HÎRȘOVA-DOBRICHKA, TOGETHER ON THE BEAUTIFUL ROAD OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CROSS BORDER CULTURE

One of the common challenges is the discrepancy between the richness of cultural and natural resources and the lack of tourists in Hirsova-Dobrichka area, located in the historical and geographical region named Dobrogea. From a cultural perspective Dobrogea is a borderless region, the common history generating a tangible and intangible cultural heritage characterized by a magnificent diversity. So, both regions are real gold mines as cultural values, but, unfortunately, these issues are barely known and deficiently promoted at local and national level. The cultural heritage, together with natural resources and specific modern infrastructure is an important factor generating tourism. The tourism represents a real chance for socio-economic progress for cross-border area Hirsova-Dobrichka, given that in this region the industry is poorly represented. In the whole area of Dobrogea, the only touristic phenomenon with real impact on sustainable development is summer tourism, which, sadly, has a seasonal character and is manifested mainly in the seaside area. From this perspective, the lack of an active touristic phenomenon within the region to compensate the seasonality of seaside tourism is a common challenge for project beneficiaries, both located away from the seashore. One of the solutions to respond effectively to this challenge is to establish a common strategy on cultural tourism and to develop, promote and maintain on a long-term an integrated cultural tourism product. These joint actions are developed for the first time by the 2 beneficiaries and their role is to animate and revitalise the cross border area by stimulating tourism and at the same time to contribute to preserving the cultural heritage of a historical region in which two nations coexist. The cross-border approach is very necessary because the culture of Dobrogea region is a phenomenon without administrative boundaries and the preservation and promotion of tangible and intangible heritage is done in a unitary way, with a bigger impact than if it were fragmented. Cultural events, Dobrogeas’ traditions and customs become more interesting and attractive for tourists if they are presented in an integrated way, unifying two different nations who coexists in a common cultural space. The common challenges described above gave rise to the overall objective of the project: to improve the sustainable use of cultural heritage in the target cross border region of Dobrogea through the development and promotion of a joint tourism product, able to maintain tourists’ interest. The project is a joint solution identified by the 2 beneficiaries for problems related to the lack of concrete actions for sustainable use of cultural resources. As we said before Hirsova–Dobrichka area is characterised by a spectacular tangible and intangible cultural heritage, with great relevance in the identity and development of both nations. These cultural treasures are little known to the general public and both communities are shrouded in obscurity, although the hidden treasures can certainly generate development through tourism. The main objective of the project will be achieved by undertaking concrete actions, as follows: 1)Conceiving a set of strategic proposals at cross-border regional level for the development of cultural tourism in cross-border area of Dobrogea, in order to use the cultural heritage in a sustainable way; 2)Creating a common tourist product by: a)modernize the touristic infrastructure related to the manifestation and maintenance of cultural phenomena in the cross-border communities: Modernization and endowment of the house of culture CARSIUM of Hirsova, Community Centre New life–1941 of Cherna, and Community Centre Light–1940 of Lovchanci, Dobrichka Municipality; b)Promoting and ensuring the visibility of the Folk Festival “Songs and Dances from Sunny Dobrudja” organized annually in the last 50 years by Dobrichka Municipality in Debrene c)Organizing a cross-border festival of traditions and customs in Harsova - DOBROGEA CU BUNDITA SI PRESTELCA, d)Organizing a training in the field of cultural tourism, with focus on event tourism, for 20 tourist guides (10 Ro&10 Bg) from the cross-border region of Dobrogea. e)Promoting the tourist circuits established in the Strategy, related to the cultural events taking place in cross-border area of Dobrogea. The project contributes to the programme outputs targeted by the present call as follows: a) it creates one joint strategy at cross-border regional level, focused on cultural tourism. The document will be approved and assumed by the local councils of both partners and also it will be forwarded to all decision-makers and actors in the field of culture and tourism in the cross-border area. After the completion of the strategy at least 10 protocols will be concluded with the travel agencies from Constanta and Dobrich to distribute the promotion materials of the established cultural touristic circuits and at least 6 partnership agreements will be signed between tangible and intangible cultural heritage management institutions of Dobrogea region, such as museums, memorial houses, historical sites, old churches, houses of culture, etc and tourism entities to integrate the cultural patrimony in their tourist recommendations. b)The project create a joint integrated tourism product. This consists of modernised cultural tourism infrastructure, able to maintain active cultural manifestations and events in the cross border area. The 2 Community Centres of Dobrichka modernised are among the most important cultural centres in the area, being directly involved in the organization of various cultural events and especially in the organization of the festival Songs and Dances from Sunny Dobrudja, by making the preselection of the festival participants. The Hirsova House of Culture is the most important cultural centre in the northern half of Constanta County territory and is the only entity which organizes complex cultural manifestation and events in the area. The institution will be involved, together with the local administration, in the organisation of the cross-border festival of traditions and customs, held in Hirsova.The 2 festivals included in the project (the Bg. one through promotion, the Ro. one through first organisation) represents a very important part of tourism product, an essential step in preserving, developing and promoting the intangible cultural heritage of Dobrogea region through cultural events with cross-border impact.The 20 tourist guides trained are also part of the tourism product, in their current work they will ensure both the quality of services in event tourism and the promotion of this niche.The project represents a new and original measure taken by public local authorities to preserve and promote the common cultural heritage in a sustainable way related to development of tourism in the area. INDICATIVE BUDGET: 1.500.000 EURO.

