Partners:

Association “Na focus”, Republic of Bulgaria

Municipality of Karbintsi, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Territorial scope of the project:
Republic of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad District
Republic of Macedonia, East Plan region

Contract term – 12 months

Implementation period: 14.06.2013 – 13.06.2014

Total budget: €99,995.53 for both countries

General objectives of the project

• To encourage the development of cross-border cultural tourism products and diversification of existing cross-border tourist services in the municipalities of Strumyani and Karbintsi.
• To stimulate the balanced development of peripheral economic zones in Bulgaria and Macedonia and to promote cultural tourism as a revenue sector for generating income in the economies.

Specific objectives:

• To study the existing historical, cultural and anthropogenic resources in the municipalities of Strumyani and Karbintsi and to evaluate their potential for creating new cultural tourism products;
  To develop a joint cross-border cultural tourism product based on the available resources of the municipalities of Strumyani and Karbintsi;
• To develop models for the management of the most important cultural sites on the territory of the Strumyani and Karbintsi municipalities in a sustainable manner;
• To strengthen the capacity of border municipalities and other interested parties to implement models for revitalizing and preserving cultural heritage, promoting cultural sites and turning them into tourist sites.

Main target groups:

• Specialists from the Regional Museum of Shtip and the museums of Strumyani and Blagoevgrad
• Specialists from the municipal administrations of Strumyani and Karbintsi
• Representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises related to tourism, tour operators and agencies working in the target region and participating in the implementation of the project
• Representatives of local development agencies and associations and organizations
• Representatives of local and national media
  The local population of Strumyani and Karbintsi municipality
• Tourists directed and visited sites in Strumyani and Karbintsi municipalities annually.

Within the framework of the project, the implementation of the following activities is foreseen:

Activity 1: Cabinet Study.

Activity 2 and 3: Field surveys on the territory of Strumyani and Karbintsi municipalities

Activity 4: GPS mapping

Activity 5: Digital photography

Activity 6: Processing data and preparing a report

Activity 7: Create two management models

Activity 8: Creation of a common cross-border cultural tourism route

Activity 9: Advertising campaign

Activity 10: Organizing and holding a round table and workshop

Activity 11 and 12: Joint project management

Expected results

• Increasing the attractiveness of the region based on the protection of natural resources and cultural heritage
• Increased general cultural capital

Specific result indicators:

• Mapped and studied at least 25 tourist sites in the two municipalities
• Developed two models for managing the most significant objects on the territory of the two municipalities in a sustainable way
• A joint cross-border cultural-tourist route has been developed
• Increased capacity of local municipalities and stakeholders in the tourism sector to implement models for the revitalization and preservation of cultural heritage

Events

• Round table in Strumyani
• Seminar in Karbintsi
• Closing conference