The Regional Development Fund of Western Macedonia participated in the work of the thematic event organized by the Ministry of Interior at 16/5/2019 in Serres, entitled “Greece-Bulgaria cross-border region: creating a single tourist destination”, in the framework of the implementation of the Borderless Culture project which is part of the Interreg V-A Cooperation Program “Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020”.The main topic of the event’s work was the prospects for sustainable development of cross-border tourism, through an integrated strategy for the protection, promotion and management of cultural and environmental heritage.
One of the main presentations of the event was that of the Regional Development Fund of Western Macedonia on the subject: “European good practices for the promotion of common cultural and tourism resources”, which was presented by Mr. Lazaros Lazaridis, executive of the Regional Fund and Head of the Transnational EPICAH Project “Effectiveness of policy tools for the cross-border promotion of heritage”, financed by the INTERREG EUROPE European Program.
Mr. Lazaridis, in the introduction, referred to successful examples of the application of good practices in the fields of the utilization of cultural and environmental resources and sustainable tourism development, which have been recorded in the Region of Western Macedonia, with an emphasis on the cross-border region of Kastoria and Florina. He also conveyed to the attendees the important experiences gained from the implementation of the EPICAH project, in the implementation of corresponding good practices that were developed and are 100% sustainable and usable through co-financed actions, in many cross-border areas in the European area and which have created an innovative perception regarding border tourism at the European level.
EPICAH aims to improve policy tools for the cross-border protection and development of natural and cultural heritage, through the exchange of experiences and good practices between partners with significant experience in the development of strategies, projects and actions based on cross-border cooperation processes.
