USAID Turizam participated at the three-day workshop “Western Balkans Adventure Travel: Ohrid Reconnect”
In North Macedonia, in Ohrid, from October 26 to 29, at the three-day event “Adventure tourism in the Western Balkans: Ohrid Reconnect”, USAID Turizam Northern Region Director Aleksandra Drinić and USAID Turizam Associate for the Web, Multimedia and Social Media Sabina Sirćo, participated in a discussion with international representatives of adventure tourism and regional tour operators.
The Ohrid Reconnect was open with the remarks of the US Embassy in N. Macedonia, Chargé d’Affaires Eric Meyer; German Embassy in North Macedonia Head of Culture and Press Department Florian Träger-Steintjes; GIZ Country Director for Kosovo and North Macedonia David Oberhuber; and USAID EDGE Chief of Party Jasminka Varnalieva.
“The U.S. Embassy is proud to support initiatives such as this one, which bring together institutions, the private sector, and communities throughout the region to build stronger connections and work together for enhanced local and regional economic development. This creates partnerships and fosters greater cooperation among countries in the region, leading to new business and employment opportunities. Today’s event is an opportunity to promote the region as a whole to attract international recognition and investment, which will increase revenue in new ways. It is also an opportunity to explore collaboration through regional adventure tourism products and cross-border tours,” noted US Embassy in N. Macedonia Chargé d’Affaires Eric Meyer.
Photo Credit: USAID EDGE/SEDRA II
This important regional Western Balkans adventure travel gathering was co-hosted by the USAID Economic Development, Governance, and Enterprise Growth (EDGE) project and the German Cooperation through GIZ under the project “Support to Economic Diversification of Rural Areas in Southeast Europe (SEDRA II).”
The event brought together adventure tour operators and travel service providers from the Western Balkans region to exchange experiences, ideas, products, and expertise in the adventure travel sector.
Covered topics included:
- Regional cooperation in greening and sustainable tourism development
- The power of cooperation: best practices and lessons learned in Peru
- Adventure Travel Guide Standards
- Regional adventure travel association
The following adventure travel experts from international/regional companies and organizations presented best practices and led discussion at the Ohrid Reconnect: Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) Regional Director Gergana Nikolova, USAID EDGE Project Tourism Advisor Franco Negri, HYVÄ Coaching & Consulting d.o.o. Kirsi Hyvaerinen, and Hayley Wright from Black Mountain.
Photo Credit: USAID EDGE/SEDRA II
Photo Credit: USAID EDGE/SEDRA II
