Workshop on NGO participation
in decision making on tourism development: Advocacy and campaigning
Dobarsko and Govedartzi, Rila Mountains, Bulgaria
October 22 – 25, 2007
Invitation
In many locations in Central and Eastern Europe, tourism development has clearly exceeded the carrying capacity and led to dramatic consequences for both, nature and people. However, good examples do exist, which show that tourism may indeed contribute to a harmonised co-existence of man and nature – if implemented in a sustainable manner.
NGOs have a role to play in both, advocating sustainable tourism and preventing those tourism activities that do not meet sustainable development criteria. Looking around in Central and Eastern Europe it becomes evident that NGOs do not tap their
full potential in this field. The workshop of the CEEweb Sustainable Tourism Working Group aims to strengthen NGOs in their activities. It wants particularly to achieve the following goals:
Main objectives of the workshop:
- Build capacity of NGOs in the field of sustainable tourism, campaigning and advocacy
- Share experiences among NGOs in CEE/SEE in running successful campaigns in the field of Sustainable Tourism
- Build a network of NGOs that will facilitate advocacy for sustainable tourism development across CEE/SEE
- Support Bulgarian NGOs in developing a campaigning plan for protecting Rila National Park from mass tourism development on its territory
Who should participate? The workshop will be useful for those NGO representatives from Central and Eastern Europe that have experience in sustainable tourism development, but would like to acquire more skills and knowledge in the field of advocacy and campaigning. It will also be useful for activists, who need to get insight into sustainable tourism specifics when campaigning.
The workshop will take place in Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. The participants should arrive to Sofia on Sunday, October 21st. From there, transport to Dobarsko village – the location of the first meeting days - will be organised. On October 23 the participants will have a field trip (meetings with national park administration, investors and local community). Afterwards, the meeting will be continued at Govedartzi village. After the closure of the meeting in the evening of October 25th the participants can leave to Sofia either on the same day in the evening, or next day. Transport will be organised. More information is provided in a Logistics Note, available from September 24.
Participation costs will be covered for selected participants. Tickets will be reimbursed upon arrival. Accommodation and meals will be provided for the participants.
Deadline for registration is September 30. The registration form is available for download. Please check if you need visa to enter Bulgaria and if you do, inform us as early as possible, so that we can organise support. If the number of participants will exceed the places available, the participants will be selected based on their potential to apply the knowledge acquired at the workshop back in their organisations. The meeting will be conducted in English language; therefore conversational knowledge of English for participation in the workshop is a must.
Agenda of the meeting is available for download.
For more information please contact Katarzyna Ososinska, CEEweb, by e-mail kasia@ceeweb.org, tel. +36 1 398 0135; or Jordanka Dineva, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, by e-mail dan4e@gbg.bg, tel. +359 2 9316183.
We are looking forward to seeing you in Bulgaria! |
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Downloads:
Preliminary Agenda
Registration form
This invitation in PDF
Flash Mob “For Rila”, 29 August 2007, Sofia
The 'singing and dancing grannies' at Dobarsko
If Super Borovets project is implemented, a cable car will connect Markudjicite peak to Samokov town
Photos are taken from: http://tropot.net/photoblog/index.php, iesr.ac.uk/events/2006/06/14/, http://www.holiday-truth.com/gallery/Borovec/P1020049. |
