes had previously been Vice-President and knows the association very well as a founder member of EGWA. Namur, a highly symbolic place, was chosen for Gilbert Perrin to leave the presidency and to “close the circle”, since it was here where the Association started, promoted by himself and other partners in 1998. It was a very emotional farewell for him as president, but not from EGWA, where Gilbert will continue to be a member of the Executive Committee. But now he will have more time to devote to Chemins du Rail, the association of volunteers also […]