Potentials of a cross-border region as a part of an economic development strategy

The final conference of the project “FORT-NET – from medieval fortifications in Herzegovina to Austro-Hungarian fortifications in Montenegro”, funded by the European Union, was held on Tuesday, 28 September 2021 in Ljubuški. The project has improved the conditions for creating a sustainable tourist offer based on cultural heritage located on the outskirts of urban centers and in rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Through the planned project activities, such as: mapping and interpretation of the tourist offer, preparation of study documentation for the identification of key trails, arrangement of access trails, archaeological research, conservation and restoration works, educational activities, etc., the quality and diversity of the tourist offer based on cultural heritage was improved. The visibility of the joint product, which will be managed by local tourist organizations in Boka and Herzegovina, has been strengthened in terms of marketing with a joint tourist brochure, website and mobile application.

“Through the implementation of the” FORT NET “project, valuable medieval fortifications in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austro-Hungarian fortifications in Montenegro were promoted and arranged. In order to promote the project and the entire tourist offer based on the cultural heritage of the cross-border area, tools have been developed that will contribute to better informing tourists. The realization of this project has enabled the further development of the site for the purpose of final valorisation, “said Vedran Markotić, Mayor of Ljubuški.

During the implementation of the project, cultural and natural heritage were systematically listed, and a new tourist offer was created and promoted. Also, cross-border cooperation between the bearers of activities in this region has been improved and the awareness of the local population about the importance of comprehensive cross-border exchange has been raised.

The total value of the project is over 470,000 euros, of which the European Union has funded about 400,000 euros. The implementation of the project officially began on October 1, 2019, and the implementation lasted 24 months. The project was implemented by the city of Ljubuški, and the partners were the Public Institution Development Agency ŽZH – HERAG, the Center for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI) and the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro (NTO).

Source: IPA II CBC Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro programme website