Duration

October 2009 – October 2010

Area

Municipality of Dimitrovgrad, Republic of Serbia, Municipality of Tran, Republic of Bulgaria

Implementation

Nature Society “Natura Balkanika”, Dimitrovgrad, Republic of Serbia
Foundation “Dr. Stamen Grigorov”, Tran, Republic of Bulgaria

Objectives

The overall objective is to create conditions for strengthening the cultural and social relations between two cross-border communities: Dimitrovgrad and Tran, which are seen as main preposition for further establishment of long-term and sustainable partnership between them.
The specific objectives are:

• Setting up the routes with tourist places near the Serbian-Bulgarian border in the municipalities of Dimitrovgrad and Tran and improving their current rural tourism offer.
• Reviving the typical regional crafts and including them into the tourist offer of the region.
• Creating a model for development of cultural tourism in this cross-border region and transferring this model to other cross-border areas.
• Providing and sharing practical experience gained during realization of the actions.
• Involving as much as possible the target groups and beneficiaries into the project’s activities.

Target groups

• Local inhabitants from the municipalities of Tran and Dimitrovgrad
• Local authorities
• Local and regional tourist agencies
• Local NGOs
• Local entrepreneurs
• Local schools and cultural organizations
• Local and regional media 

Beneficiaries

All mentioned target groups are also beneficiaries of the project results. The beneficiaries might be complemented with: the people and servants working in the sphere of services, not only the tourism, all outside guests of the region and the entire population from the other border regions. 

Outputs

• Integration and friendship between the local communities living in cross-border region of the municipalities of Dimitrovgrad and Tran will be strengthened.
• All important routes with tourist places in the municipalities of Dimitrovgrad and Tran and specific theme-oriented tourist routes will be defined and the Regional Map of the mentioned roads will be prepared and printed in three languages. Up to 20 defined exemplary destinations from the Regional Map will be marked with the information board in the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad.
• One Regional Tourist Guide will be prepared and printed in three languages.
• A review of established objects for rural tourism in the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad will be made and their owners and other people will be trained for local, regional and mountain trekking guides.
• One premise with three equipped workshops will be established in the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad. One demonstration program for short time trainings in the typical regional crafts will be developed and realized in it.
• Four documentary-educational films about the crafts typical of the Dimitrovgrad and Tran region and one about this project will be made.
• One ethnographic study of the local handicrafts, their motives and techniques which are typical for the region will be prepared.
• The Regional Fair of Balkan Agro-biodiversity and Rural Heritage in Dimitrovgrad which include presentation of the typical regional crafts will be organized.
• An advertising booklet about the typical regional crafts will be prepared and printed in three languages.
• The Multi Art Plenary in Village of Busintsi will be realised and presented on both sides of the border.
• A model for development of cultural tourism in the cross-border territory and an action plan for its realization will be made.
• The web site of the project will be established and updated on regular basis during the project realization. All projects activities will be presented through different media from local to national level.