PROJECT DETAILS

Krusevo and Elbasan, as CB areas’ destinations, with a combined offer for tourists, such as the environment, valuable nature, protracted history and culture, active / adventure tourism potentials (paragliding, active sports, hiking, mount-baking, water sports), and many more, have firmly decided to go world top-level as touristic destinations. With the particular attention to creating new business opportunities for the wider region’s urban and rural areas, the project is adding to the project objectives and outputs by diversification of the tourism offerings and tourism marketing promotion. With the setting of the proposed infrastructure improvements for active tourism, the planned joint strategic actions for developing and promoting one CB tourism package, the unique set of capacity-building measures, as well as actions for strengthening the cross border stakeholder cooperation, the project opens new economic opportunities for the urban/rural communities. That is why the Overall project objective is focused on long-term stable and sustainable tourism growth that achieves a balance between environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism to guarantee long-term benefits to both communities and the countries as the CB areas. The more precise project works on ensuring active/cultural tourists and other visitors, proper access to already developed modern paragliding centres, air quality and wind measuring stations, appropriate tourism info centres, accompanied with diverse soft space offerings, approaching site and additional facilities, properly arranged hiking trail and urban – downhill biking trail, Led lighting but as well as a table/map signposting for pointing out specific tourism-related areas/sites to be visited. All this will be developed appropriately as modern and safe infrastructure, spaces and facilities, constructed to a condition according to the necessary standards and entirely meet the visitor expectations for further implementation and sustainable development of the action. (SO1) The project also works to attract tourists from the CB region and worldwide and increase traveller arrivals in both places, increasing tourists’ length of stay and spending. Besides supporting the active/culture tourism potentials, the project wants to give to the tourists’ one strategic touristic approach and one integrated CB touristic package to promote all tourism potentials that both places can surely give. This means tackling all tourists’ senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. The cohesive project approach means that it will also build human resources capacities to give more appropriate and delighting services to the tourists. There is a need to build capabilities of existing/potential tourist animators/guides and rescue service members to attract new ones to go through the certification program later. Also, to develop and implement comprehensive (ASP) and training set of actions for the tourism-related SMEs, (tourism/hospitality service providers) for increasing their management/business knowledge for innovative tourism offers, initiatives for diversification of tourism offer, increasing services’ standards, and online marketing/promotional skills. The project also secures CB strategic actions and exchange experiences to convey all practices regarding CB touristic actions that are at the beginning or need to be renewed or further developed. So project secures an: Integrated touristic promotion and offers ready competitive tourism and hospitality services within CB area Krusevo-Elbasan-Funar, for attracting higher visitors numbers (domestic / foreign) that are satisfied and are further sharing their positive experiences among their friends and relatives. (SO2)