Support to promotion of structures of widespread hospitality in the Drina Valley

 

Areas of intervention

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Drina Valley, Municipality of Foča

To improve the tourist attractiveness of Drina Valley rural territories through the promotion of a sustainable tourist offer and the participation of civil society organizations

Association Kallipolis, lead partner (Italy), Municipality of Foča,Sutjeska National Park (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Region Friuli Venezia Giulia

May 2012 – November 2013

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As one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s oldest National Parks, Sutjeska attracts with its untouched nature and remarkable history. Despite of that, the area is strongly affected by a stagnant economy and poverty. Family economy in this area is based on livestock farming, agriculture and dairy production, where old-fashioned rural traditions are still in use.

Part of the old-fashioned tradition still in use are katuns,traditional rural buildings used during the summer to produce the mountain cheese.

This traditional building holds great potential for tourism, which for now stands unused.

Oxfam Italia with its partners, through this pilot project, will introduce new form of sustainable tourism evolving around traditional architecture of katuns.

Foreseen activities include the improvement of knowledge on traditional rural settlements and buildings and of their usage (through the mapping of traditional rural houses, analysis of their characteristics, definition of guidelines for katuns renovation to be included in the Development and Conservation Plan of Sutjeska National Park), the enhancement of capacities related to scattered hospitality management in rural areas and re-building two katuns as the sample case.