From 8th to 12th June 2018, a cross-border Crafts Festival was held in Burgas. It was the last event  of the  Project: Partnership for Creative Cultural Tourism (iCREATE) started on 21.03.2017.

Festival started with meeting of artisans and craftsmen who exchanged good practices. During the event was presented an on- line web page www.bgtr-icreate.eu, developed by the project, where every craftsmen or artisan can make registration of his workshop, to present his products. This registration makes his workshop visible for interested tourist and tour operators and thus his workshop and demonstrations could become part of a tourist route.

Assoc. Prof. Zlatina Karadjova and  youth from YOUTH TOUR club participated in the events of the festival and also met craftsmen during a meeting of YOUTH TOUR club in Burgas. YOUTH were attracted by craft tourist routes that include craft workshops, museums, cultural sites, traditions, customs, and various festivals and exhibitions that can be visited. The project web page promoted different sites and tourist routes according to the wishes and interests of tourists. The site will attract also tour operators and tour agents who could diversify their offers.

 

On the 9th and 10th of June the citizens of Burgas and the guests of the city had the opportunity to get acquainted with Bulgarian and Turkish craftsmen and their accomplices and their works at the two-day exhibition in the center of Burgas.

In the last days of the festival, the artisans, tour operators and our representatives from YOUTH TOUR made a tour as tourists to the ethnographic complexes Genger in Aytos and Chateau Medovo, the street of crafts in Nessebar, the Cross-Border Demonstration Center in Nessebar where there is a permanent exposition of local artists and craftsmen.

Demonstrations of the masters Yavor Topalov and Atanas Orlov enchanced the interest of the young people in ancient crafts and techniques.

The cross-border children’s complex in Sredets and  Bozhura complex near Sredets offered the opportunity to try out techniques for sweeping, casting, pottery, weaving. These crafts can be studied by the children in the district of Burgas after the end of the project.

The last part of this tour ended in Malko Tarnovo and Zvezdets. Surprises and lessons of patriotism and hospitality were shown during the tour. At the “Saglasie 1905” Chitalishte – Balgarovo, the guests enjoyed an exposition of antiquities designed to preserve the heritage and to transmit traditions and crafts as well as the songs of the newly formed ensemble Balgarovo. In Malko Tarnovo the guests were served with traditional drinks by their colleague – woodcarver Milyo Barakov.

 

Mrs. Maya Stoyanova- the project manager provided us with more information about the objectives of the project “Partnership for Creative Cultural Tourism project. It was funded under the IPA INTERREG program for CBC Bulgaria-Turkey 2014-2020 and its duration is 14 months and the budget is € 84,575 EUR.

Beneficiaries of this project are the Regional Chamber of Crafts – Bourgas, Bulgaria and the Association of Amateur Artists – Kirklareli, Turkey. Leading partner is the Regional Crafts Chamber of Bourgas. With this project, the regional organization of craftsmen continues the work and builds on activities related to the successfully completed in the previous programming period project for research of crafts in the cross-border region and the possibilities for adaptation to the economic conditions.

 

Specific objective of the programme is 2.3. Increasing networking for development of sustainable tourism through cross-border cooperation initiatives

Goal

Increasing the touristic attractiveness of the Strandja cb region through reviving of its cultural heritage and its old traditions and creating needful infrastructure for applying of these traditional skills and their successfully promotion.

Project activities

• Putting the basics for networking activities between local artisans and institutions working for the protection of local culture and traditions;
• Creation of local workshops in Ertugrulkoy and Bourgas;
• Research about the local artisans products that could be integrated in tourism as cultural souvenirs;
• Training of young people in local traditional skills;
• Organizing Cross-Border Crafts Festival in Bourgas and Promotion activities
• Organization of networking meetings in Burgas and Kirklareli;

Results

• Devoped network between Bulgarian and Turkish artisans and integration of their products to the tourism sector.
• Elaborated Platform and online network between the craftsmen, developed conditions for training and practice of the local crafts in the region – equiped 6 workshops;
• Implemented trainings of young people in Burgas and Ertugrulkoy;
• Implemented two daily crafts festival in Burgas and elaborated promotional materials as a map and online web site.

 

Target groups

 

• Young people from Kirklareli and Burgas Regions and people living in the Strandjan’s rural area.
• Local craftsmen that was engaged in the project activities and recieved opportunity to promote their skills and products.