Municipalities of Foca and Pluzine started work on improving safety at tourist sites
Yesterday, as a part of the “Tourism, Adrenaline and Rafting Adventure (T.A.R.A)” Project, the municipalities of Foca (BiH) and Pluzine (Montenegro) organized a coordination meeting for members of their rescue services (civil protection, police, health institutions, fire services and associations, protection and rescue services, Mountain Rescue Service), where measures, standards and modern safety trends at tourist sites, risk management and rescue on water and under water were discussed.
The project is implemented by the two municipalities in cooperation with the Nature Park Piva and the Tourist Organization of Foca, financed by the European Union in the amount of EUR 499,654.00. The project is implemented with the aim of developing and promoting the cross-border area as a unique destination for active tourism. The project implementation started on 1 December 2019 and it will last for two years, until the end of November 2021.
The meeting was opened by the Mayor of Foca, Radisav Masic, who emphasized the importance and significance of the safety aspect in tourism development in the two municipalities. In his presentation, the mayor emphasized the necessity of involving various institutions and other actors in the process of improving safety at tourist sites, especially on the fast river Tara.
A member of the Mountain Rescue Mostar and search instructor, Goran Mitric, gave a lecture on safety standards, specifics of search and rescue on calm and fast waters, as well as on trends in this area. Mitric emphasized the importance of training rescue teams in relevant institutions and equipping them with adequate rescue equipment so that the services could react efficiently in rescue operations.
The participants of the coordination meeting also stressed the need to train new rescuers and the need for cooperation of all institutions and rescue clubs, and gave recommendations on how to jointly improve safety in the border area Foca and Pluzine, where the focus is on the Tara River. A discussion was initiated on the importance of fire protection, as one of the important safety aspects at tourist sites.
Municipalities of Pluzine and Foca presented the joint project “Tourism, Adrenaline and Rafting Adventure (T.A.R.A)” at Belgrade Tourism Fair
The joint booth of the municipalities of Pluzine and Foca attracted significant attention of high officials, representatives of the tourism industry, the media, as well as many interested adventure and active tourism lovers at this year’s International Tourism Fair in Belgrade.
During the Fair which was held between 20-23 February the booth was visited by the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Minister of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia Jadranka Joksimovic, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia Rasim Ljajic, Minister of EU Integration and International Cooperation of the Republic of Srpska Zlatan Klokic, representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Tourism of Republika Srpska , Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia Sam Fabrici, Head of the Representation of the Republika Srpska in Serbia Mladen Cicovic, Director of the Tourism Organization of the Republika Srpska Nada Jovanovic, Mayor of Foca Radisav Masic and Mayor of Visegrad Mladen Djurovic, as well as many other officials, representatives of tourist organizations and agencies from of the whole region.
Also, the booth was visited by many media and independent productions from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, who recorded reports on tourist potentials and attractive products of this cross-border area.
Traditionally, the rafting on Tara and Drina river, National Park Sutjeska and Nature Park Piva attracted the greatest interest. Numerous visitors expressed interest to visit this cross-border area during their vacation and enjoy the natural beauty and different attractions. Several agencies and individuals were interested in additional information on the possibility of organizing team-building activities in this area.
All visitors of the stand had the opportunity to get acquainted in detail with the entire tourist offer of the municipalities of Pluzine and Foča, as well as with the activities and expected results of the project “Tourism, Adrenaline and Rafting Adventure (T.A.R.A)” implemented by these two municipalities with the aim of developing and promoting the cross-border area as unique destinations for active tourism.
The project is implemented in cooperation with the Nature Park Piva and Tourism Organization of the Municipality of Foca, and is funded by the European Union under the Cross-border Program Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro. The implementation of the project started on 1 December 2019 and it will last for two years, until the end of November 2021.
Press conference in Foca
Press Conference: Municipalities of Foca and Pluzine together in tourism development
Tourism, Adrenaline and Rafting Adventure (T.A.R.A) is the name of a joint project that will be implemented by the municipalities of Foca and Pluzine in the following two years within the international cross-border cooperation project.
This is a continuation of the project implemented by the two municipalities from 2013 to 2015, which was also part of the EU cross-border cooperation.
According to yesterday’s presentation in Foca, the project will contribute to the improvement, development and promotion of the tourism potential of the two municipalities connected by the Tara River.
In addition to integrating the tourist offer and connecting the Sutjeska and Durmitor National Parks and Durmitor, the project will improve security and ensure safe access to the rafting starting point at Piva Lake, as well as the equipment of rescue services.
Adequate signage, viewpoints, checkpoints and other light infrastructure will be constructed on the road built by the municipality of Foca on the right bank of the Tara River.
The project also includes active involvement of the local population throughout the border area, as well as a joint presentation of the tourism offer of the two municipalities at international fairs.
The project value is around €500.000, and the municipalities’ contribution is €100.000.
Radisav Mašić, the Mayor of Foca Municipality, Slobodan Delić, the director of Piva Nature Park, Marija Milenković, Project Coordinator and Ljeposava Djajić, the director of the Tourist Organisation of Foca spoke at the presentation organized on 22 January 2020.
Press conference in Pluzine
On 21 January 2020, a press conference was organized in Pluzine, as well as the presentation of the cross-border cooperation project between the municipalities of Pluzine and Foca: Tourism, Adrenaline, Rafting, Adventure (T.A.R.A.).
The project is implemented under the Bosnia and Herzegovina-Montenegro Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. It is financed by the European Union and implemented by the municipalities of Pluzine and Foca in partnership with the Nature Park Piva and the Tourist Organisation of Foca.
The overall objective of the project is to develop and promote the cross-border area of the two municipalities as a unique tourist destination for active tourism. The project seeks to brand these two municipalities as attractive destinations for active holidays, as well as create joint tourism products to attract more tourists. The project will also work on improving tourism infrastructure and establishing mechanisms to increase security at tourist locations.
The project will bring together representatives of municipalities, local tourist organizations, sports and rescue clubs, travel agencies, journalists and bloggers, with a joint goal to develop active tourism in this area.
Speakers at the conference included the Mayor of Pluzine, Mijusko Bajagic, the Mayor of Foca, Radisav Masic, the director of the Piva Nature Park Slobodan Delic and project coordinator Marija Milenkovic.
The Mayor of Pluzine, Mijusko Bajagic, emphasized that it is very important that the two municipalities that have been cooperating for decades, through this project and the European Commission funds, renew and strengthen their existing cooperation. Considering the potentials for tourism development in both municipalities, he is convinced that different tourism projects will also be jointly implemented in the future.
Radisav Masic, the Mayor of Foca, stated that Foca is a municipality thathas so far implemented a number of projects in cooperation with international and other entities, so in this project he sees a realistic opportunity for tourism promotion, as an industry recognized by both municipalities as developmental.
The implementation of the project started on 1 December 2019 and it will last for two years, until the end of November 2021.