The SUSTOURISMO project kick off meeting was scheduled to take place on 27 and 28 February in Thessaloniki, Greece. Due to the emergency situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this meeting was canceled. The project partners decided to replace the meeting with bilateral online chats through the Skype platform, in order to discuss the initial ideas for the tour packages, as well as the managerial and financial aspects of the project.

Virtual meeting between Berat Regional Council and the leading partner
The virtual meeting took place through the Skype platform in order to examine and implement the initial phase of the project. SUSTOURISMO project manager for the Berat Regional Council, Mr. Evis Plaku first presented the city and region of Berat as well as the reasons for his selection as a pilot city in this project. Discussions continued on the tourist context in the Berat region and the tourist packages intended to be implemented throughout the project. These packages include:

Focus on the historic area of ​​the city (UNESCO area)
The museum neighborhoods of the city (Kala, Mangalem, Gorica) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site which will be the main part of the project tourism packages. Tourist tours will be developed in their center, registering the traces of tourists through the SUSTOURISMO application. Cooperation schemes will be built with travel agencies and transport service providers to reach a high number of tourists

Use of bicycles and ecological transport for tourism development
The use of green transport (bicycles) is one of the main goals of the project. Tourists will have the opportunity to explore not only the city center and museum areas, but also the surroundings and facilities where agro-tourism takes place. This project aims to increase the popularity of bicycle use and the development of sustainable tourism.

Actions to extend the stay of tourists in the region of Berat
Activities of various natures will be part of the tourist package in order to increase the length of stay of tourists in the Berat region. Rafting in Osum canyons; visits to agro-tourist , or wine production; visits to the city artisans and local businesses will be some of the alternatives offered to extend the stay of tourists in the region.

The leading partner, CERTH, assessed that these initiatives are in line with the purpose of the project and its objectives, and stressed the need to engage stakeholders and stakeholders as soon as possible.

The full presentation of the Berat Regional Council in this meeting can be found here

This meeting took place in the context of a project developed with the financial assistance of the European Union. The content of the document / website is the sole responsibility of the Berat Regional Council and under no circumstances can it be considered to reflect the position of the European Union program authorities and / or ADRION.

Disclaimer

This announcement has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The content of the document / event is the sole responsibility of Regional Council of Berat and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union and/or ADRION programme authorities.