West Stara Planina Activities Ecotourism Activities A regional Ecotourism Action Plan (PDF, 306 KBytes) was developed for the Bulgarian side of West Stara Planina. The REC coordinated the development of the Regional Ecotourism Action Plan for WSP, which will become part of the National Ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan for Bulgaria. The REC’s major partner was the Northwest Balkan Regional Tourism Association. The planning process involved several stages: An information campaign in the region; An inventory of ecotourism resources in WSP; A workshop on the analysis of ecotourism resources in WSP; A workshop for defining priorities and measures; A public presentation of the draft regional environmental action plan in Montana on October 28th, 2003; and A presentation of the ecotourism plan at the national level in Sofia on November 4th, 2003. In the current project phase (2004-2006), the REC will support the implementation of some of the measures of the 5-year plan and the development of partnerships between stakeholders on both sides of the border. West Stara Planina Hiking Trail - Bulgaria A walking trail, running approximately 200 km through WSP in Bulgaria was traced and marked in 2004. The trail starts in the town of Berkovitza and goes through small villages and towns, including Chiprovtzi, Gorni Lom, Chuprene, and ends in the town of Belogradchik. The route was developed by local stakeholders from all involved municipalities and biodiversity and tourism experts and follows the most attractive natural and cultural sites in the region, making the trip an exciting and remarkable hiking experience. Fifteen young people from across Europe developed the signage during a two-week volunteer camp, and about 60 other local people were involved in the route development as guides, organizers and providers of local accommodation and food. Participants from Serbia were involved in the whole process and are currently preparing a similar initiative on the Serbian side. The route united local efforts and will serve as a basis for developing a complex joint ecotourism product. Workshop on the future of the walking trail and development of tourist information centers in the region, September 2004 The workshop gathered all key participants in the trail's development and resulted in marking concrete activities for the route’s development: finishing the signalization, interpretation, and the construction of light infrastructure. “West Balkan” hiking trail in West Stara Planina With the aim of designing a joint West Balkan hiking trail and attracting tourists, a small project was launched in July involving villages in West Stara Planina. Four Bulgarian municipalities – Berkovitza, Belogradchik, Chiprovtzi, and Chuprene – have received support to form a regional association that will spearhead regional tourism development. The project team provided training to local citizens from 10 settlements along the trail on on how to receive tourists and register houses for guests. Support has been provided for developing light infrastructure along the 150 km trail, including information and interpretation boards, small shelters and resting places. Assistance was also provided for developing a network of four tourist information centres. To date, three such centres have been opened: in Chuprene, Gorni Lom and Chiprovtzi. A previously existing centre in Belogradchik has been further equipped. Tourism experts provided help and guidance to local people on how to develop tourisms services. A set of promotional materials and tourist maps are being developed, and a regional tourist website is also under preparation.

Introduction Activities: Studies Capacity Building People to People West Stara Planina Forum Education Ecotourism Agriculture LEAP Local Initiatives Programme Photo gallery   Other sites: Neretva Delta Skadar Lake