The project is finalized. Lead Beneficiary - Territorial Administrative Unit Harsova has finalized the modernization of House of Culture from 24.06.2022. The Beneficiary 2 has finished the implementation of the works activities for Modernisation and endowment of Community center "New life 1941" Cherna and Community Center "Light - 1940" Lovchantsi, the works being completed from 04.11.2019 and 13.02.2020. Both beneficiaries completed the development of the common strategy for capitalizing on cultural heritage and uploaded it on the project website (https://cbc-culture.eu/en/home/), as well as on the official pages of the beneficiaries. The joint strategy for the valorization of the cultural and natural heritage by restoring and promoting it for sustainable economic uses was approved by the local councils of the beneficiaries. As part of the project, a joint tourism project was developed that involves the organization of two cross-border festivals. BL organized the event "Dobrogea with Bundița and Prestelca" between 07.08.2022 and 07.10.2022, where approximately 3,000 Romanian and Bulgarian people participated. B2 organized the event "Songs and dances from sunny Dobrogea" between 24.06.2021 - 26.06.2021, where approximately 300 Romanians participated. The events promoted traditions and customs determined by major life events or the seasons and holiday cycle, and also featured some interactive cooking demonstrations on traditional foods, how to prepare them, and special ingredients.

The project has a direct link with the program result indicator, namely THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS OVERNIGHTS IN THE CBC REGION, in the sense that it will unequivocally bring its contribution to its growth. The whole project is a joint approach of two local authorities in the CBC area for the sustainable use of cultural heritage by cultural tourism. Any form of tourism involves the mobility of people from their homes to other locations that, due to specific characteristics, raise their interest. Any trip that takes a longer time than one day involves at least one overnight stay in an accommodation structure. The project aims to create a common cultural tourism product by involving actions to increase the visibility of the vast cultural heritage of cross border target area (Constanta & Dobrich) and to stimulate the tourist interest in order to intensify the tourism phenomenon in the area and extend its manifestation all over the year. The inventory of the most representative cultural heritage objectives and cultural events with tourism potential or the tourist cultural circuits which include itineraries that cover both the material and immaterial cultural patrimony (cultural events: festivals, fairs, culinary exhibits, art etc.) of the target area, together with the 2 festivals are concrete measures which ensure the presence of tourists in the area and thus the number of overnights increases. The set of strategic proposals is itself an effective tool for local decision-makers which by integrating the proposals into their own strategies can have a major contribution to boost cultural tourism. We can consider that, as a result of the information and promotion actions regarding the representative objectives of the cultural heritage of the area, the cultural touristic circuits and the two festivals, the tourists who come into contact with this information will extend their stay with at least one night to go through a tourist circuit, to participate in one of the project festivals or simply to visit one of the cultural objectives presented and promoted by the inventory. More than that, some of the project's activities directly generate a plus of overnight stays in the CBC area. Thus, an estimated number of 250 Romanians (artists and spectators) will travel at the Debrene festival and they will sleep in a accommodation structure for at least one night. At the Harsova festival that lasts 3 days, 300 Romanians and Bulgarians (dancers, singers, exhibitors, etc.) will spend at least 1 night in an accommodation structure. To these estimates we can add the number of tourists who participate in the festivals and who certainly allocate at least 1 night of accommodation for this purpose. These two events will also take place during the sustainability of the project generating directly an increase of the number of overnight stays in CBC area. The increase of overnight number directly related to the cultural tourism is not conditioned by the seasonality of summer tourism. Various cultural events take place all over the year in the Constanta-Dobrich area, some of which have a huge tourist potential and can attract even more tourists than they have done so far. Moreover, knowledge lovers can go through one of the tourist circuits set up and promoted within the project, anytime throughout the year. The cultural-cognitive tourism trips seem to be, according to the speciality studies, the most successful types of modern travel. They grow rapidly and cover more and more areas of social and economic life. This type of travel represents about 37% of all journeys, and the increase has an upward trend of 15% each year. All this aspects demonstrates that the project will have a direct contribution to achieving the program's result indicator.