Selected projects in tourism

Projects co-financed by European funds Interreg, mostly sections A or C

INTERREG III is/was designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by promoting cross-border interregional co-operation. The overall aim is to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies and instruments through large-scale information exchange and sharing of experience in a structured way.

TourismPartners Europe

is a partnership, which was created in order to develop tourism in five European border regions. International and regional working groups have attracted  actors and decision makers from tourist agencies and associations, Regional Development Agencies and companies in Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Ukraine. All together they develop common strategies, innovative tourist products and sustainable cross border partnerships in traditional tourist destinations of Central-and Eastern Europe.

  Partners: Beskids (Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego S.A., Regionalna

rozvojova agentura Kysuce), Carpathian mountains (Slovak Tourist Board, Rada z turizmu Karpatskogo regionu), Ore mountains ( Svaz cestoniho ruchu Deliteus, LTV Sachsen), Lower Silesia/Lusatia (Dolnoslaska Organisacja Turystyczna, LTV Sachsen), Pomerania (Region Vorpommern e.V., Koszalinska Agencja Rozvoju Regionalnego S.A.)Lead partners are the RKW Sachsen and LTV Sachsen

Project is part-financed by European Union with 897.906 EUR. It runs from 2004 until 2007 under the Common Initiative Programme INITERREG III-C.

TourismPartners Europe (2)

Ex. Beskids The main idea of the TourismPartners Europe project in Beskids 

was to integrate tourist facilities and to create a common tourist area in the borderland of Poland and Slovakia. The area has an interesting potential for the development of active sport centres and spa resorts basing on the natural values of the region, its mountaineous landscape and cultural heritage. The publication of the start-up folder "Meet Beskids" ("Poznaj Beskidy") was one of the first achievements of the Beskids' working group. The folder appearing monthly in the cities and tourist centres on both sides of the border consists wide range of information such as accomodation, tourist attractions, important addresses for tourists and news from the region. The folder was published in a Polish and a Slovak version.  

The main goal of the publication is to make the tourist more familiar with the border area so the region could be more popular among visitors. What is more, it emphasizes the cross border character of the region and offers different tourist attractions and activities both in Poland and in Slovakia. The historical and cultural connections within the whole region should be clear to the tourists just as it is presented in the "Meet Beskids" folder.  

TourismPartners Europe (3)

Ex. Lusatia: Running cross-border cooperation in the region based on

cooperation in Euroregion Neisse-Nisa-Nysa. For many years rise strong connection special between local government, for example:

bi- or trilateral Euroregional Expert Groups (EUREX) in the Euroregion Neisse: EUREX Tourism, EUREX bicycle tourism …

Görlitz/Zgorzelec: “we are building the European cultural capital of 2010”

project „Cultural Heritage and Tourism“ in Zittau bicycle route Oder-Neisse-Radweg Six-cities-alliance: Bautzen, Görlitz, Kamenz, Lauban/Lubań,

Löbau, Zittau Euro-Neisse-day ticket in the linked transport system ZVON

which is valid for trips in Germany and to Poland (and to Czech Republic).

TourismPartners Europe (4)

http://www.tourismpartners.net

Examples from the Saxon-Czechborder Ski-jumping area in Klingenthal – Euregio Egrensis Erzgebirgscard – Euroregion Erzgebirge-Krušnohoři Cooperation Tourism association Sächsische Schweiz

– České Švýcarsko o.p.s – Euroregion Elbe-Labe Via sacra – Euroregion Neisse–Nisa-Nysa

Ski jumping area „Vogtlandarena“

Supportable amount of costs: 14,2 million € 75 % by European Fund for Regional Development

(Interreg IIIA), rest and additional costs > Vogtlandkreis

Cross-border use, also by the Czech national team Visitors: 1/3 from Czech Republic Most modern ski-jump in Europe (120 m), built 2003-

