Joint Development of Cultural tourism for sustainable growth in regions Municipality of Maribor, Slovenia MUNICIPALITY OF MARIBOR SLOVENIA

Joint Development of Cultural tourism for sustainable growth in regionsMunicipality of Maribor, Slovenia

MUNICIPALITY OF MARIBOR SLOVENIA

www.maribor.si

http://www.nd-mb.si/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=uploads%2Ftx_ukevents1%2FRichard_Tognetti_umetniski_vodja_foto_Paul_Henderson_Kelly__2__02.jpg&width=600m&height=400m&bodyTag=%3CBODY%20bgColor%3Dblack%3E&wrap=%3CA%20href%3D%22javascript%3Aclose%28%29%3B%22%3E%20%7C%20%3C%2FA%3E&md5=8bcd6dd87769f75ea021ab92cd34afdc


Bruxelles 1200 kmBerlin 980 km

Budapest 500kmWien 255 km

Paris 1300 km

Roma 880 km

MARIBOR

Municipality of Maribor

-115.000 inhabitants (180.000 with surroundings)

- 2nd largest town in Slovenia

- located at the junction of Slovenian, German and Hungarian cultures

- once the second most important industrial centre in the country faced in 1990s the breakdown on the industry and loss of city’s identity


Cooperation in the field of new tourist destinations:

- Since 2004 more intensively in joint EU projects with partners from Hungary, Croatia and Austria

- international cooperation

- networking

- best practise

- wider knowledge of EU programming documents

- better possibilities for sustainable development




Joint project Via Urbium (town road):

- part-financed by Neighbourhood Programme INTERREG IIIA Slovenia/Hungary/Croatia 2004-2006

- invites to visit Maribor (Slovenia), Szombathely (Hungary) and Varaždin (Croatia), all towns part of the same historical, geographical and cultural framework

- cross border impact: advance the recognition factor of the entire region, independently of country borders.

Goal: bring tourism and heritage professionals together, build closer cooperation between governments, tourism and heritage organisations and tourist companies



Results:

- newly planned programs and joint development management of tourist destinations of the three Middle Age towns

- better understanding between the peoples and human contacts of three neighbouring countries

- encouraged commercial and civic groups to create partnerships promoting cultural heritage at the local community level

- possibility to exchange information and experiences - educational and entertaining (cultural tourism, gastronomic delights, wellness tourism)

- traditions of regions seen also from inhabitants as a competitive advantage for newly emerged tourist destinations

- promotion of rich diversity of regional heritage - greater appreciation of our common European roots and culture



Promotional activities and materials:

• brochures with programs for three day visits to each of the towns and their cultural heritage, such as “Step along VIA URBIUM” for individuals and“VIA URBIUM Three towns in one trip” for travel agencies. • posters with the slogan »One way, three cities, three countries«• film about the three Middle Age towns • workshops for tourist agencies, guides, tourist information centre staff, tourist providers• tourist centre equipment with bicycles • improved tourist signalisation for the visitors



Objective of Via Urbium: increase competitiveness of the whole region in order to optimize the contribution of tourism to regional economic development and employment.

Beneficiaries: tourist providers companies, services, inhabitants of the regions.

Emphasis of the project:

- historical cores, cultural heritage and natural attractions

- festival and gastronomic offers

- travel programs tailored to the interests of the individual consumer

- target group: visitors who rank the arts, heritage and cultural activities as one of the top five reasons for travelling



Committee on Culture and Education (Conclusions Doc.11580):

Advantages of individual tourism cannot be easily quantified in economic terms, they are important as cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.



Maribor, candidate for European Capital of Culture 2012

Main challenge: ensure faster transformation of the former industrial town into a cultural destination by cultural heritage and artistic creativity.

Potential for cultural tourism as a leading tourism discipline:• central geographic location in an archaeological area • medieval city centre• own university• public cultural infrastructure (theatre hall, concert halls, galleries)• modern cultural programmes• culinary tradition• tourist and sports infrastructure




Cultural infrastructure:• renovation of immovable cultural heritage• revitalisation of buildings in old city centre • establish a funding system for the renovation of privately owned buildings to ensure their adaptation• improve the appearance of neglected public squares

Additional infrastructure:• accommodation and catering facilities• improved public transport and alternative transport solutions (cycling routes, river transport)




Raise :

- cultural awareness

- participation of cultural institutions, artists and other cities in the region

- interest for historic, cultural and natural attractions as well as the industrial heritage

- long-term cultural and social development of the city

for citizens living in Maribor and five other Slovenian towns (participating as partners).




Mobility of artists and professionals across national borders in culture beginning with the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008

Festival Maribor 2008 – newly created international festival as an overture to the candidature for development of cultural tourism destination:

- boost quality tourism in the region

- attract tourists from European Union Member States and other countries

- promote intercultural dialogue on a global level with European classical music, Roma musical heritage, Aboriginal and Arabic music

- communicate diversity of cultures

- strengthen the cultural cooperation among 200 participating artists from Europe and other countries




Developing cultural tourism by Festival Maribor 2008 activities:

- Attract professionals from agencies who deal with cultural tourism destinations to include the festival offer in their programmes from 2009 and beyond

- BBC Worldwide is recording the music from Festival Maribor 2008 in television series called “Classical Destinations”

- Stimulate through the Festivals events people’s interest to overcome their fear of the unknown and accept diversity

- Attract stationary visitors from Europe and other countries



Festival Maribor 2008

- Own production and unique programmes

- Introduction of an orchestra-in–residence

- Integrating new programme contents into the space and time in which we live

- Emotional communication of different types of music should become “the education of the heart” as a value of the European citizenship open to the world



“Only through art we can get outside of ourselves and know another’s view of the universe”

Marcel Proust



Thank you for your attention!

MUNICIPALITY OF MARIBOR, Sloveniawww.maribor.si

Contacts:Gordana Kolesarič

[email protected]: +386 2 2201 457


Documents

Joint Development of Cultural tourism for sustainable growth in regions Municipality of Maribor, Slovenia MUNICIPALITY OF MARIBOR SLOVENIA