Good Practice - Project
Guttland.Trails - Short, quality trails in the Guttland Region
An interregional cooperation project enhances a range of slow tourism activities.
General information
RDP Priority
- P6. Social inclusion and local development
RDP Focus Area
- 6B: Local development
RDP Measure
- M19: LEADER/CLLD
Beneficiary type
- Local Action Group
Summary
The Guttland region extends northwest of Luxembourg’s capital. Although the area features a diverse network of hiking trails with varying difficulty levels, an absence of professional marketing support and some distinct maintenance challenges had led to a lack of high-quality slow tourism offerings. The two LEADER regions Atert-Wark and Lëtzebuerg West implemented an interterritorial cooperation project to create a new, high-quality visitor offer in the ‘half-day circular tours’ niche that would complement the region’s tourism portfolio. They also developed the new trail certification, which was introduced and tested during the project.
Results
- Developed the new ’Guttland.Trails’ label and allocated it to eight short circular walking trails.
- Developed the new ‘Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe, Daywalk’ certification, which two Guttland.Trails have received.
Promoter
ORT Guttland asbl
Funding
RDP support: 197 620 (EUR)
EAFRD: 118 572 (EUR)
National/Regional: 79 048 (EUR)
Resources
Links
Context
The Guttland.Trails project was implemented in the Guttland region, which extends from the capital of Luxembourg towards the north-west. It is a cooperation project between the two LEADER regions Atert-Wark and Lëtzebuerg West. ‘Guttland’ is Luxembourgish for ‘good land’, referring to the region’s high-quality soil for agriculture. It is composed of a smooth cuesta landscape, resulting in many varied terrains that provide great potential for nature-bound tourism activities. Despite this, the Guttland region was not well known among tourists for its hiking trails. Although many trails were signposted by municipalities, they were not well maintained. Visitor wayfinding and visit planning guidance could be improved, and marketing was close to non-existent, as no actor felt responsible.
The quality of the hiking trail network was not sufficient to satisfy the needs of inhabitants and tourists seeking leisure activities, which was a real weakness, given that the region specialised in slow tourism. Between 2016 and 2018, the LEADER project ‘WestTrails’ analysed existing hiking paths and enabled local stakeholders to gain experience from good practice projects in Europe. This prepared the ground for the Guttland.Trails project, which, since 2018, has been working on creating a new outdoor tourism offer to complement the region’s portfolio of activities in the field of slow tourism. The key criteria for this were that the new offer had to capitalise on the unique regional landscape while certifying the selected trails with a label.
Objectives
The aims of this project were to enhance outdoor tourism in the region and establish an umbrella brand under which all trails are labelled and jointly marketed. Additionally, it sought to develop a new regional network with clearly defined responsibilities among stakeholders.
Activities
Project activities included:
- revising the region’s hiking trail network.
- developing the “Guttland.Trails” brand.
- promoting the region’s hiking trails.
- organising the official opening ceremony of the ‘Guttland.Trails’.
- developing the quality label for short hiking routes ‘Leading Quality Trails-Best of Europe – Day Walk’ in cooperation with the European Ramblers Association (ERA) which oversaw the certification, ensuring that trails meet strict criteria for quality, waymarking, and sustainability. The German Hiking Association (DWV), the national hiking authority of Germany, helped implement these standards.
- creating new hiking trails and revising the existing short hiking trails according to the criteria of the quality label.
Main results
- Eight short circular walking trails were labelled as ‘Guttland.Trails’, providing opportunities for ramblers to slow down and connect with nature.
- The project developed the new ‘Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe, Daywalk’ label, leading to the certification of two Guttland.Trails. The trails ‘Siwe Brécke-Wee’ and ‘Fuussepad’ received the new certification.
- Through the co-funding of a project coordinator, LEADER facilitated the successful implementation of a bottom-up idea, valorising the regional hiking paths in an innovative way. Trails from the Guttland region that are located outside the LEADER territory were also incorporated, illustrating how the programme can bring benefits for non-LEADER municipalities.
Key lessons
- Due to the high share of tarmac roads necessary for agricultural activities, the region was ineligible for ERA’s ‘Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe’ label. In addition, neighbouring regions have certified trails of this type, so there was a risk of entering into competition with them for tourists. It was therefore decided that the project would focus on strengthening the regional profile in short, but high-quality half-day tours.
- The Guttland.Trails project illustrates one of the key advantages of LEADER. LEADER facilitated the successful cooperation of a broad range of partners and built a network, acting in concert to develop a high-quality offer in the niche of short circular paths. The regional approach allowed the partners to ‘bundle together’ competences and resources, generating impacts beyond the LEADER regions. Project stakeholders experienced a steep learning curve in participatory methods and will be able to apply and share this knowledge in future.
The Guttland.Trails gathers the most beautiful trails and offers a carefully selected range of hiking experiences. These hiking trails lead you through the idyllic nature of the region, not only showcasing the beauty of the landscape but also inviting you to take a breath and unwind.
Isabelle Hermes