Fans of cycling tourism will be able to join a new adventure connecting Croatia and seven countries of the Balkans. The route in question includes 80 segments, and the organizers explain in detail every turn, difficulty of the route and other small details. The destination was designed by the Slovenian NGO – GoodPlace and uses the services of various mapping experts responsible for the entire journey. The chosen route has a length of 3,364 kilometers and was developed with the help of the famous Balkan traveler and writer Alex Krevar.
Trans Dinarica will open its doors to all enthusiasts in the warmer months of 2024.
The creators want to show forgotten but beautiful places that have not been visited for a long time, since new technologies often draw other routes. It turns out that European countries began to invest a lot in cycling tourism before the pandemic, and now with new forces, as many as 17 new routes with a total length of 90 thousand kilometers have been described, including a fanatical route for experts – from the Arctic to the Baltic Sea.
Practice shows that more and more Europeans choose a cycling weekend to rest and explore a given region. Many share that this is the better way to travel and they can tap into the local culture, cuisine and even some of the more hidden wineries in the designated regions that rarely disappoint guests.
The Trans Dinarica is not an accredited EuroVelo route, but it includes some beautiful points of the Adriatic Sea, as well as parts of the popular EV8 Mediterranean route.
The idea of this type of tourism is that it can increase the attendance of and offer more scenic spots and access to nature. Thanks to the more serious human flow, some smaller settlements have a steady flow of people and generate revenue from visits. It is the opinion of the organizers that local tour operators should think of proposals along a given route, including accommodation, attractions and even a form of assistance, from which they are sure to profit.
Passing the Trans Dinarica is completely free, but it leaves an opportunity for business owners to advertise themselves and appear on the map with various services.
The creators of Trans Dinarica and the people of GoodPlace are responsible for the creation of Slovenian Green Bike Routes – the project is now an integral part of the country’s national tourism strategy.
According to Slovenia’s calculations, cyclists have brought in nearly 10 million euros over the past 18 months. Alex says that more than 13,000 people have downloaded the Slovenian bike routes app, and according to his modest calculations, the average investment for a bike weekend was about 100 euros per day for food and accommodation at a certain location, as well as additional services such as support, spare parts and others.
Cycle tourism is becoming more and more serious in Europe and there are enough investors who are happy to decide to join this venture. Funding also comes from the US, as well as from EDGE – Economic Development, Governance and Enterprise Growth.
Trans Dinarica will aim to boost the economy and warm relations between all the countries the adventurers will pass through. Apart from Croatia, the cyclists will pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia.
the tart of the route is from western Slovenia and passes through some of the largest national parks. Organizers deliberately skip some of the busiest roads and direct participants to Bosnia. It passes through the Western Balkans, where a unique view of Sarajevo is revealed, and then the road continues to Podgorica, Skopje and Pristina.
Alex admits that there are some steeper roads, but he points out that one can easily ride a hybrid bike – a combination between a road bike and a mountain bike. At every single border, there are more prying eyes than any form of heavy and thorough checks. Some employees find it hard to accept the fact that a person can travel such a distance by bicycle.
Inspections are possible, but practice has shown that the cyclists themselves do not carry much luggage with them and really have nothing to declare.
Photo: Map / https://www.transdinarica.com/slovenia/
