2.3. Increasing networking for development of sustainable tourism through cross-border cooperation initiatives

The project objective is to promote the common actions for development of sustainable tourism through reducing “Brain drain” and preventing the migration of young and skilled people in the cross-border region by acquiring new knowledge and skills.

Within the framework of the project, a joint cross-border club "YOUTH TOUR" is planned to be established in the two partner schools from Burgas, Bulgaria and Uzunkopru, Turkey. The members of the club will analyse and create a database of touristic objects from the region - historical monuments, places for accommodation and leisure, etc. They will popularize the club in the social media and will make survey for rating the most attractive touristic objects from the cross-border region.

An innovative platform YOUTH TOUR will be created. The platform will provide detailed information in various areas connected to tourism education, opportunities for young people and cross-border promotion. An event will be organized - a tourist online marketing conference (Camp), which will show the newest information on online tourism in an interesting way for young people. A photo exhibition is planned in Burgas, where students will take their memories from practical trainings in pictures and use them for joint cross-border photo exhibition named "Memories from our homelands".

A tourism fair for youth tourism will be organized by the Turkish partner. The exhibition will show the unique beauties of the cross-border region as well as its tourism potential as a base for development of sustainable tourism.

The results of the project are mainly social and economic - students getting to know more about their homeland and their neighbours from the other side of the border and raising awareness of the attractiveness of the cross-border region. The implementation of the project will contribute to attracting new tourists and presenting new opportunities for learning and training for young people oriented to the demands of the labour market in the cross-border region.

Project status: Finished

The project brought attention to a problem that requires cross-border cooperation from all stakeholders. Tourism is one of the world's largest employers and yet many communities are unsure of the benefits of tourism. The economic benefits are often the easiest to measure and the most effective, however the social and environmental benefits of tourism including protection of natural and cultural assets, support local events and cultural practices. The creation of joint cross-border club YOUTH TOUR in both schools was an innovative idea to make a practical research in the CB area including Burgas and Edirne and get to know important and famous tourist landmarks. These clubs had a series of lectures and visits in the CB region that had been a practical experience both in theory and in practice by trying to be tourist guides.

The project partners had worked together.  Students got to know more about their homeland and the CB region in general. The project partners had worked together on different initiatives Both partners had planned and implemented together each of the project activities. The project included joint staffing and joint management. Students from both schools were among the target groups in other projects. The joint work in the past had led to very good partnership and this is the reason why both partners wanted to continue their fruitful relations. The present project is a result of this cooperation, It had been developed jointly. Through the project the students had learned more about the cross-border region and practiced their language skills, but they also found new friends and partners and exchanged their experience. The main objectives of the project were to encounter youngsters by workshops. The exchange of ideas (brainstorming), the use of a variety of techniques to improve innovative thinking processes and web based activities, we aimed to inspire participants to think innovatively, rather than be dependent on the "status quo". The aim of this youth exchange is to directly address this issue with a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. The barcamp in Edirne had shown in innovative and interesting way for the young people the latest information about the use of online tourism marketing and tools as photos, videos, blogs, articles, social media, etc.

All responsibilities and activities had been clearly split between the partners. The project had brought another benefit - it created a sense of respect and pride in the national and cross-border heritages. The platform had been possible due to the existing database for cross-border objects gathered by the students - members of the club YOUTH TOUR.  Once the platform YOUTH TOUR was ready and operational, the members of the club from both sides of the border started filling it will content. In order to get to know more about the cross-border region and to provide additional interesting information about the platform, partners had organised practical trainings in the cross-border region -  YOUTH TOUR. All the photos and the visited landmarks were uploaded in the facebook page as well as on the site of the project.

The project partners have implemented the activities according to the schedule.

Project website:

http://youthtour.eu/

Social media presence of the project:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gpaeburgas.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TourYouth

Materials from the project:

Promotional materials elaborated under the project are available HERE.

Project leaflet (Turkish version) is available HERE.

Project products:

The Project logo is available HERE.

Presentations and lectures of the Youth club’s meetings in Burgas are available HERE.

Presentations of the Youth club’s meetings in Edirne are available HERE.

Presentations from the BARCAMP held in Uzunkopru on 19 March 2018 are available HERE.

Video recording link of the online marketing barcamp prepared is available HERE.

The project aims to create and develop effective cooperation in the field of tourism in the cross border region Topolovgrad - Pinarhisar for promotion of the cultural, the historical and the natural resources.

Project activities include organizing a series of events in the two municipalities - Topolovgrad and Pinarhisar aiming to attract visitor interest. The implementation of a threedays cross-border forum in Topolovgrad (Bulgaria) with the participation of local authorities, NGOs, cultural and educational institutions for establishing partnerships and initiatives in the tourism sector is envisaged. Within the event a tour of the tourist attractions of the municipality of Topolovgrad will be held. In Pinarhisar (Turkey) a training seminar aiming to increase the capacity for organizing tourist activities and for introducing innovative methods for promotion will be conducted. To present the existing cultural, historical and natural resources the elaboration of two photo lanes "The riches of the cross border region Topolovgrad - Pinarhisar" in the citycenters of both towns is planned. The photographs for the intallations will be taken during a two-month workshop with the participation of 24 young interested in photography. A "Festival of the honey and the treacle" in Pinarhisar and a "Festival of the bread and wine" in Topolovgrad will be held that will create innovative cultural products with potential for conversion into a sustainable tourist attraction for both border regions.

