INSiGHTS Partners in Serbia: Understanding Good Practices on

Internal thematic meeting and study visit in Arandjelovac, Serbia 

Partners from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia met at the 1st Multilateral Walkshop and 3rd internal thematic meeting within the INSiGHTS project - “Integrated Slow, Green and Healthy Tourism Strategies”. The meeting took place in Arandjelovac, Serbia on the 28th – 30th June 2017 and was hosted by Regional Economic Development Agency for Šumadija and Pomoravlje from Kragujevac, Serbia.

The first evening partners experienced presentation of vineries and wine tasting during dinner with local products. This included a virtual presentation of the pilot territories, a promotional video of the tourist destinations of Arandjelovac and Topola and the landscapes of Sumadija and Pomoravlje, and also a promotional film “Soulfood Serbia”.

The focus of the walkshop was on good practices of promoting healthy lifestyle and eco-consciousness in tourism. On the second day partners visited the park of Bukovička spa and received historical and cultural background information during a short guided tour. Partners also went to a local horse club in Arandjelovac and discussed the experience of hiking-nature sightseeing with the facilitators. They also visited Oplenac - the Royal Winery in Topola, which is an excellent example of presentation of local products to groups of tourists, and they saw the historical heritage (and most attractive tourist destination in the region) of St George church and mausoleum of royal dynasty of Karadjordjevic.

During the official meetings partners discussed the progress of the work packages on Local Strategies, of the Status Quo reports and the next steps within the project. There was also a session for the local stakeholders within the walkshop organized by Regional Economic Development Agency for Šumadija and Pomoravlje from Kragujevac, Serbia. The director of the agency Nenad Popović presented the project and the regional situation in the field of sustainable tourism. There were also representatives of national institutions present at the event: Biljana Filipović from the Ministry of Ecology, Slobodan Petrovič from the Development agency Serbia and Aleksandar Denda from the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications. Prof. Ulrike Pröbstl-Haider from BOKU University from Vienna presented tourism concepts and pointed out the importance of unique and authentic tourist experiences in certain destinations.

The first bilateral meeting in Plovdiv, Bulgaria took place in the middle of June. The area was visited by representatives of Regional Economic Development Agency for Šumadija and Pomoravlje from Kragujevac, Serbia. Within the “critical classroom” partners analysed strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of Plovdiv area and the region of Šumadija and Pomoravlje. The next bilateral study visit will take place in Slovenia in September 2017 and LAG Central Istria will host the next multilateral meeting in Pazin.