Four tourist routes for cycling, running, hiking launched in southern Moldova

Chisinau, 15 April /MOLDPRES/ - Tens of historical sites, original natural landscapes, authentic traditions and gastronomic culture from southern Moldova have been connected in four tourist routes with a total distance of 173 km.     

Each of the four routes provides representative landscapes for this region: small islands of woods, lawns and pastures, wide fields and arid steppes specific for the southern region. These itineraries were created and launched by the National Association of Inbound Tourism of Moldova (ANTRIM), with the support of the Activity of Support of Competitiveness in the Light Industry and the one of Tourism (MCTA), a project EDGE Buy-in, financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

„The support of the tourist sector creates jobs in rural regions, especially for women, and stimulates the regional development and the entrepreneurship. Also, USAID supports 20 rural pensions to increase their capacities of accommodation and diversify the tourist product, thus helping it extend the duration of the tourists’ stay at the boarding house and increase their collections of revenues.  This support helps consolidate the tourism in Moldova, on this difficult period for the sector and is meant to enhance the capacity of long-term resilience of rural boarding houses to diverse economic perturbations,’’ the director of the USAID Moldova Mission, Scott Hocklander, said.       

Each route has a length of about 40 km and can be covered either by bicycle or by foot from any point at tourist’s will. The cycling routes are well-marked, with ecologically safe signs. At the same time, with the help of QR codes, maps are able to be downloaded in digital format on the portal www.moldova.travel. On this portal, one may find recommendations about the resort places, accommodation, recreation, activities in nature, events of interest for tourists. The itineraries are mostly on national roads, but there are also segments on country roads or roads passing through woods.     

“The National Association of Inbound Tourism of Moldova develops the local tourist products, having a comprehensive vision and tackling all aspects necessary for them to enjoy interest on behalf of guests: development of aptitudes, promotion, creation of quality content and communication. The investment made by the project in marking of 173 km of route, as well as the digitization of maps stood at 40,000 dollars,’’ the ANTRIM executive director, Natalia Turcanu, said.   

Photo: kalotaszeg-davincze.ro