Creating an innovative and integrated cross-border tourist product between "Vrachanski Balkan" and "Iron Gate" natural parks

Project DiGiParks is directed at the two biggest protected areas in the cross-border region the Bulgarian Natural Park ”Vrachanski Balkan” and the Romanian Natural Park “Iron Gate”. The two parks preserve unique biological and landscape diversity and are amongst the most significant Natura 2000 zones in their countries. The cultural-historical heritage in the parks includes sites of global, national and local significance. Antique and Medieval churches, monasteries, antique fortresses, a lot of monuments and others are amongst the most significant sites. The two administrations work within the same directions as the development of sustainable tourism is one of their priority tasks. The problems they encounter in their work in this direction are also similar, and the main one is related to the discrepancy between the rich resource potential in the parks and the absence of developed attractions, exposed in conformity with the modern tendencies in the search of tourist services. The sites on the territory are little known, tourist packages are nearly missing, the tourist services are not of good quality and the parties interested in eco-tourism do not have capacity and desire for joint supply of products and services. The supply of a new kind of a common product is needed, which should enhance the attractiveness and the completeness of the supply, through the saturation with additional possibilities and with the use of modern technological means. Project DiGiParks aims at the creation of a joint integrated innovative tourist product based on the rich cultural and natural heritage and performed promotion of the renewed common positive image of two natural parks, through modern technologies. The modern 3D technologies for digitalization and subsequent exposure of sites of the cultural and natural heritage will be used for the creation of the product. Three-dimensional digital models of the natural parks with high precision and in appropriate scales will be digitalized and worked out within the framework of the project. All the significant sites of the natural and cultural heritage in the two parks will be digitalized–fortresses, churches,rock phenomena,caves, interpretative routes, which will also be 3D visualized. The same will also be done with special events, folklore customs and festivals on the two territories. Modern demonstration digital halls will be equipped and furnished in the visitors’ centers of the two parks, which it will be possible to expose the digitized sites in. The modern technologies will allow for a “flight” over the parks, “sightseeing” of interesting landscapes, selection and “visit” to specific sites from the cultural and natural heritage in virtual reality, “walk” along a specific tourist route and so on. An innovative digital web-portal with a virtual video walk around natural and cultural sites in the two parks, a virtual exhibition of the museums from the region, a database with digitalized exhibits, presentation of the traditions and the customs of the people from the cross-border region will be created. There will be possibilities to the portal for downloading of an application for 3D survey for mobile devices and possibilities for uploading of digitized 3D images. A unique tourist product, competitive, contributing to the enhancement of the economic efficiency of the tourism will be developed and introduced on the basis of all that. 4 cultural-tourist routes will be developed at the elaboration and the introduction of the tourist product in combination with natural sites, which will also be 3D digitalized and exposed in the halls and the web-portal. The visitors will have possibility to view detailed specific 3D digitalized sites of the rich cultural heritage–monasteries, antique and medieval fortresses and so on. Digitalized written and other sources – icons, gospels and others will be applied to the 3D models of these sites. Apart from that there will be possibility for sightseeing in virtual reality of significant landscapes – gorges, rock phenomena, waterfalls, caves (incl. of inside). It will be possible to “visit” attractive tourist itineraries – eco-paths, cognitive routes and so on. The potential tourists from the two sides of the border will be provided with the unique opportunity to acquire a full idea of the tourist attractions in the two parks, to fit them together and combine them. The product will be integrated with other kinds of tourism within the broader territorial context: ecological, sports, pilgrimage, vacation, summer, events related. The “printed out” in appropriate scale 3D models of specific sites of the cultural heritage - monasteries, fortresses, monuments, artifacts will be presented in specific exhibitions at the presentation of the product and the results of the Project. Significant growth of familiarity of the natural and cultural wealth of the two parks and a significant increase of the people wishing to visit it aimed at tourism will be attained as a result of all that. The saturation with sites presented through digitalization will allow both planning of weekend packages and longer journeys, which will prolong the stay of the tourists and the economic benefits from that. The expected growth of the tourist visits to the two parks is minimum 15 % in the first two years after the implementation of the Project. The main output of the project will be the developed strategy and action plan for the digitization of the entire natural and cultural heritage of the two parks. The strategy will also include methodology and technology for digitization, and the action plan will include the concrete steps for realizing the digitization process. The popularization of the cultural-historical and natural heritage through the methods of 3D digitalization is still beginning to toddle in a European and a national plan. The innovative popularization of the tourist facts in the two countries and the anticipated new common tourist product is not possible without cooperation across the border. The new product will contribute to the increase of the tourist journeys both across the border and to the growth of the domestic tourists. The acquisition of new knowledge and experience through exchange of good practices and joint initiatives will also contribute to the enhancement of the capacity of the two administrations, as well as of people and organizations related to the preservation of the cultural and natural resources and their sustainable use. All this will add value to the attractiveness of the two parks which will contribute to their sustainable tourist development. The results of the Project fully correspond to the objectives and the expected results of the programme, the Strategy of the EU for the Danubian Region and other strategic European documents. Budget expected - 400 000 E.

