A joint opened window to the universe mysteries

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This project addresses a common challenge faced by the cross-border area, especially on the Black Sea coast, namely the under-reached all-year touristic potential. The tourism in the Black Sea coast region is characterized by a fluctuant trend over the year. It reaches its peak in the summer season (August), while in winter the inflow of tourist is nearly missing. For most of these tourists the main attraction is the shore of the Black Sea (recreational and leisure tourism), the visits taking place almost exclusively on the coast, disregarding the inland part of the region. Thus, many of the touristic opportunities of the region, on both sides of the border, remain unexplored and unused to their full potential. The low number of tourists for the objectives within the region, located further away from the Black Sea, may be due to an outdated presentation of the tourist product without the active involvement of the tourist, which made important tourist attractions in the region not to be capitalized to their maximum potential. Considering that the natural and historical heritage is the most important asset of a nation, it cannot be ignored, but it is necessary to identify the most appropriate means to bring it again to the public attention. One of measure than can be taken refers to introduction in the border area of a new type of tourism, a niche one, respectively, the scientific-tourism. It’s the type of tourism focused on scientific attractions and in the developed countries it has gained a lot of visibility in the recent years. This tourism type has a very high potential, as it derives from the human need of knowledge and from the passion to discover, elements that kept the human race going forward towards universal knowledge. This type of tourism responds to an immanent need. Another advantage is that it can be practiced throughout the year. Unfortunately, although the natural (landscapes, vintage points, the sea, the Danube) and cultural (museums, archeological sites) environment from the cross-border area are very suitable for this type of tourism, it is almost inexistent. With the appropriate facilities and the combined support of several people dedicated to scientific research and its promotion, the scientific tourism can be established in the Dobrogea cross-border region, having as its starting point the activities of this project, carried out through the active involvement of the partners. Both NSMC and Kavarna museum with the 2 other partners support, can be poles for generating this type of tourism, providing the necessary human resources and completing its existing material base with the acquisition of the latest generation equipment needed to create and disseminate common and extremely attractive tourism products. One of the project results will be the creation of a joint NGO that will promote a common image of the region Constanta-Dobrich in order to attract tourists, this being the most important change the project will make to the current situation. It will practically set up the basis for this innovative type of tourism in the project region. It will also research and develop improved ways of preserving and promoting the natural and cultural heritage, using at its best the expertise and experience of the staff of the project partners. The overall objective of the project is to capitalize on the touristic potential of the region (both natural and cultural), by diversifying the touristic offer of the cross-border region, focusing on scientific tourism. The project will target both output indicators of this priority axis. In relation to I9 - Number of integrated tourism products/services created, the project will develop integrated tourism products. The first will be called Navigation by stars. It will be a touristic product that will combine the scientific component with the love for the sea, in which the tourist will learn how to navigate in the Black Sea using the night sky as guidance. For this touristic product, the project will even elaborate a guide for orientation on the sky. The second touristic product will be called Astronomy camps. As suggested by the name, this touristic product will give the tourists the chance to explore the sky with telescopes in an organized manner, for celestial events that will be selected by the project team and taking advantage of the best vintage points available. The third touristic product will be called Origins. It will consist of a touristic cross-border route in the Constanta-Dobrich region covering archaeological sites, presented in an attractive and interactive manner. All these joint products are intended for tourist of all ages and are designed to inspire the tourists to explore science, the nature and the history of the region, creating a connection between the tourist and the environment, an essential factor for revisiting. In relation to I10 - Number of common strategies, policies or management plans for valorising (including raising awareness) the cultural and natural heritage through its restoration and promotion for sustainable economic uses, the project will develop a common strategy for preserving the cultural and natural heritage of the region. The approach the project is planning to take is highly orientated towards the cross-border cooperation. All the actions of the project will regard the entire region Constanta-Dobrich as a whole, and not separately. It will try to create a unitary image, promoting the region as such. All the attractions that the project is promoting are shared: the Black Sea, the archaeological sites, as they concern the entire historical region Dobrudzha and the stars in the sky. In the project context, the cross-border approach comes naturally, because science is a universal language. All the partners involved will be working together for implementing a common approach for promoting a sustainable type of tourism that aims to deliver a high quality experience to visitors all over the year. In the context of the entire Romanian-Bulgarian cross-border region, the scientific tourism is new, hence the innovative characteristic of the project. It will also require promoting channels orientated towards new technologies, with a special focus on IT, academic forums, Facebook and interactive web pages for science-enthusiasts and amateur astronomers. The project partners will purchase state of the art equipment to comply with the public requirements and to capitalize on the opportunities offered by the advanced technology. Through this project, the people are encouraged to enlarge their knowledge horizon by discovering in an original and modern manner, the opportunities provided by the material and immaterial cultural heritage.

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