STARTERS-SEEMORE Newsletter No.3 - 11/2013 - EN

Issue No. 3 – November 2013

Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER project

The Tourism and Mobility newsletter This newsletter is published twice a year in cooperation between the SEEMORE and the STARTER projects.

To subscribe to the newsletter visit www.seemore-project.eu www.starter-project.eu Picture: Maarten van Bemmelen Walking towards the beach in Menorca

Table of content

Dear Reader, Mobility at our holiday destination is a topic that affects all of us personally. We have asked Maarten van Bemmelen (project manager SEEMORE) and Ronald Jorna (project manager STARTER) about their holiday travels.

Last Summer Maarten van Bemmelen chose Menorca for his holidays because of its status as a UNESCO biosphere reserve and its many natural beaches. He greatly enjoyed the possibility to reach beautiful beaches following well-signed walking routes through natural areas.

Maarten: “Menorca shows that it is not necessary to provide car parks within the fragile beach areas. The ‘Camí de Cavalls’ even allows the visitor to follow the complete coastal line on foot, bicycle or horseback”.

Ronald Jorna went camping in southern France by car. Even though sustainable transport is high on his agenda, personal modal choices are being made, depending on the destination, the number of travellers and luggage. Ronald: “It gives an ambivalent feeling to park your car amidst many other cars, and only then starting a fantastic 4-hour nature walk in the Gorges du Verdon. Why isn’t there a regular bus service connecting the major hiking trails? Is it financially unfeasible, or should it be imposed as the only means of access to such a unique natural reserve?”

Both Ronald and Maarten feel that unspoiled natural surroundings and attractive sustainable mobility options can come together, but that in practice this not always happens naturally!

Ronald Jorna Project manager STARTER

Maarten van Bemmelen Project manager SEEMORE

Local actions and first results in Limassol and Noordwijk Page 2 and 3 Local actions in WestBalaton and Bohuslän Pages 4 and 5 Results in other project regions Pages 6 and 7 Future actions Page 8 SEEMORE Photo Competitions Pages 9 and 10 Communication and next events Page 11

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Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER projects

Article written by Maria Stylianou Michaelidou, LIMASSOL TOURIST DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION COMPANY © LIMASSOL TOURIST DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION COMPANY

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Local Actions and First Results in Limassol: Airportshuttle Larnaca Airport The Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Co Ltd in Cyprus, in cooperation with the Limassol Bus Company (EAL Ltd), has established a shuttle bus service that connects the Limassol tourist area with Larnaca airport (the major airport in Cyprus).

The Chairman of the Board, Mr Tony Antoniou stated: “Through this action we are aiming to upgrade the tourist product of Limassol and to offer a sustainable, environmental-friendly transportation option to visitors and locals in Eastern Limassol”.

The bus stops for this service are The local authority, Parekklishia New Airportshuttle located near large hotels (St. Community Board, welcomed this connecting the Raphael Hotel, GrandResort, Kanika effort, as the increasing passenger Limassol Tourist Elias Beach Hotel) and are easily numbers have been very area and Larnaca accessible from any hotel in the encouraging.

Airport started 8th Limassol Tourist area by a The new airport shuttle service connecting urban bus with a fifteen of July 2013. received a great amount of publicity minutes frequency. The timetable and has been actively promoted and additional information on the new service through local media and hotel magazines. are available at www.pameaerodromio.eu and Later on in the year, the company aims to www.airportshuttlebus.eu. improve the infrastructure at the specific bus This effort is part of the action plan of the stops, to provide a more comfortable service SEEMORE project in which the Limassol to the users.

Tourism Development and Promotion Co Ltd is participating.

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Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER projects

Article written by Daan Schrama, Noordwijk

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Local Actions and First Results in Noordwijk: Traffic Management Initiative – New Beach Shuttle Sunny days used to mean an overflow of beachgoers parking their cars in the residential areas near the beach in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, which is a popular resort town. As a part of the STARTER project, a new approach has been developed, which has successfully contributed to traffic flow in the area and mitigated parking scarcity.

The introduction of a beach shuttle means visitors can park at a large lot away

from the beach after the inexpensive but scarce beachside parking has filled up. The shuttle is free and offered all Sundays and sunny days from July through September. In the

Traffic management initiative keeps residents and visitors happy in Noordwijk residential area neighboring the beach, on-street parking has been priced high to discourage visitors from parking there and preserve

spaces for permanent residents.

Summer 2013 was the first time the new beach shuttle and parking policy was in place and the service will continue next year as well.

In order to keep the success of this initiative growing, a focus will be put on better communication of the transportation options available to beachgoers in Noordwijk through creating a strong online presence.

