Project: The Banat Tour (TdB), financed through the INTERREG IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Program Romania – Serbia
Last year, the implementation of the “Banat Tour” project, financed under the INTERREG IPA Cross-border Cooperation Program Romania-Serbia, started. The project brings together three partners: Nova Crnja City Hall (Serbia) – project leader, Jimbolia (Romania) and the Regional Center for Socio-Economic Development of Banat (Serbia). The project was drafted around the common idea of contributing to the sustainable economic development of the region by strengthening and promoting cross-border tourist offer and stimulating cycling.
Last November, the Cyclo Group was set up to identify and solve key cross-border cycling issues and to advise the project team during implementation. Also, the group proposed the four routes (De Tours) for cyclists: DeTour 1: Jimbolia – Foeni – Jaša Tomić – Srpska Crnja – Jimbolia; DeTour 2: Jimbolia – Srpska Crnja – Kikinda – Nakovo – Jimbolia; DeTour 3: Visiting Jimbolia; DeTour 4: Jimbolia – Cenei – Timisoara – Jimbolia.
The new DeTours routes will position this area on the EuroVelo corridor map and in the long run the project will have a positive impact on the promotion of other tourism resources in the region and the environment.
One of the prerequisites for the development of cycling is the existence of adequate road infrastructure, so the project has approached this issue and included the following activities: establishment of the cross-border cycling entity: the Tour de Banat Regional Cyclotourism Center in Nova Crnja, Serbia building the Bicycle Tour in Jimbolia.
The Regional Cyclotourism Center will be the first cross-border institution to deal with specific forms of tourism and, together with the Jimbolia Cycling Touring Auxiliary Infrastructure, will be an example of a common cross-border structure in the region. The Center and Tourist Peasant will provide complementary services to cyclists. Their main role will be to support cyclotourists, but also to develop and promote cycling in the cross-border region.
The construction works of the Jimbolia tourist stop have begun and take place in optimum conditions without any delays.
By creating the conditions for the development of cycling (institutional support), the project has the role of increasing the attractiveness of the cross-border region, thus enabling the capitalization of the existing natural and cultural-historical resources and developing the local tourism economy on both sides of the border.
