SafeWinterAdventures

The Action is designed to further promote socio-economic development of the wider Ohrid-Prespa cross border region through sustainable tourism development, with particular attention to creating business opportunities both for the urban and rural areas of the wider region by diversification of the tourist offer and promotion of high safety standards in tourism. With a set of proposed infrastructural improvements, product development and promotion, capacity building measures and strengthened cross border stakeholder cooperation new safe tourism products in Ohrid–Prespa CBC region (municipalities of Ohrid, Struga, Debrca, Resen, Pogradec and Gramsh) will be developed, as well as mountain tourism products that will open new economic opportunities for the rural municipalities of Debarca and Gramsh throughout the season. More specifically, the Action will address the problem of a limited season to the summer months and the need for a more balanced and inclusive development of the wider cross border area around Lake Ohrid, by bringing the adjacent municipalities of Debrca and Gramsh to the municipalities of Ohrid and Pogradec. The Ohrid-Prespa region within the boundaries of the cross-border nature reserve is currently in great focus by different initiatives, supported by national and international donors. Our aim is to bring into the picture adjacent areas which have great unexplored potential for tourism development as an answer to the need to diversify their mainly agricultural economy and provide opportunities for the locals which will stop continuous outmigration to the urban areas and abroad. Thus, the diversified offer in terms of content, season and territory will lead to increased number of tourists and their extended stay and spending.

Main activities envisaged with this Project are: marking a long-distance trail, leading from the Mountain Hut in the village of Brezani to the Gramsh municipality, restoration of the old school and his adaptation in a mountain hut in village of Brezani, establishing an Adventure Park in Galichica, setting a wastewater treatment plant for the Galicica Mountain Hut, setting a monitoring system for visitors in NP Galichica, developing winter activities: winter hiking, snow shoeing, ski touring, etc., developing promotional instruments: guidebook, maps, mobile application and web site, workshops and trainings with tourist service providers, various capacity building measures, workshops and meetings throughout the project, purchasing of vehicles for increasing the capacities of beneficiaries in order to support newly established infrastructure, purchasing of specialized off-road vehicles for winter rescue operations, purchasing of specialized winter rescue equipment, purchasing specialized equipment for the helicopter rescue for the needs of the Ministry of Interior, training of mountain rescuers in Albania according to ICAR recommendations, training for rescuers in existing Mountain Rescue Service to use new specialized equipment and vehicles, creating a work-group for simplified border crossing procedures in case of rescue operations in Albania.

For more information:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SafeWinterAdventures
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1581603845254605/new-opportunities-for-safe-winter-adventures/
Website: https://ipacbc-mk-al.eu/