The project “Tourism, Heritage and Creativity” (THC BSB1130) is a joint endeavor of Georgian Arts and Culture Center (GACC), European Institute for Cultural Tourism EUREKA NPO, and Foundation for the Development of the City of Mykolaiv (FDN). It aims to bind the sectors of tourism and heritage for their mutual advantage. Overall, the objective is to advance businesses within these sectors by developing creative tourism and cultural products on the basis of local heritage assets. The project implementation period is between 26.09.2020 and 30.06.2023. The THC 1130 is implemented with the support of the Joint Operational Programme Black Sea Basin
Programme 2014-2020 and co-financed by the European Union through the European Neighbourhood Instrument and by The participating countries: Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
Heritage and Culture-based Creative Tourism is a form of travel that combines pleasant relaxation, new experiences and opportunities to engage in a completely foreign environment, to perceive the nuances beyond the usual life. This is a trip to an ethnically interesting area where the local living culture is well preserved, people live, think differently, perform strange rituals — where educational and adventure tours can be organized. Creative tourism is a joint product of the cultural and tourism industry, created and presented to the tourist market by creative people. Creative tourism is based on personal skills and talents and has the potential to increase resources and jobs through the use of intellectual property. Like the creative industry, the creative tourism industry involves the commercial sale of creative ideas and works of art at professional and amateur levels. One of the conditions for creating a creative tourism product is the protection of intellectual property.
Project activities covered three different regions: Dobrich in Bulgaria, Mykolaiv in Ukraine, and Eastern Georgia. All of them have unique culture, a variety of historical monuments, vibrant traditions and rich natural assets. Heritage-based creative tourism offers and cultural products unlock the cultural diversity of pilot destinations and bring them economic benefits. Combining the creative tourism destinations in thematic routes strengthens their marketing opportunities and develops sustainable cross-border business links.
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The project has outcomes for 3 different objectives:
1)Building capacity of local actors for successful cross-border business cooperation in creative tourism and merging cultural sectors:
- Development of 3 training programs in each partner country;
- More than 24 training days for tourism and cultural actors in each partner country;
- Development of 3 Types of manuals: Creative tourism, Cultural products development, Entrepreneurship in tourism and culture;
- 2 Workshops for 30 representatives of local authorities in each partner country;
- 2 Workshops for 30 tour operators and guides in each partner country.
2)Development of innovative cross-border creative tourism offers and cultural products based on local heritage assets:
- Construction and equipment of ethnographic corner in Gori;
- Providing Contest “Creative tourism and heritage products innovative start-ups” and identify 6 creative tourism offers and 3 cultural products in each partner country;
- Development of more than 30 creative tourism offers and heritage products in all partner countries;
- Creation of 3 Cross border creative tourism routes: Traditional Crafts, Gastronomy and Wine, Festive events and Social Practices, which join 3 partner countries;
- Provide 2 cross-border info tours for travel agents from partner countries in Bulgaria and Georgia;
- Joint seminar “Heritage assets as a source for the development of Creative Tourism” in Balchik, Bulgaria 14-16 February 2023
3)Development of platforms for joint promotion of creative tourism and cultural products of target countries:
- Participation in the Tbilisi IV International Summit of Crafts and Design — ETHNOFEST- 14-16 October 2022;
- Joint presentation at ITB BERLIN 7-9 MARCH 2023;
- Presentation at Europe Day 2023;
- Providing social media photo contest: BS CREATIVE TOURISM DESTINATION –May 2023;
- Creation of the Online platform WWW.TOURNDO.COM
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More than 600 organizations became part of the BSB1130 activities and partner organizations shall keep on working on the theme. Project established e-platform for the joint promotion and marketing of creative tourism and cultural products, which sets direct link between customers and suppliers and uses social media contest for the engagement of public. Development of existing physical platforms also contributes to the networking not only among the participant BS countries but also beyond them.
Contact Information:
Georgian Arts & Culture Center
Address: 7, Niko Nikoladze str., 0108- Tbilisi, Georgia
Telephone: (+995 32) 2931335
Email: natiat@gaccgeorgia.org
Cell: +995 599 675 475
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