The project is finalized. Lead Beneficiary: It was elaborated the Preliminary study for identification of the most attractive pilots sites for digitization in Vrachansk Balkan Natural Park. The study proposed 15 objects for digitization, including nature sites, cultural sites and eco trails in the both parks. LB finalized the digitization of the territory of “Vrachanski Balkan” Natural Park, performing aerial photogrammetric and 8 of sites were selected. The “Visitors Centers Natura” in Vratsa was renovated. The web platform of the project was developed at https://digiparks.eu/. Also, the Strategy and Action plan for digitalization of the heritage in both parks were finalized. Beneficiary 2: It was elaborated the Preliminary study for identification of the most attractive pilots sites for digitization in Iron Gates Natural Park and 7 of them were selected. The beneficiary completed the digitization of the territory of the “Iron Gates” National Park, performing aerial photogrammetric inspections and the repair of the Documentation and Information Center in Dubova.

The European cross-border cooperation known as Interreg A, maintains the cooperation between the regions under NUTS III and aims at coping with the common challenges identified jointly in the border regions and making use of the unused potential for growth, simultaneously improving the process of cooperation for the purposes of the harmonious development of the Union. Within this meaning the Project completely corresponds with the objectives of the European cooperation creating possibilities for inclusion of a little used potential for growth as the natural and cultural heritage of the two natural parks is. The European Regional Development Fund has several main priority spheres known as “thematic concentration”, amongst which also the so called digital agenda. The proposed Project fully fits into this sphere, contributing to a new kind of tourist supply, based on digitalization and 3D presentation of the tourist sites. The Project gets within Priority Axis 2 Green Region of the Programme Romania – Bulgaria and is directed at specific objective 2.1 which aims at the improvement of the sustainable use of the natural heritage and the resources of the cultural heritage as well. The Project will contribute to the sustainable and simultaneously viable economic use of the natural and cultural heritage of a part of the cross-border region, as well as the attainment of sustainable benefits for the local communities which fully corresponds to the objectives of the Programme. Simultaneously with that the Project fits into the Priority Sphere “Encouragement of the Culture, the Tourism and the Contacts amongst the People” of the Danubian Strategy of the EU, which Bulgaria is responsible for, corresponding also with Priority Sphere “Preservation of the Biological Diversity, the Landscape and the Quality of the Air and Soils”. The implementation of the Project will result in the capacity of the two park administrations for preservation and sustainable use of the cultural and natural heritage on their territories. The main focus will be onto the joint management of the created integrated cross-border product, which is a common instrument and technology for management of the zones with natural and cultural heritage, which is the objective of the Programme. Last but not least the Project will result in increase of the awareness and the popularization of the natural and cultural heritage amongst the stakeholders and the main communities, which is an indicator of the Programme. An innovative and an integrated common tourist product will be created as a result of the Project, which is the main indicator for a result of the Programme. Growth of the tourist visits to the two parks will be achieved as a result of the implementation of the Project, which is also a main indicator for success. As a result of the project, strategic documents will be developed - strategy and action plan for digitization of the entire natural and cultural heritage in the both parks, which corresponds to the other main indicator of the program. These documents will contain methodologies and technologies of digitization processes, stages and sequence of digitization of objects.