Direct links for the projects:
Tour guides for protected areas in Bulgaria
Protected area guides for Albania
Soil perception for nature and countryside guides in protected areas
Tour guides for protected areas in Bulgaria
The current situation is characterized by the facts that protected areas serve as attractive destinations for tour operators, whereas tourists themselves often do not realize that they are hiking, biking or residing in a protected area. Additionally, the protected areas themselves do not participate very much in the monetary benefit (added value) tourism may create in a certain region.
Project objective
The main project objective is to improve this situation for both, tourists and protected areas, by the implementation of enhanced visitor guiding systems.
The following sub-goals are in the project’s focus:
- Promotion of protected areas in Bulgaria for the target group of (German) hiking tourists
- Enhancement of the visibility of protected areas for hiking tourists
- Qualification of protected areas staff members to act as nature tour guides for individual tourists and groups
- Qualification of local young adults to act as accompanying English speaking interpreters (creation of tandem-team-tour guides)
- Development and testing of a specialized internet-platform, working as an intermediate agency between tour guides and (esp. German) tourists. (This platform will not act as a tour operator, but as a tool for individual tour guide marketing.)
The project intends to generate added value on the ground by using the specialized nature-know-how of experts and staff members of protected areas who are willing and able to work as hiking tour guides besides their regular duties.
Project funding
Project partners
- BTE Tourism and Regional Consulting, Germany
- Pirin Tourism Forum, Bulgaria
- Rila Monastery Nature Park, Bulgaria
More details:
Project factsheet tour guides for protected areas in Bulgaria
Some impressions: Project photos
Online platform: www.nature-experience-bulgaria.com
www.nature-experience-bulgaria.de
Dr. Dorothe Lütkemöller
Project Management
Phone: +49 5823 9552141
Email:
Geografin Carmen Jorzik
Project Assistant
Phone: +49 1573 4040792
Email:
Protected area guides for Albania
Objective
The main objective of the project is the promotion of nature conservation and sustainable use of nature in the protected areas of Albania through improved visitor management concepts and the creation of new opportunities (added value) for local people.
By establishing a specialized nature tourism segment, especially by and for employees of protected areas, the following individual goals should be achieved:
- Assessment of existing nature protection know-how to generate income on site, as a contribution to regional development
- Increasing awareness of Albanian protected areas among German hiking tourists
- Reduction of damage to flora and fauna caused by visitors to protected areas
- Qualification of protected area employees as tour guides and nature guides for individual tourists and groups
- Long-term development of a pool of local young adults to act as accompanying English-speaking interpreters
- Development and testing of an internationally-oriented specialised website for Albanian protected area guides
Project funding
Umweltministerium des Landes Niedersachsen, Niedersächsische Staatskanzlei, Germany
Project partners
- Alfred Toepfer Akademie für Naturschutz, Germany
- Prespa National Park, Albania
More details:
Project Fact Sheet
Online platform: www.nature-experience-albania.com
www.nature-experience-albania.com
Soil perception for nature guides in protected areas
The main aim of the project is to stimulate the interest of nature guides in soils and offer further education activities for this target group, that will support them to become active and competent multiplicators for “soil as protection deserving ressource”.
Nature guides are to be motivated and supported to integrate soil aspects into their existing tour–concepts. It is assumed that the soil topic is very well appropriate to enhance the attractiveness of existing tour concepts in protected areas and thus will provide nature guides with additional benefits.
More details:
Project concept
Project funding
Heidehofstiftung, Naturpark Lüneburger Heide, Germany
