Pilgrimage tours and pilgrimages to Greece and Albania

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The cross border area is rich in unique cultural resources of religious significance that may be used for the development of the tourist economic activity, which currently underperforms. At the same time, religious tourism is fast growing and considered to be a key priority in the global tourism industry. In this context the overall objective of the project is to develop / apply an innovative tourism product referring to the development of alternative pilgrimage tourism routes, incorporating 15 selected religious monuments in the cross-border area. The key outcomes of the project are: -Development of a strategic study on pilgrimage tourism development in the cross border area. - Documentation, enhancement and promotion of 15 selected monuments. - Development and application of a specialised tourism product, comprising of alternative Pilgrimage Tourism Routes. - Development and application of a Pilgrimage Tourism Routes Web Portal providing on line information, enabling the desighn of alternative visit routes according to the visitors preferences and promoting both the selected religious monuments, as well as the local food, products and services offered in the area. - Development and operation of 3 specialised Pilgrimage Tourism Information and Promotion Centres in Ioannina, Gjirokas and Kora. Development of the Pilgrimage Tourism Routes branding strategy and label, incorporating local foods, products and services and the business community involved comprising the Pilgrimage Tourism Routes Enterprises Network. - Project promotion and dissemination activities Projects content and approach are innovative, since the development and promotion of the pilgrimage tourism together with the promotion of the local cuisine, products and services is foreseen, while the use of state of the art ICT methods and tools is adopted, in order to improve visitors experience. Furthermore the project implementation methodology adopts innovative aspects such as inclusion in its in its context,specific activities assuring assessment, sustainability,transferability and expandability of the achieved results. The cross border character of the project is evident,since the 15 religious monuments in reference are situated along the cross border zone and consist a coherent and integrated set of cultural resources that cannot be divided between the two countries. The project is expected to result to the significant increase of the tourist visits and stays overnight in the cross border area, the increase of the tourism income, employment and investments in the tourism sector,as well as to contribute to the overall socioeconomic growth of the intervention area. The importance of the projects anticipated results, its indisputable cross border character, its innovative characteristics together with the strong and efficient partnership mobilized to implement it, make the project a flagship one, fulfilling in the best possible way Programm's relevant selection criteria.

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