ATHENS — New future tourist attractions are being planned by the municipality of Skopelos, according to an announcement on Thursday, with the Greek island aiming to open up new hiking and cycling routes.

Due to be completed in the first half of 2021 is a study for marking out and improving roughly 100 km of footpaths on the island. The new hiking routes will traverse large sections of the island and link villages, monasteries, beauty spots, churches, rural landscapes, forests and coastal paths in protected NATURA 2000 areas, taking in both popular locations and well-hidden secrets.

As an island that also boasts a rugged mountainous terrain, Skopelos makes an ideal destination for mountain bike riding, for which the island's authorities have commissioned a second study, due to be completed in the near future, to design and create four entirely new mountain biking routes. The aim is to ensure accessibility for all age groups and levels, so that families, groups and people with little or no experience can enjoy mountain biking in the beautiful terrain of Skopelos, which combines every degree of difficulty.

A third action will be the mapping of all cycling routes, with specialised photography and map display using a special format, while also setting up a group in the popular cycling app Strava.