2006 6th-7th Feb. 2007: A-World Cup takes place instead of

Harrachov Place for 40.000 spectators Events for summer and winter

Erzgebirgscard

Time: 2002-2004 Costs: 175.000 €, cofinanced by Interreg IIIA/EFRE Free entrance or reduced entrance to

140 leisure facilities in the Ore Mountains (castles,museums, swimming-pools, mining exhibitions, transportation….) – unfortunately few participantson the Czech side

Either for 2 days (20 €/11€) or for 4 days in a limit of two weeks (29€/16€) – children under 6 ys.get a free card („Zwergenkarte“), included is130 pages of leisure information of the area

Erzgebirgscard (2)

Organised by Tourismusverband Erzgebirge www.erzgebirge-tourismus.de

Erzgebirgscard (3) Most important marketing instrument of the Tourism

association Erzgebirge Results of 2006:

number of sold ErzgebirgsCards: 5.951therefrom Children‘s cards 20%Acceptance with these cards 42.936

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Cooperation Tourism association Sächsische Schweiz – České Švýcarsko o.p.s.

Aim: attractive destination for Europe„region without borders“

Common touristic offer Common presentation Cross-border local traffic

Cooperation Tourism association Sächsische Schweiz – České Švýcarsko o.p.s. Up to now two common projects: Networking study about destinations, 60.000 €

> result: founding of a common association EWIV as a working board by January 2008 > sustainability

Film project: „Saxon-Bohemian Swiss – nature and culture along a historic border“ (film to promote cross-border tourism) > cross-border marketing strategy, rising level of awareness, higher usage rate of touristic facilities, better possibilities of development of tourism, long-term advantage in competitiontill June 2008, 300.000 €

Cooperation Tourism association Sächsische Schweiz – České Švýcarsko o.p.s. Partners: Tourismusverband Sächsische Schweiz

www.saechsische-schweiz.de Obecně prospěšná společnost České Švýcarsko

www.ceskesvycarsko.cz

Via sacra – travel without borders,through the centuries, for reflection A new tourist route in an ancient European cultural

area 16 stops in the geographic triangle of Germany,

Poland and the Czech Republic Connects key churches, monasteries/convents and

additional sacred locations and treasures in Upper Lusatia, Lower Silesia and North Bohemia

Sacred buildings and art treasures – search of more and more people for spiritual experiences to compensate for the stress and hectic pace for everyday life, to stimulate self-contemplation

Via sacra – travel without borders,through the centuries, for reflection

Lead partner: City of Zittau Further partnersin Saxony and the Czech Republic:

Marketing association Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia, Museum of Zittau, Mezinárodní centrum duchovní obnovy v Hejnicích, dominikánský klášter v Jablonném v Podještědí, zámek Mnichovo Hradiště, Podještědské muzeum v Českém Dubu

March 2006 – February 2007 230.000 €, EU money (EFRE) 172.500 € Predecessant project: “Cultural heritage and tourism”

Via sacra – travel without borders,through the centuries, for reflection

Developing a concept for marketing European registration of „Via sacra“ as a trademark Distribution and marketing of travel offers Publication of leaflets in three/four languages Flyers for all 16 stops/stations Exhibition „Touching encounters“, European issue Study trips of all partners and of the tourism

associations of Saxony, Poland, the Czech Republic

Via sacra – travel without borders,through the centuries, for reflection www.via-sacra.info

Further examples Repair of forest paths to use as cycle tracks,

connection to touristic border crossing points (to Saxony), region Boží Dar-Rýžovna, 11/2004-06/2006, 311.037 €, EU money 205.527 €

Opening of new border crossing points (infrastructure), f. ex. Bärenstein-Vejprty, 07/2005-03/2007, 935.000 €, from EU: 701.250 €

Touristical experiencing of the cultural and industrial landscape montanregion Ore Mountains, 07/2006-12/2007, 121.000 €, EU: 89.500 €

Management to develop the Umgebindeland: creating a cross-border network of advisers, 07/2006-06/2008, 150.800 €, EU: 125.600 €

See also:

www.interreg3a.info> project database, best practise