Projekat EXPLORE CRO-SRB

Project EXPLORE CRO-SRB: Extraordinary pleasure of our region - a joint gastro, eco and recreational route of Croatia and Serbia, which is realized on the territory of Eastern Slavonia and Northern Bačka, and is supported by the Interreg IPA cross-border cooperation program between Croatia and Serbia and the European Union. The aim of the project is to encourage the development of tourism in the region by influencing the skills and capacities of stakeholders and operators of the sector, by valorizing the tourist potentials of the region, improving the organization of supply in the Croatian and Serbian cross-border region, creating a joint offer of tourism products / services, as well as encouraging economic development and effectively increasing the competitiveness of the regional tourism sector, by providing common tools for destination management to the target group. The key results are the common e-cluster platform, three cross-border tourism products / routes, educated actors, an increase in the expected number of visitors. The main target groups are local public authorities, stakeholders, including NGOs, SMEs and the general public. Additional value is the enriched tourist offer, joint promotion and increased competence of participants and users. The project partners are the Razvojna agencija Grada Slavonskog Broda d.o.o. (Development Agency of the City of Slavonski Brod Ltd.), Turistički klaster "Slavonska košarica" (Tourist cluster "Slavonian basket"), Regionalna razvojna agencija Panonreg (Regional Development Agency Panonreg) from Subotica and our cluster.

As project partners, the first activity, for which we are in charge, was a round table meeting, held on the 13th October, 2017, in Šupljak, in Furioso Adventure Park on the topic: discussion regarding the preparation of research studies by practitioners.

Our next main activity was the round table of the focus group, which was held on the 15th of March 2018, in the meeting room of the Cluster in Subotica.
Participants: 19 tourism experts.

Topic: analysis of future tourism products according to the EXPLORE CRO-SRB project, SWOT analysis method and discussion.

In addition to the SWOT analysis, from the aspect of those present, the most discussed topic were the potential resources that are not even remotely used for tourism products.

After collecting and analyzing data on gastronomic, ecotourism and recreational offers in the region, 3 studies were elaborated, which describe in detail the newly formed gastronomic, recreational and ecotourism direction with all relevant information.

Studies are available at the cluster headquarters.

One of the most significant activities of the project was a study trip to Tuscany from the 11th to the 15th of June in 2018.

Goal of the travel: getting acquainted with examples of good practice for tourism products of gastro, eco and recreational tourism, which can be applied to the project territory, find similarities and differences that can be used in the implementation of tourist routes.

The project team visited the continental area of the Tuscan region, namely the surroundings and the cities of Pisa, Port, Siena, San Gimignano, Florence, the Chianti region, known for its wine and gastronomic tourism and olive growing, and the villages of Regolo and Padua. The accommodation of the team was in Montecatini Terme, from where all destinations could be reached in a relatively short time.

Tuscany is considered a highly developed and commercialized territory of various tourist products. The tourism products that make up the basic offer of the Tuscany region are the historical-cultural-artistic heritage, religious roads, wine roads and olive roads with gastronomy, all of which are complemented by many manifestations. It is relied on by urban ecological corridors, recreational tourism, active use of free time, tourism of special interests, and other tourist products that are integrated into the basic offer.