Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Programme 2014 - 2020 Interreg IPA CBC Croatia - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Montenegro

Date of latest update: 2023-03-03

Description

Description (EN):

Common cross-border challenges FORTITUDE project tackles are: non-existence of cultural tourism manifestations that would enrich cross-border tourism-offer and increase its attractiveness out of high season; underdeveloped tourism contents of heritage sites in programme area; lack of cooperation between heritage operators and tourism stakeholders, lack of heritage management know-how and best practices exchange among heritage operators. FORTITUDE project’s approach lies in improving tourism offer in communities with fortified heritage and creating joint cultural events which will increase the attractiveness of fortified sites and increase number of tourists in impact areas and programme area. Project main objective is to contribute to strengthening and diversification of tourist offer in programme area using a cross-border approach in sustainable fortified heritage tourism development in order to intensify and stimulate faster tourism growth in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Main project outputs are annual cross-border tourism manifestation managed by partners in post-season; 5 visitor centers at fortresses in Šibenik, Karlovac, Banja Luka, Herceg Novi and Bar improved, equiped and promoted; 5 sightseeing routes featuring visits to fortresses created in partners cities; 60 stakeholder representatives educated/trained in tourism heritage management. With partners, main target groups benefiting from project are public institutions (tourist boards, heritage site operators, local authorities); tourism entrepreneurs (tour-guides, travel agencies, hotel-managers, other tourism SMEs), tourists and visitors who will benefit from increased variety of tourism offer in HR, BA and MNE. Project’s cross-border added value is the development of long-term cooperation in managing joint manifestation, mutual digital promotion of sites via digital kiosks; and standardization of heritage tourism management through capacity building trainings and know-how exchange.

Achievements (EN):

The project aimed to improve fortification facilities in three partner countries with modern equipment, design new specialized tourist tours, and hold the first edition of „Night of Fortresses“ event in order to popularize and promote cultural heritage in cross-border area. In the past two years of the project implementation, four visitor centers in historic fortifications in Šibenik, Karlovac, Banja Luka and Bar were upgraded with stone stairways, accent lighting and heating systems, and equipped with installation of permanent setups, exhibitions and various multimedia contents, workshops on the topic of cultural heritage management based on the transfer of knowledge and best practices for more than 70 stakeholders in culture and tourism were organized, employee training was provided and new specialized tourist fortification routes were designed. The first successful regional “Night of Fortresses”, an annual manifestation on four partner locations, is completed and has achieved more than planned with all other project activities that will contribute to fortresses becoming a living heritage, a place of meeting, socializing and events. The project FORTITUDE is an example of a regional project that has contributed to the strengthening of regional cooperation and the branding of cultural heritage, which was recognized by the Forte Cultura and EFFORTS, two large European networks that gather over 150 members, who also participated on the Final conference and signed a Letter of Intent on cooperation with the aim of continuing the organization of „Night of Fortresses“, which will become an integral part of the European Fortress Summer event, which was initiated, organized and promoted by the EFFORTS and Forte Cultura networks.

Website: http://www.interreg-hr-ba-me2014-2020.eu/

Expected Results (EN): Increase in arrivals of non-residents staying in hotels and similar establishments

Expected Outputs (EN):

Main FORTITUDE project results are: -developed new attractive heritage tourism offer in historical fortifications in cross border area; -improved cooperation and tourism-management skills of heritage operators and tourism stakeholders in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Monte Negro. Project results will directly contribute to programme result indicator. New, more diversified tourism offer which will be created, will increase the tourism attractiveness of the programme area, and thus have a direct positive impact on increase in arrivals of non-residents staying in hotels and similar establishments in the programme area. Improved cooperation and tourism-management skills of stakeholders will enable better management and more sustainable use of fortified heritage for tourism purposes. The project will respond to relevant target group's needs by increasing their tourism management knowledge, and by increasing their cooperation the project will contribute to sustainable tourism development and standardization of tourism management knowledge in cross-border area. New tourism offer and products developed in historical fortifications will contribute to the prolongation of tourism season in programme area and attract more tourists out of the high season. In other words, the project results will create additional motives for tourist to visit programme area; during and out of high season - and thus result in the increase in arrivals of non-residents staying in hotels and similar establishments in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. According to the statistical data regularly gathered by partners who are managing the partner fortifications, the number of visitors on 5 partner fortifications in 2018 is approximately 200.000 visitors during the course of the year. The number of visitors at partner fortifications is expected to increase by 10% in 2021, due to newly developed tourism offer.

Thematic information

Cultural heritage and arts Tourism

Specific Objective: To strengthen and diversify the tourism offer through cross border approaches and to enable better management and sustainable use of cultural and natural heritage

Thematic Priority: (d) Encouraging tourism and cultural and natural heritage

Partners (5)

Lead Partner: Javna ustanova u kulturi Tvrđava kulture Šibenik

Department: n/a

Address: Vodička, 22 000 Šibenik, Croatia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.tvrdjava-kulture.hr

Total budget: EUR 547 865.41

Grad Banja Luka

Name: Grad Banja Luka

Department: n/a

Address: Trg srpskih vladara, 78000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.banjaluka.rs.ba/

Total budget: EUR 223 905.51

Opština Herceg Novi

Name: Opština Herceg Novi

Department: Department of International Cooperation

Address: Trg Maršala Tita, 85340 Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.hercegnovi.me

Total budget: EUR 373 273.00

Grad Karlovac

Name: Grad Karlovac

Department: Department for development and EU funds

Address: Dr. Ivana Banjavčića, 47000 Karlovac, Croatia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.karlovac.hr

Total budget: EUR 219 797.31

Opština Bar

Name: Opština Bar

Department: n/a

Address: Bulevar Revolucije, 85000 Bar, Montenegro

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.bar.me

Total budget: EUR 253 597.48

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Public Cultural Institution Fortress of Culture Šibenik

Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Partners and Projects info

City of Banja Luka

Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Herceg Novi

Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Partners and Projects info

City of Karlovac

Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Bar

Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Project acronym: FORTITUDE

Project start date: 2020-03-01

Project end date: 2022-02-28

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 618 438.71

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 375 672.90

Co-financing sources:

IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, .

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 Interreg IPA CBC Croatia - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Montenegro

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2024-03-14

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

59 / 59 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

241 / 249 (96.79%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Information provided by the Programme. Data from 2 projects (ON TIME and PALL NET) was retrieved by Interact from the programme´s website on the 2024-03-01. Regarding partners only data only main partners is available. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interreg-hr-ba-me2014-2020.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-10-07 and 2023-01-04.

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Historic Fortresses Intensifying Cross-Border Tourism Development

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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