We present an economic impacts model based on direct expenditures for European cycle routes, originally designed in 2009 as part of a study commissioned by the European Parliament. At its request, the study was updated in 2012, including a refined version of our model which takes some limitations of the former model into account. Our main findings are that cycle tourists’ daily spending is comparable to that of other tourists, and that cycle tourism can contribute significantly in particular to rural economies that have not previously enjoyed mainstream tourism development. (European) cycle tourism thus proves to be useful as an (additional) tool for regional rural development. We arrived at a total estimated direct expenditures in Europe of almost €44 billion (€35 billion from day trips and €8.94 billion from overnight trips). We applied the model to the routes of EuroVelo, the European cycle route network which is currently being developed, showing their considerable economic potential of over €7 billion in direct expenditures. Furthermore, cycle tourism has a far lower negative impact on the environment (in terms of carbon dioxide emissions) than other forms of tourism. Cycle tourism is therefore a good example of a low carbon tourism product which could be developed as a major slow travel opportunity across (rural) Europe.
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Both connectivity and accessibility are important for regional development. Places and communities need to be connected in order to be part of the wider economy, and people need to have access to places, other communities and labour markets to fully participate in society. In contemporary society, not only physical connectivity and accessibility but also digital connectivity plays an important role in the economic and social potential of regions. The relationship between them is also an important issue. This report discusses and assesses the role of physical and digital connectivity in the socioeconomic development of rural regions. In particular, we discuss issues concerning digital connectivity and rural development in remote rural areas within the North Sea Region.
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Circular BIOmass CAScade to 100% North Sea Region (NSR) economic activity and growth are mostly found in urban areas. Rural NSR regions experience population decline and negative economic growth. The BIOCAS project expects revitalizing and greening of rural areas go hand in hand. BIOCAS will develop rural areas of the NSR into smart specialized regions for integrated and local valorization of biomass. 13 Commercial running Bio-Cascade-Alliances (BCA’s) will be piloted, evaluated and actively shared in the involved regions. These proven concepts will accelerate adoption of high to low value bio-cascading technologies and businesses in rural regions. The project connects 18 regional initiatives around technologies, processes, businesses for the conversion of biomass streams. The initiatives collaborate in a thematic approach: Through engineering, value chain assessments, BCA’s building, partners tackle challenges that are shared by rural areas. I.e. unsustainable biomass use, a mineral surplus and soil degradation, deprivation of potentially valuable resources, and limited involvement of regional businesses and SMEs in existing bio-economy developments. The 18 partners are strongly embedded in regional settings, connected to many local partners. They will align stakeholders in BCA’s that would not have cooperated without BIOCAS interventions. Triple helix, science, business and governmental input will realize inclusive lasting bio cascade businesses, transforming costly waste to resources and viable business.Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme: €378,520.00, fEC % 50.00%1/07/17 → 30/06/21
How can European migration, between countries and within countries between regions, contribute to the development of vulnerable regions in Europe? This is the central question of project Premium_EU (Policy REcommendations to Maximise the beneficial Impact of Unexplored Mobilities in and beyond the European Union), which is financed by Horizon Europe.The key goal of Premium_EU is the development of a Regional Policy Dashboard for national and regional policy makers to help them in the formulation of new policies aimed at the potential of migration to enhance the development of vulnerable regions. The Dashboard combines all available knowledge of three domains in three modules: the Mobility Module, the Regional Development Effects Module, and the Policy Module.The Mobility Module includes both past trends and projections and scenarios, in addition to new mobility estimates based on data from social media usage, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. The module also includes qualitative information from case studies on specific types of mobility groups, such as Polish seasonal workers, or Turkish migrants to EU countries. These trends, projections and case studies will be summarized in a regional typology on the basis of the mobility profile of the region.In the Regional Development Effects Module all available data on regional development is summarized in a regional development typology, where regional development is interpreted much broader than economic development. Using causal models the role of regional mobility in regional development will be established.In the Policy Module all possible forms of regional policies will be collected and linked to the mobility- and regional development characteristics of the region.The Dashboard integrates these modules so that a policy maker, on the basis of the unique mobility and regional development profile of his or her region is able to make an evidence based choice out of a relevant set of policy options. Users of the Dashboard will also be able to add their experiences to the Dashboard, so that other users can benefit from their knowledge.
It is predicted that 5 million rural jobs will have disappeared before 2016. These changes do notonly concern farmers. In their decline all food chain related SMEs will be affected severely. Newbusiness opportunities can be found in short food supply chains. However, they can onlysucceed if handled professionally and on a proper scale. This presents opportunities on 4interconnected strands:Collect market relevant regional dataDevelop innovative specialisation strategies for SMEsForge new forms of regional cooperation and partnership based on common benefits andshared values.Acquire specific skillsREFRAME takes up these challenges. In a living lab of 5 regional pilots, partners willdemonstrate the Regional Food Frame (RFF) as an effective set of measures to scale up andaccommodate urban food demands and regional supplies. New data will reveal the regions’ ownstrengths and resources to match food demand and supply. REFRAME provides a supportinfrastructure for food related SMEs to develop and implement their smart specializationstrategies in food chains on the urban-rural axis. On their way towards a RFF, all pilots will use a5-step road map. A transnational learning lab will be set up in support of skill development andtraining of all stakeholders. REFRAME pools the know-how needed to set up these Regional FoodFrames in a transnational network of experts, each closely linked and footed in its own pilotregion.
