Carpathians Connects

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Project is contributing to sustainable use of natural and cultural resources in mountain region of programme area. These Southern Carpathians Mountains (spread in Caras-Severin and Mehedinti counties in Romania and Bor district in Serbia) are attracting more and more visitors and at this moment there are no comprehensive framework and guidelines of sustainable tourism development. People living in Caras-Severin and Mehedinty counties as well as in Bor district are aware of great tourism potentials Carpathian Mountains has. As mountainous area, this region is fully related to the Carpathians, its resources and its particularities. Carpathians natural and cultural values can be harmed by uncontrolled development of tourism, thus making tourism development unsustainable and short-term business activity. This will lead to unsustainable usage of natural and cultural resources and will harm income generators of business sector in the region. Development of sustainable mountain tourism with cross-border approach will empower stakeholders in tourism and environmental sectors and provide long-lasting tourism product based on smart usage of heritage making RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area unique mountain destination. Tourism industry is economic activity which generates significant amounts of profits. Thus, stakeholders are sensitive and proactive when new ideas on tourism business appear. Project is establishing cross-border sustainable tourism product which will ensure long-lasting tourism activities, with minimized chances for fast destruction of key attractors (natural and cultural heritage) of the area. Local tourism business is still not well prepared for upcoming sustainable tourism activities and there is a need to get closer to these initiatives – its particularities and possibilities for diversification of the offer. The overall project objective is to support development of local tourism businesses and sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage by providing framework, guidelines and trainings for new touristic product of cross-border mountain tourism. Projects target groups are: Business sector dealing with tourism in RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area, Public authority representatives, Institutions and organisations operating in the field of environment and tourism, Professionals dealing with sustainable tourism and related sectors, Inhabitants of the cross-border area with age between 20-59 years. Project results are: increased capacities for development of sustainable mountain tourism in RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area amnog stakeholders by: 1) Training on introducing sustainable mountain tourism in RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area; 2) Training on identification of cross-border projects on sustainable mountain tourism in RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area. Introduced cross-border sustainable mountain tourism as a new touristic product contributing to sustainable use of natural resources in RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area by: 1) Elaboration of Research „State of the art of mountain tourism in RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area“; 2) Elaboration of „Study on development of sustainable mountain tourism in RO-SER Carpathian cross-border area”; 3) Elaboration of Manual „Identifying cross-border projects on sustainable mountain tourism initiatives“Established cross-border partnership for exchange of practises and for implementation of joint initiatives by “Stakeholder’s cross-border network on Mountain tourism development”.

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