“This project opened the door to new cross-border initiatives and cooperation between the partners, while giving the local population and tourism experts a chance to create the new tourism offer and experiences using the under-exploited resources”, said Andrija Brkljačić, director of the Public Institution Development Agency of Lika-Senj County - LIRA, at the beginning of the Excover Final High-Level Event in Gospić. LIRA greeted the representatives of many project partner organizations, while others joined via Zoom platform.
Sustainability and protection of heritage
The final event and its opening conference was an opportunity to present the main project results and findings, with a look forward, to the future, where all conducted activities and analyses, designed tools and tour packages, could be capitalized. The future for this kind of projects and cross-border cooperation is the IPA Adrion Programme 2021-2027 within EUSAIR strategy, which will encourage the synergy between Italy and Croatia, at the same time maintaining the focus on the sustainability of tourism and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. This was confirmed by Lodovico Gherardi, coordinator of the Managing Authority Unit Adriatic Ionian Programme Emilia-Romagna Region, as well as Marin Miletić, representative of ETC Programme MA.
Two-day adventure and excovering
Through Excover project, like all other partners, LIRA designed tour packages that will be tested by the participants within the two-day adventure in Lika-Senj County. Today, after the formal part and all presentations, participants went on a tour of excovering Memorial Centre “Dr. Ante Starčević”, visiting the birthplace of a famous Croatian politician, known as a father of the homeland, and finishing the tour in Memorial Centre Nikola Tesla in Smiljan, where they find out everything about famous scientists early life and his inventions.
The second day of the Excover Final High Level Event in Gospić brought the best of active tourism in this area. LIRA as the lead partner was a great host to all participants on one of the last days of the project, so everyone could choose the order and intensity of interesting tours. Visiting the vast cave, slow driving and sightseeing on the raft, and tasting one of the best brandies in Croatia - were the main experiences of this adventure.
What Lika-Senj has to offer to tourist?
Firstly, there was a visit to the Cave Park Grabovača and a descent into the Samograd Cave, which has 474 handmade stairs, with a length of 345,8 meters and an average temperature of 8 degrees Celsius. This chilly and refreshing tour was a great introduction to the more casual part, where all participants got to know Stilanova Lika distillery, which for the 5 generations produces brandies out of fruit, at the same time combining it with the fruit growing and tourism. The tasting of brandy was accompanied by tasty dried meat products, cheese and traditional pies.
Although Lika-Senj region is the perfect location for producing high-quality plums and other fruits, it is also a great place for adventure - this was proved at the raft drive on the river Lika, where all participants soaked up the beautiful nature on the way to Kruščica lake, which is 80 meters deep and protected by one of a kind dry stone wall dam.
The shared experience of this two-day Final event was the apposite wrap-up of the whole project Excover, which was grown to the heart of every partner organization.
