An educational workshop / training was held for tourism service providers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro on the topic of “Creating experiences and experiences of culture through tourism on the example of the thematic product” Roads of History: Austro-Hungarian fortresses “.

Within the cross-border project “From medieval fortresses in Herzegovina to Austro-Hungarian fortresses in Montenegro (FORT-NET)”, funded by the European Union, from 2 to 4 June 2020. An educational workshop / training for tourism service providers from Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina was held in Herceg Novi on the topic “Creating experiences and experiences of culture through tourism on the example of the thematic product” Roads of History: Austro-Hungarian Fortress “.

The workshop, organized by the Center for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI) from Podgorica (CG), is intended for mountaineering and city guides, travel agencies and local tourism organizations from Boka and Herzegovina. The workshop participants were introduced to the latest trends in the creation of cultural and tourist tours and techniques of interpretive guidance, in order to improve the quality of experiences and experiences of the destination.

During the workshop, one of the results of the project was presented, the future cultural tourism product “Roads of History: Austro-Hungarian Fortress”, which should be handed over to the tourism market by Montenegrin project partners, CSTI Montenegro and the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro. According to the needs of modern tourists, this product will be used to interpret European cultural and military heritage, parts of the defense system of the border fortress along the former southern Austro-Hungarian border with the Kingdom of Montenegro in Boka and Trebinje.

This product is intended for domestic and foreign visitors, lovers of military themes and history, recreationists in nature. So far, three of the five thematic tourist routes with interpretation boards and tourist signals in Boka and Trebinje have been formed for them. The lead partner of the project, the City of Ljubuški, in partnership with the Public Institution Development Agency ŽZH-HERAG, similarly valorizes the Herzegovinian medieval civil and military architectural heritage. The visibility of the joint product will be strengthened in marketing by a joint tourist brochure, website and mobile application. Minor conservation and restoration works were carried out on the Old Town of Ljubuški, which include the construction of missing walls and parapets, grouting and strengthening of the walls, and skating works.

The project “From Medieval Fortresses in Herzegovina to Austro-Hungarian Fortresses in Montenegro (FORT-NET)” is implemented within the cross-border program Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro, within the EU instrument of pre-accession assistance IPA. The project started with the implementation in 2019 and is being realized during 24 months. The total value of the project is EUR 470,079.65.

The project is implemented by the City of Ljubuški, in partnership with the Public Institution of the West Herzegovina County Development Agency (HERAG), the Center for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI) from Montenegro and the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro (NTOCG).