Business Cooperation and Skills Improvement for the Development of Outdoor Tourism - Jan 2011 – July 2012
In accordance with new trends in tourism, the Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives in cooperation with the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service - HMRS, NGO The Sun and UNDP Montenegro is moving into the project implementation of business cooperation and promotion of skills for the development of outdoor tourism for a period of 18 months.
This project will seek to establish cooperation between all relevant actors in order to act together and make interventions in the field of tourism, environment, protection of natural and cultural heritage, community development and to improve capacities of stakeholders and partners. Its goal is to contribute to sustainable economic development through cooperative action in the form of cross-border region of Croatia and Montenegro. It is expected that through the joint planning and business cooperation in the tourism sector to have an increase of knowledge, infrastructure and technical capacity of tourist destinations, which will allow travel agents to operate more efficiently for an improved tourism in the region.
On both sides of the border there is a need to provide training services related to caving. In addition, this area has potential for hiking, biking, sea kayaking but must emphasize the need to improve guide services in this sector, not only in quality but also the security that is needed for the sustainability of these activities. In accordance with the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and Montenegro will receive 20 trained and certified providers of safety as well as necessary equipment. This will significantly improve the safety of tourists. In addition, 25 certified guides will be trained through Capacity Building Program by improving skills for hiking, biking, sea kayaking and caving guides together with environmental/biodiversity skills.
The planned activities are including the creation of cross-border tourism cluster of minimum 20 stakeholders which will include analysis of a group of actors from both sides of the border and establish cooperation and organization of joint meetings with selected tourism businesses, rescue services and clubs in the open. The next thing will be building capacity services for guides and safety, followed up with improving tourism infrastructure, as well as the preparation and publication of a joint road maps and brochures, website development and organization of promotional events in support of the cross-border region.
The success of this project is based on good cooperation between all actors involved in the project: local tourism organisations (LTOs), tour operators, rescue services and environmental protection services and tourism NGOs, which will contribute to the development of partnership and explore the models for future cooperation.
This project is funded by the European Union contributing 84.09% of the total, 14.48% from UNDP Monetengro and 1.43% from the Ministry of Tourism in Montenegro, and will be managed by the Delegation of the European Union in Montenegro and implemented by CSTI.