- Lead Partner - Municipality of Prespa - Address: Laimos, GR 53077 Greece
- info@holywater.gr
Specifically approved at Priority axis:
Development and Support of Local Economy and Specific Objective: Improve the attractiveness and promote tourism in the cross-border area to enhance employment in tourism.
The total budget of HOLYWATER is 734.821,20 €.
Project
Brief Summary
Brief SummaryThe project is an effort of integrated approach of tourism development in the cross-border area of Prespa through the promotion of cultural and environmental resources.
The project partners are, by the nature of their operation and activities, key factors managers of tourism development in the area and collectively address the common challenge of touristic development.
The expected change is the drastic improvement of the conditions of the visitors’ contact with the cultural heritage and environment of Prespa. The easy and accessible to all information provision about the monuments and the points of interest and the interconnection of monasteries in a footpath network contribute to this.
An electronic platform with augmented reality applications and electronic maps marking all the points of interest of the visitors, as well as a 3D virtual tour of specific monuments will be created.
In the region of Resen, five important monasteries are connected in a footpath network, horticultural arrangements are made and a church is restored.
In Laimos, a visiting space is formulated with the pursue of the proper equipment and an educational game and a video presentation of Prespa are created, whereas in Agios Germanos the Byzantine collection will operate with original items and a video presentation of the byzantine heritage of Prespa.
Important promotion activities are the invitation of expertised tour operators, the implementation of an exhibition for the cultural heritage of the cross-border area, the realization of lake visits of educational nature with solar vessels, the organisation of cultural events for the promotion of local products and the development of promotional material.
Innovative is the application of 3D presentation of St. German church and of the Hospital of Rebels, the promotion of which is expected to take large dimension.
Added value of the project are the presentation of all the elements for culture and natural environment of Prespa, the access to monasteries through a footpath network and the creation of new visiting places. Another significant element that can create a new dynamics is the hosting of expertised tour operators.
This coherent set of activities organises the whole information for the visitor, giving the opportunity to know in depth the history, the culture and the natural environment of Prespa.
Interreg IPA CBC Programme ”Greece –Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020”
About the programme
Interreg IPA CBC
The Interreg IPA CBC Programme ”Greece –Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020” is a cross-border cooperation Programme co-financed by the European Union under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II).
The strategy statement of the Programme is “to enhance territorial cohesion by improving living standards and employment opportunities holding respect to the environment and by using the natural resources for upgrading of the tourism product”. The total budget of the Programme for the period 2014-2020 is 45.470.066,00 €.
Project
Objectives
ObjectivesThe overall objective of the project is the organisation of all the cultural, environmental and touristic information concerning the cross-border area of Prespa with the use of new technologies. Through this, the project intends to:
- organise the cultural, environmental and touristic information addressed to the visitors of the cross-border area,
- give to the visitors the possibility to follow specific and suggested thematic routes or to make their own visiting schedule to the monuments and the visiting places in the area,
- develop a network of new services for the visitors and to reinforce the producers of local products that can address to the visitors for their selling,
- electronically ‘’restore’’ the form of important monuments, such as the basilica of St. Achilleus and the Rebels’ Hospital, in order to give to the visitors the full picture of the monuments,
- unify the touristic product of the cross-border area in an electronic platform, which will assist the exploitation of the brand name of Prespa that – despite its power – has not been exploited at cross-border level and beyond.
Other important objectives are:
- To create new thematic paths, like the footpath connection of the monasteries in Resen region, which contributes to the touristic and cultural exploitation of the cultural monuments of the area.
- To reinforce the touristic product of the area with the creation of new visiting spaces (Byzantine collection of Agios Germanos and Laimos Library).
- To exploit the cultural heritage providing information about the monuments of the area (also for disabled people), the collection of byzantine icons and the visits to the monasteries in Resen region.
- To create a new touristic wave in the sector of environmental tourism, inviting expertised tour operators.
- Promotion of local products through cultural events promoting beans.
- To boost and further develop environmental and religious tourism in the area of Prespa.
Project co-funded by the European Union and national funds of the participating countries
This webpage has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of the webpage are the sole responsibility of Municipality of Prespa and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union, the participating countries and the Managing Authority.