PROJECT "SUPPORT TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN BELARUS"
The project "Support to sustainable development of tourism in Belarus" was created to promote and develop the tourism industry, which is one of the most important tools for regional development of the country. The project provides financial, technical and operational support to regional and local initiatives aimed at the creation and development of economic, social and environmental structures in the Republic of Belarus. The project provides assistance to local authorities in the development and implementation of the tourism strategy, the introduction of advanced European practices, the exchange of experience in the management of tourism, the expansion of the range of services provided and the improvement of their quality.
The project geography covers the city of Polotsk and Polotsk district, Vitebsk region, the area along the road around the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha", Kamenetz and Pruzhany district in Brest region, Miadziel district and Lake Naroch in Minsk region, city of Mstislavl and Mstislav district in Mogilev region, as well as Augustowski Kanal in Grodno region.
In the context of the project, each of these areas is referred as a pilot tourist destination - a cluster which provides comprehensive services for tourists and includes geographic, infrastructure, marketing, social and governance components.
The Augustouski canal is an outstanding technical construction of its time, as evidenced by its scale and complex engineering solutions. The natural beauty of the surrounding landscapes is also amazing.
In the nineteenth century, this man-made waterway connected the basins of the Visla and Neman Rivers, providing in the north access to the Baltic Sea, and in the south - to the Black Sea. Passing through the picturesque places of the Grodno region the Augustow canal became a tourist attraction more than one and a half centuries ago.
Kamenets and Pruzhany districts are located in the north-west of the Brest region and occupy an area of 1,800 km2 and 2,800 km2 respectively. In the regions present architectural and cultural-historical monuments, which are rooted in a thousand-year history.
On the territory of this destination is Belovezhskaya Pushcha - a huge, remote and majestic ancient forest, which primitive ecosystem has preserved many species of wild animals that have disappeared in the rest of the world.
The Mstislav district is located in the east of the Mogilev region and covers an area of 1,300 km2. The district includes 1 city and 160 rural settlements, 24.600 people live on its territory. Mstislavl is a district center with a population of 10,700 people, it is located on the Vihra river.
For the first time Mstislavl is mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1156 as a fortress on the western border of the Smolensk Principality. Already in the XVI-XVII centuries, Mstislavl was a major trading city. In 1634 the city received the Magdeburg right and the coat of arms.
The Myadel district is located in the north-west of the Minsk region and occupies an area of 2.000 km2, which is home to 32,000 people. The town of Myadel is a district center for 10,000 inhabitants, it is located between the lakes Miastro and Batorin. Ancient Miadel originated on the island of Lake Myadel at the beginning of the XI century as a border fortification of the Polotsk principality.
Myadel is the core of the largest resort zone of Belarus "Naroch". Magnificent recreation here is facilitated by the presence of mineral springs, mud cure and clean pine air.
Polotsk is the center of the Polotsk district of the Vitebsk region with a population of 82,800 people. It is located at the mouth of the Polota River which flows into the Western Dvina 124 km from Vitebsk. Polotsk is one of the most ancient cities of the Eastern Slavs.
Since the end of IX century the city was part of Kievan Rus, in the X-XIII centuries it was the center of the Polotsk principality, since 1307 it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and in 1498 received the Magdeburg right. The Belarusian first printer and Renaissance educator Francisk Skaryna was born in Polotsk.
The main partner of the project is the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus. The project cooperates with the Ministries of Economics, Culture, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, the National Agency for Tourism, the National Statistical Committee, regional and district executive committees and non-governmental organizations. To facilitate the project objectives, working groups from local representatives of the tourism industry have been created, whose specialists together with project experts actively participate in seminars and discussions. Cooperation of this kind allows to ensure direct involvement of specialists of government bodies, business entities of state and private forms of ownership, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders in the project work at all stages.
Together with study tours and seminars, the project "Support to Sustainable Tourism Development in Belarus" organizes comprehensive educational activities on key topics and components that ensure sustainable tourism development on national and regional levels.
In addition to the educational activities, the project "Sustainable Tourism Development in Belarus" organizes international events, during which representatives of organizations from different countries share their experience of best practices implemented in modern tourism industry.
The project is in the active phase of implementation. For each of the pilot destinations marketing strategies are developed, presentational videos and priority promotional materials are created. With the direct participation of project experts, work on priority tourist products is carried out and recommendations on the basis of best European practices to improve the quality of services are provided. Within the framework of the project study tours are organized to exchange experience in Belarus and outside the country. The project "Support to Sustainable Tourism Development in Belarus" is implemented by the company "European Profiles" (Greece) in a consortium with the companies "Archidata" (Italy) and "European Projects Management" (Latvia).
To develop the concepts of branding of pilot destinations, the project experts and local specialists of the tourism industry held a number of meetings and seminars. When developing brands of destinations, an independent evaluation of the tourism market by external experts of the project and personal experience of local representatives of the tourism industry was used. Strategies and logos were presented in Minsk during the International Conference on Destination Branding.
The project "Support to Sustainable Tourism Development in Belarus" is funded by the European Union and implemented by European Profiles (Greece) i a consortium with Archidata (Italy) and European Projects Management (Latvia). The project was approved by the Council of Ministers oа the Republic of Belarus and registered by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus No. 2/16/000791.
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