Press release COOPERATION PROGRAMME INTERREG V-A GREECE–BULGARIA 2014-2020 PROJECT“PATHWAYS FOR ACCESSIBLE HERITAGE TOURISM” ABR. “ACCESS2HERITAGE” Ref No2055 MIScode 501 88 90 Contract В2.6С.06 / 15.12.2017 PROJECT BENEFICIARY 6

The event is the first under the project and is organized by partner 6 Union of Disabled People in Bulgaria, supported by partner 9 Regional Youth Parliament Association Kurdzhali (Bulgaria) and partner 8 Ecoworld Rhodopes Association Smolyan (Bulgaria). Partners of the project are: Body of Rodopi Mountain-Range National Park (Leader); National Confederation of Disabled People (Initiator), Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia, Municipality of Volvi, Technological Educational Institute of Central Macedonia – Business Management Department from Greece; Local Economic Development Agency-Razlog from Bulgaria. The total budget of the project is 1 295 840€, and our organization’spart is 142 300€ for the implementation of the defined activities. The project has 2 years duration. The principal objective of this project is to support sustainable tourism relating to natural or cultural heritage in the Cross-Border area and to consolidate the area as an international tourist destination with an increased accessibility via and by means of a series of activities designed to support the tourist project and the spectrum of services that are associated with it. Among other things, the project aims: -for the exchange of know-how, expertise and good practices relating to the improvement of accessibility with respect to the infrastructures for natural and cultural heritage between the partners; -to sensitize local entities on the importance and potential of cultural tourism and of adopting strategies for its viable and all-inclusive planning and development; -to collect data relating to accessibility and user-friendliness for visitors with disabilities and senior citizen of the key cultural and natural resources in the area, and -towards the elaboration of a joint survey for the strategic design and planning of the branding of the CB area as an international tourist destination for senior citizens and people with special needs, offering high quality at a low to affordable cost. In this context, Access2Heritage includes of sensitization campaigns on the local-level, the organization and hosting of a festival and educational –training seminars on increased accessibility tourism. THE OPENNING CONFERECE will be live streamed at the page “ACCCESS2HERITAGE” in FACEBOOK, where there is more information about the project. Further, you can constantly get acquainted with the performance of the project activities there. See the picture Chitalishte (Culture House) “Obedinenie”