The Oder-Spree Lake District was one of the first regions in Germany to be certified as a cycling holiday region by the ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad Club). The award ceremony took place at the ITB. Ten routes with a total length of 490 kilometres were assessed by the ADFC. The ADFC honoured, among other things, the good signposting, excellent accommodation and cyclist-friendly services, guided tours and attractive maps.
Rainer Schinkel, Councillor and Head of the Economic Office, explains:
"The certification is a great success for the tourism industry in the Oder-Spree Lakeland. It is recognition of the efforts in the region and also in our district to create an attractive cycle path network for tourist use and also for the service providers, whose offers contribute to cyclists feeling that they are in good hands. We focus on quality and have ourselves regularly certified, ultimately also in order to recognise weak points and eliminate them. The ADFC's RadReiseRegion award is not based solely on the quality of our cycle routes and their signposting. In addition to the ten regional cycle routes with criteria such as safety, attractiveness, the condition of the route and signposting, tourist services such as catering, accommodation and services along the route are also assessed. The marketing of the offers and the topic of mobility also play a role. The district contributes to the planning and design of the cycle paths and ultimately also to their maintenance and is guided by the criteria of the ADFC. In the last 10 years, more than 15 million euros have been invested in the development and signposting of tourist cycle paths in the district. The district has taken over the maintenance of the supra-local tourist cycle paths outside of villages on behalf of the municipalities.
It is important to maintain our well-developed cycle path network. The cycle tourism infrastructure is particularly suited to making the beauty and attractions of the region's landscape accessible thanks to its closeness to nature and environmental compatibility. As a study presented at the ITB shows, this plays a key role for Berlin's day trippers when travelling to the surrounding area. The fact that we are on the right track is proven by the many positive responses, which show how we can score points with interesting offers, even in direct competition with many other regions. This year, we want to draw attention to the Oderbruchbahn cycle path with its many fruit trees along the way. It's a great experience in spring when the trees are in bloom, as well as in other seasons and in autumn when the fruit is ripening."
You can find current offers in the region on the website of the Seenland-Oder-Spree tourism association: www.seenland-os.de
Seelow, 10 March 2015