Transfrontier Tourism Development and Promotion Network in Ivano-Frankivsk Region of Ukraine and Maramures County of Romania

The project successfully established and opened the Ecotourism Visitor Center in Yaremche region.
The Ecotourism Visitor Centre demonstrates the areas attractiveness and promotes visitor sites in the area by providing a unique ecotourism interpretation facility that translates the local inspiration and environment concepts into a format that attracts interests and inspires visitors. The Visitor Centre and related services are organized around three areas: 1) visitor information services (information point of the first floor of the building) servicing the needs of tourists (information, tourist brokerage services, on-site promotion etc) and promotion of local tourist facilities); 2) visitor interpretation facilities (Interactive Museum Exhibition on the first floor of the building with audio and visual facilities based around local themes (promoting nature, wildlife, people, history and culture). Additionally, the Centre provides the multilingual demonstration film in the cinema hall (on the second floor of the building; 3) retailing area dedicated to the sale of border areas wide merchandising and travel related products (souvenirs, promotional literature, video products etc).

The tourism information was gathered and placed online under www.travelcarpathians.com.

Ukrainian-Romanian resource centre was set up providing information of activities of Romanian counterparts. Project procured informational touch screen kiosks and placed in 8 locations making local travel related information available for travelers on-site. 2 study tours and 2 trainings were conducted.

4 joint Romanian-Ukrainian tours developed and handed over to local trade for further usage and operations. Manual on ecotourism product development was prepared and disseminated between tourist operators on both border sides. Marketing research of potential markets was conducted and business attitude survey performed. Promotion multilingual materials (pocket guides, four tours promotional brochure, border area walking map, leaflets and posters produced and disseminated.

Joint participation in 4 international and national tourist shows provided. 12 international travel writers participated in the familiarization trip conducted to two regions. As a result 7 promotional articles (the total size of 24 full pages) were published in international travel magazines distributed in around 180000 copies. The first international Carpathian ecotourism forum was organized. The preliminary feasibility study for new border pass opening prepared and lobbying campaign conducted.