On 4 and 5 August 2026, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa held the third stakeholder meetings in the pilot locations of Bistrets neighbourhood (Vratsa) and Zgorigrad village within the project “People Powered Tourism: empowerment of local communities through co-designing experience based transformative travel to enhance visitor economy”, funded under the Interreg Danube Region Programme (DRP) 2021–2027.
The two events aimed to present the results of the pilot testing of local tourism services and to actively involve representatives of the local communities in their further improvement. Through individual worksheets (questionnaires), participants shared their views on the pilot testing and considered ways in which the concepts could become more attractive, relevant and useful.
The results of the individual work were then discussed jointly, giving each participant the opportunity to provide additional recommendations, ideas and suggestions for improving the pilot projects.
The meetings contributed to the further development and refinement of the tourism services already created within the project, with particular emphasis on communication and cooperation between the participating organisations and local communities, effective organisation, and the appropriate allocation of time and responsibilities.
The partnership brings together 14 organisations from 10 countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe and is led by the Municipality of Szeged (Hungary). The project addresses contemporary challenges in tourism by introducing a “visitor economy” model that places visitors and local communities at the heart of development. This approach recognises people as a key driver of sustainable development and highlights the importance of human connections, local identities and personalised experiences that generate added value for the local economy.