The project implementation will improve the awareness for the tourism resources andthe opportunities for their use, as well as increasing the capacity of local communities to participate in activities related to sustainable tourism development.

Project status: Finished

The project partners have implemented the activities according to the schedule.

In 2017-2018, the partners “St. Cyril and Methodius-1894“- Community Centre, Topolovgrad, Bulgaria and the Pinarhisar Municipality, Turkey, implemented the “Cross-border cooperation network in tourism Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar“ project, financed by the INTERREG program for cross-border cooperation Bulgaria-Turkey 2014-2020. The activities were interconnected, and their successful implementation was carried out with the participation of a wide range of representatives of institutions and organizations from both municipalities - Topolovgrad and Pinarhisar.

The work of the team was aimed at attracting additional tourist interest to the Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar region by presenting and exploring the historical and natural sites of the two territories. The primary approach to the implementation was also related to the creation of new attractive cultural events, namely through the organization of Festivals.

The project started with a Cross-border forum in Topolovgrad, where the representatives of local authorities, organizations, institutions, and citizens from both cities got to know each other and presented the tourist sites in the region, which have the potential to become tourist attractions.

"How to promote the potential of both municipalities to achieve Sustainable Tourism development" was the main topic of the Pinarhisar Training Workshop, thus increasing the capacity of a total of 44 representatives of the two municipalities to carry out tourist activities to attract new visitors to the region.

The Photo Lanes, with the participation of 24 young people, in the two cities attracted the interest of local citizens and visitors of Topolovgrad and Pinarhisar and included photos and texts of the most significant cultural and historical sites of both regions. This innovative initiative presented the richness of the cross-border Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar region and enriched the opportunities for attracting additional tourist and visitor's interest.

Within the framework of the project, two new cultural events were set up: the Festival of Honey and trickle in Pinarhisar and the Festival of Bread and Wine in Topolovgrad, which will become a tradition and will attract new visitors each year. Extremely attractive for the participants and the guests were the two expositions – of honey and local traditional foods in Pinarhisar and of bakery products, wine and local traditional foods in Topolovgrad, which were accompanied by the preparation of local dishes and tasting of the dishes from the two regions, and concerts with the participation of Bulgarian and Turkish artistic and creative formations, provoked true admiration. The Topolovgrad and Pinarhisar Festivals attracted more than 1200 spectators and participants who have certainly become good ambassadors for the culture of both communities. Both events were widely reported in the media of the two countries.

The “Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar cross-border co-operation network in tourism” project ended with an international conference with 60 representatives of NGOs, educational and cultural institutions, local authorities and local businesses in the tourism industry, media. As a culmination of the project, an Agreement between the Municipality of Topolovgrad and the Municipality of Pinarhisar for cooperation in the field of tourism was signed within the framework of the Conference. The main conclusions that emerged were related to the successful implementation of the project in the direction of acquaintance with the common heritage, the exchange of experience and good practices, and the motivation of the participants to implement common initiatives in tourism. The main conclusions that emerged were related to the successful implementation of the project for the acquaintance with the common heritage, the exchange of experience and good practices and the motivation of the participants to implement common initiatives in tourism. In support of the future cooperation of both partners from Topolovgrad and Pinarhisar, a Marketing Report has been developed and presented that includes specific guidelines and recommendations to local authorities and organizations for the development of sustainable tourism in the cross-border region.

In order to promote the project and the overall tourist potential, the Promotional Film “Cross-border region Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar - an incredible experience” was created, through which the potential visitors of the region can get acquainted with the activities in the project, with the unique resources of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the region, the Festival of Honey and Trickle in Pinarhisar and the Festival of Bread and Wine in Topolovgrad.

Project website:

www.topolovgrad-pinarhisar.com

Materials from the project:

The Promotional materials (branded folders, notepads, pens, invitations for the project events) elaborated by the project partners are available HERE.

The Project leaflets are available HERE.

Project products:

The project brochure is available HERE.

The Report “Analysis of the situation in tourism in the cross-border region of Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar” (English version) is available HERE.

The Marketing report “Attracting Tourists and Visitors to the cross-border Region” (English version) is available HERE.

The report “Presentation of the Legal Framework in the Field of Tourism in the Context of European and National legislation” in Bulgarian language is available HERE.

The promotional film "Cross-border region Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar - an incredible experience" was created is available at the following links: in Bulgarian language with subtitles in English: http://www.topolovgrad-pinarhisar.com/%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%be%d0%bc%d0%be%d1%86%d0%b8%d0%be%d0%bd%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%bd-%d1%84%d0%b8%d0%bb%d0%bc/ and at the YouTube channel of the programme https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=GEkP6Luc_iw&video_referrer=watch and in Turkish language with subtitles in English: http://www.topolovgrad-pinarhisar.com/tr/tanitim-filmi/ and at the YouTube channel of the programme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ORUfy5E8A&feature=youtu.be.  

The Presentation of the Project is available HERE.

The Presentation "A summary of the Marketing Report "Attracting Tourists and Visitors to the Trans-border Region Topolovgrad-Pinarhisar" is available HERE.

The Presentation "Using the resources of culture and turning them into tourist resources” is available HERE.

The Presentation “Innovative mechanisms for promoting the tourist resources of the CB region” is available HERE.

The Agreement signed between the Municipality of Topolovgrad and the Municipality of Pinarhisar for cooperation in the field of tourism is available HERE.