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Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER projects

Developing micro-connections in West-Balaton The West-Balaton region of Hungary not only includes the largest lake in Central Europe, it also features thermal baths, vineyards and national parks. The only problem with the area is that it is too popular; or rather transportation could be better developed to serve the 3.2 million tourists who visit each year.

Article written by Botond Aba, KTI

STARTER partners BME and KTI are developing a Local Travel Plan Network (LTPN) that focuses on connecting the micro-regions within West-Balaton in order to ease the traffic congestion. This approach will include two main initiatives.

First, an online tourism portal is being developed for cyclists in the town of Zalakaros and the KisBalaton National Wetland Park. Municipalities, hotels and others involved in the tourism industry have already joined the project. The portal acts as a tour guide and is free. Visitors may also access the portal by stopping at participating hotels, tourism offices and municipalities. An application for mobile devices is currently being developed. The ultimate goal of the project will be to include guides for the entire region, including Keszthely – the capital of West-Balaton – and Heviz – the biggest healing thermal lake in Europe.

The second initiative being developed through the West-Balaton LTPN is the reorganization of the area’s public transportation to better serve destination-oriented traffic. A special focus on integrating timetables between long-distance rail transportation and local transportation is part of these efforts.

The final goal is to harmonize long-distance and local public transportation with Park and Ride and Bike and Ride services.

These efforts will not only benefit the tourists visiting the region but will also increase livability for residents of West Balaton.

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Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER projects

Article written by Elsie Hellström, Bohuslän

Last actions in Bohuslän: Public transport concept stop Within the SEEMORE-project and in cooperation with the Region of Västra Götaland (Sweden), two so-called concept public transport stops have been designed.

The design was made by the students Pernilla Rimmerfors, Daniel Burgos-Nystrom and Maria Björnäs (final year students from the School of Art and Design in Gothenburg). They were first prize winners of an idea competition with the aim to increase sustainable travelling.

The bus stops have been equipped with wind chimes, information about nearby destinations, facts and questions about the surroundings, a kaleidoscope and a parlor game. Together, these items turn the waiting time for a bus into a delightful experience. The

travelers can participate in an online quiz by scanning a QR-code with their smartphones.

Visitors highly appreciate what the new bus stops have, especially the section with information about travel options to nearby tourist destinations. Four articles were published in local newspapers and many people have taken part in the quiz. The regional public transport authority is planning to extend the information about travelling options to more bus stops.

Results in other SEEMORE regions Mallorca (Spain) The public transport authority, CTM, transformed the bus line that runs between the beach resorts of CalviĂ and the city of Palma. A change in the route has resulted in a reduction of 20 minutes in travel time to reach the historic capital of Mallorca. The users appreciate the improvements. Over the summer of 2013, CTM measured a 13% increase in passengers on the corridor.

Madeira (Portugal) The public transport company Horarios do Funchal, has prepared a free audio-guide for smartphones. The passengers of a selected public transport line can enjoy touristic information via their headset while travelling by bus on the island. The service was launched in October 2013, in time for the start of the high tourist season on Madeira.

Dobrich (Bulgaria) The SEEMORE mobility packages with integrated mobility and tourist information are very popular among the tourists in Dobrich. 2.500 physical copies were distributed through the reception desks of 50 hotels. The package is also available for download from the official websites of the district and the four municipalities. First evaluation results show the impact of the integrated SEEMORE approach with more tourists opting for slow modes and public transport.

Choczewo (Poland) The Bed and Bike website provides information about bicycle friendly hotels with the option to book rooms and obtain tourist information. 67 accommodations from Choczewo have been included in the website. By participating in the initiative, the hotels commit to collecting evaluation data from their guests.

Malta SEEMORE project in Malta established connections with Air Malta (around 1.7 million passengers) and with Virtu Ferries (connecting Malta with Sicily). As a result, an article has been published in the Air Malta inflight magazine during the month of August. Virtu Ferries disseminated a large amount of SEEMORE postcards on board their ferries, as well as useful information related to cycling.

ForlĂ­-Cesena (Italy) The Province worked on the preparations of an integrated sustainable mobility information package for visitors. The package will include information on public transport, cycling routes, urban mobility, parking areas, pedestrian areas and routes, guided tours, e-mobility and bicycle rental. There will also be an overview of leisure activities with tips on how to reach them.

Article written by Maarten van Bemmelen, CINESI

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Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER projects

Results in other STARTER regions Article written by Liesbeth van Alphen, MOBYCON

Kos (Greece) The first measure implemented in Kos is an online portal for tourists promoting the use of bikes and the public transport network. A dedicated routing service has been developed for this purpose. Apart from this service, the portal is a complete tourist guide providing information for major poles of attraction, shopping and ticketing information and more.

