Increasing the cross-border tourism potential between Haskovo and Edirne (CrossTour)

The main objective of the project is to support the promotion and development of tourism products by the crafts and antique business in the cross-border region between Haskovo and Edirne as a means of enhancing the tourist potential, for sustainable development and promotion of the cultural diversity and the historical heritage of the region.
Within the project the crafts & antique market in Bulgaria, European Union and Turkey, including innovation and development trends, through the focus of the tourist product and to apply the lessons learned at the local level, will be explored. Marketing researches will be carried out to promote the craft and antique business in the region. 30 craftsmen and artisans from Haskovo and Edirne will be trained on modern methods of presentation, marketing, sales, publicity, online presence, etc.
As a result of the implementation of the project, the basis for future actions and needs assessment of the local craftsmen, artisans and antique shop owners and good practices in crafts and antique markets in Bulgaria, the European Union and Turkey will be presented.

Project status: Completed

The main objective of project CrossTour was to support the promotion and development of tourist-cantered products by the crafts and antique business in the cross-border region between Bulgaria and Turkey as means of enhancing the local tourist potential, for sustainable development and promotion of the cultural diversity and the historical heritage of the region.

Based on common challenges in both countries, the project activities were designed in 3 main directions: 1) to conduct a study of good practices in the crafts and antique markets and undertake a needs analysis of the craftsmen/antique businesses on both sides of the border, 2) to provide specific trainings to representatives of the project’s target groups (craftsmen and antique shop owners) in order to improve their capacity to develop sustainable businesses, and 3) to promote the products and services of the local craftsmen and artisans.

The Study of the good practices was conducted in parallel in Bulgaria and Turkey by applying a common methodology, aiming to identify and present applicable and verified ideas on how to successfully integrate crafts and antique markets in the regional and local tourism offer. Based on this, a large number of practices from the EU, Bulgaria and Turkey were presented in the respective reports. Additionally, a survey on the specific training needs of the project’s target groups was conducted. The results showed clearly that the local stakeholders both in Bulgaria and in Turkey need to significantly improve their knowledge on the different aspects of making a successful business.  

The Training of craftsmen and artisans from Bulgaria and Turkey was designed according to the analysis of training needs. Each project partner conducted a 5-day training (16 participants in Bulgaria and 15 in Turkey) applying a specialised methodology for the training of adults. Highly-qualified trainers with proven practical experience were engaged in the delivery of the different modules that covered various topics, such as marketing, sales, advertising and public relations, legal aspects of the business, protection of intellectual property rights, etc. After the completion of the training, all participants shared their positive feedback on the contents of the materials as well as on their presentation, confirming once again the necessity of implementing such activities in the future.

In September 2020, each partner conducted, respectively in Haskovo and Edirne a 2-day Crafts Fair, aimed at promoting the local craftsmen and their work to the wider public. 20 craftsmen from Bulgaria and 20 from Turkey presented their products and services, talent and workmanship to a large number of visitors, both locals and tourists from the country and abroad. Both events were largely publicised in the local media before, during and after their implementation. Professional videos and high-quality photos were produced as a means of future promotional material for enhancing the popularity of local crafts.

At the final stage of the project, in October 2020, two Conferences on the future of crafts and antique business in the CBC region were organised – one in Haskovo and one in Edirne. Highly-qualified speakers were engaged to present key topics related to both sectors. District and municipal representatives, local businesses, museums, business support organizations and others took part in the events, where they had the opportunity to interact and discuss different issues with the representatives of the project’s target groups.

As a result of the implementation of CrossTour project, the two partners established effective cooperation that secured smooth management of the project implementation since its very begging. This was the basis for the successful and timely completion of the activities. All project outputs were largely promoted in the local media, amongst the target groups and other local stakeholders. Finally, new ideas for common actions and future projects are already under discussion between the two partnering organisations.