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European Territorial Co-operation
Operational Programme "Greece-Bulgaria 2007-2013"
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Since July 2013, the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” has been implementing as a partner organization a project named “LOcal products Festivals and Tourism development in cross-border cooperation Greece-Bulgaria”. The project, also known as the “LOFT” Project under its acronym in English, is financed under the European Territorial Cooperation Programme Greece-Bulgaria 2007-2013.
The project activities will be deployed by 5 partners: 2 universities with expertise on economy, regional development & tourism, 1 private partner expert on the exhibition & congress industry, 1 municipality particularly active in the field of local festivals and 1 NGO focusing on the environment & tourism.
The Project consortium includes:
- LP (P1) School of Economic Sciences – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece;
- P2 Exhibitions Research Institute , GREECE;
- P3 Municipality of N.Zihni, GREECE;
- P4 South-West University "Neofit Rilski", BULGARIA;
- P5 Association Eco Nevrokop, BULGARIA;
- P6 Decentralised Administration Macedonia – Thrace, GREECE.
The project serves a dual purpose:
(1) To promote and reinforce local cultural events, directly linked to local production, by building on synergies between existing local festivals and implementing a set of actions to form & sustain a network of festivals organisers.
(2) To further promote local/ traditional products. In this respect, the project examines ways to protect and promote traditional products and production through a road show travelling in the local festivals of the region and through joint activities including a contest on local festivals and products (as a joint pilot).
LOFT will map local festivals, study local/ traditional products and assess the growth potential of the former. It will offer visitors/ interested parties a website including an interactive web-GIS tool to allow easy navigation into these events and products and provide a wealth of information.
2 promotion stands will be produced, 1 per country, as a travelling road-show visiting local festivals to promote relevant events & products.
LOFT will also implement pilot activities at local level in both countries (e.g. 2 new local products' festivals). LOFT provides also for its sustainability by creating a network of local festivals organisers, established during the project, which may undertake the operation of the website and the annual contest.
Overall, LOFT will create significant value for the cross-border region as it will strengthen the linkage between culture/ tradition and economic activities. Equally, it will have a major positive impact in the cross-border collaboration by: reinforcing cultural & economic relations, promoting local products and further developing tourism activities and tourists flow
Publicity materials
Tourism & Management Studies International Conference, Algarve 2013, Porugal
- Strategies in tourism organizations and destinations
- FORECASTING OF THE NUMBER OF THE TOURISM ARRIVALS IN SOUTH-WEST BULGARIA
- TMS13_BoA_Draft_31_10
Publicity materials:
Programme "Days of Bulgarian Science" – 31.01.2014
– In Bulgarian language
- Presentation_LOFT_Problems and challenges for organizers of local fairs and festivals_BG
- Presentation_LOFT_Problems and challenges for local community_BG
- FORECASTING THE NUMBER OF THE TOURISM ARRIVALS IN SOUTH-WEST BULGARIA_BG
- Days of Bulgarian Science_Programme_BG
- Bulgaria today – 14.02.2014
– In Greek language
Cooperation with BCCI
Tourism & Management Studies International Conference, Algarve 2014, Porugal
- Contemporary issues in tourism and management studies
- Programme and adstracts
- The Research on the Stakeholders of the LOFT Project
Link to the LOFT Project website