The portal is also available for mobile devices.

Fuerteventura (Spain) The Local Travel Plan Network has been established in Fuerteventura and the first measure has been implemented. It consists of the creation of a new touristic product: The Salt Route by bike, which combines the

enhancement of the local heritage (Salt works and Museum in Las Salinas) and the promotion of soft mobility (bike lane between Caleta de Fuste and Las Salinas).

Werfenweng (Austria) Based on decisions made by the Local Travel Plan Network, Werfenweng is improving its communication of the “soft mobility” offers.

The communication agency “Stockwerk 2” has won the tender and is already working on the new communication strategy. This will include branding of and information on the shuttle service (operated with an exclusive electricpowered bus since the summer of 2013) and the e-vehicle fleet, which was extended by six e-cars this summer.

Future Actions – A sneak preview into our winter/spring 2013-2014 activities!

After the implementation of measures at all sites during the summer of 2013, it is now time to look back and evaluate. Both project teams are in the process of analysing the different implementations and the reactions of local stakeholders and tourists. The lessons learned from the evaluations will be used to prepare for the second phase of the project.

By the upcoming touristic season, the sites will improve the current measures and implement new ones to offer more attractive sustainable mobility options to tourists.

The members of the STARTER Local Travel Plan Networks will focus on finding new members. By doing this, they aim to increase the impact and sustainability of their network. The SEEMORE sites are organising national transfer seminars to share their experiences with other touristic regions from their country.

The next newsletter will bring you more details on the results of the first round of implementations, and insight in the specific activities for the summer of 2014! We already look forward to this!

Article written by Maarten van Bemmelen, CINESI, and Liesbeth van Alphen, MOBYCON

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Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER project

Photo competitions in SEEMORE Picture: Guillem Febrer.

Participant in Mallorca’s Photo Competition

The SEEMORE regions have organised photo competitions to raise awareness about sustainable transport options. The project partners of Mallorca, Malta, Bohuslan and Limassol announced their respective

Picture: Kenneth Johansson Winning picture in Bohuslän

competitions via Facebook and postcards during summer 2013. Dobrich and Madeira have recently launched their competitions as well.

Picture: Koulla Pazourou Winning picture in Limassol

Interview with Vincent van Roomen, winner of the Maltese photo competition What is your name and where are you from?

I am Vincent van Roomen and I come from the Netherlands.

What did you like most when visiting Malta?

Swimming in Golden Bay, with high waves.

How did you travel around on Malta?

My grandmother lives in Mellieha, so when we went to the supermarket, we used her car. When we went to Valletta, Sliema and Gozo, we used the bus, which was very cheap and comfortable.

Did you find it easy to find information about public transport on Malta?

Yes, my family bought a map with all the bus lines, so we had a good overview of all the buses in Malta.

Do you have recommendations on how to improve information for tourists on public transport?

I think that a real good way to promote public transport is to emphasize on how cheap the bus tickets are. Because in Holland bus tickets cost more than twice as much!

Winning picture in Malta’s photo competition

Article written by Lili Vasileva, Local Council’s Association of Malta

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Tourism and Mobility The joint e-newsletter of the SEEMORE and the STARTER project

Sharing our experiences!

If you would like to stay informed about the two projects, send us comments follow us or join our discussions on LinkedIn and Facebook!

SEEMORE & STARTER set up a group called “Tourism and Mobility” on LinkedIn for professionals. Join this group to participate in discussions, to network with others working in this field or to pose questions to our project team members!

The SEEMORE & STARTER Facebook account informs you about the regional achievements and the most recent developments in the two projects.

Upcoming events - National transfer seminars in the SEEMORE regions (please check the website for the dates) - Fifth SEEMORE Project Meeting in Forlì-Cesena, 3 - 4 April 2014.

- Fifth STARTER Project Meeting in West-Balaton, 7 - 8 April 2014.

www.starter-project.eu

Project Coordinator Mobycon Ronald Jorna r.jorna@mobycon.nl

www.seemore-project.eu

Project Coordinator CINESI Maarten van Bemmelen mvanbemmelen@cinesi.es

The STARTER project aims to promote energy efficient and sustain-able mobility policies and practices in touristic areas, through the cooperation of local parties in Local Travel Plan Networks.

SEEMORE shows that regional actors in 8 European coastal tourist regions are able to change the travel behaviour of visitors within their regions towards more sustainable transport modes.

The sole responsibility for the content of this newsletter lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EACI nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The SEEMORE and the STARTER project are co-funded by Intelligent Energy Europe.