April saw the official launch of the Greenways4Tour project, the aim of which is to promote and increase international awareness of European greenways as excellent facilities for cyclists, walkers and people with disabilities, and to greatly improve sustainable tourism choices in Europe.

The project was presented in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, at a workshop to highlight best practices on greenways. Vitoria-Gasteiz has been appointed European Green
Capital 2012 so it was fitting that the start-up event was held in the city thanks to Basquetour, a partner in the project. A number of successful greenways were introduced as examples of best practice and gave a flavour of how the European greenway network can enhance sustainable tourism across the continent.

The project fits with the European Commission’s call to “promote transnational thematic tourism products” to develop sustainable tourism in the EU. For the first time, greenways have been included in the grant programme of the European Commission’s General Directorate of Tourism (2011), indicating that they are an area regarded to have great potential and value for the development of
sustainable tourism within Europe.