ACTION PLAN

OF THE BSEC WORKING GROUP

ON COOPERATION IN TOURISM

1 July 2020 - 30 June 2022

Country-Coordinator: ROMANIA

1.  GENERAL OBJECTIVES:

The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, through its wide range of activities, as well as its structure, is a useful framework for dialogue and fostering mutual trust between Member States, thus preparing the ground for a possible viable engagement in more ambitious projects. In this regard, the BSEC Anniversary Summit in Istanbul (22 May 2017) reaffirmed the joint commitment to promote pragmatic, project-oriented cooperation for the common good.

The current economic and social dynamics affected by Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, engaged in a top-down plan, have strongly influenced the tourism sector. In this regard, the need to accelerate and strengthen international cooperation has been noted, which is proving to be vital in ensuring the effective reduction and control of the novel coronavirus. Therefore, the tourism industry must provide solid solutions, assess the public health risks and find optimal solutions, involving each part of the tourism value chain - public bodies, private companies and tourists, in accordance with international rules and regulations.

Taking into consideration the Goal 8 or the "BSEC Economic Agenda: "Development of Tourism and Protection of Cultural Heritage" also giving prior attention to the sustainability of tourism in promoting economic developments, investments, mutual understanding and cultural exchange we would like to submit the following Plan of Action which is believed to present an applicable framework and forms a firm basis for further developing our co-worker position in the tourism field and to explore the possibilities for future cooperation in the region for the period 2020-2022:

- Supporting the goal of promoting the BSEC Region as one of the leading tourism destinations of the world.

- Encouraging dialogue in order to promote sustainable tourism development by adopting green growth strategies that will enable economic expansion while preserving natural and cultural heritage in the BSEC Member States

- Analyzing the possibility of promoting joint marketing campaigns of the BSEC Member States, by participating in international tourism exhibitions, fairs and festivals, where new tourism packages for the BSEC Region could be promoted

- Promoting digitalization of the BSEC Member States cultural heritage, as well as the use or artificial intelligence, augmented reality/virtual reality for:

  • identifying and exploring new forms of tourism
  • capitalizing the existent cultural heritage into digital archives and databases
  • limiting and redirecting tourist flows evenly in the Black Sea basin destinations, in the context of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic

-             Sustaining the creation and implementation of Cultural tourism routes projects in the Black Sea Region

-             Facilitating not only the exchange of statistical information on tourism activities of the BSEC Member States, but also updated information regarding best practices for reducing the Sars-Cov-2 negative impact on the tourism sector

-             Discussing the opportunities which derive from the possibility of creating and implementing joint projects and actions particularly in the field of cruise tourism, which has not yet been sufficiently discovered and promoted at international level, by promoting yacht and cruise destinations in Black Sea Region.

-             Creating regional hubs and clusters on gastronomy and wine tourism, film-induced tourism as high-value forms of special interest tourism and niche tourism areas of rural tourism, agro tourism and maritime tourism, which could maximize the regional dimension of the cooperation in the field of tourism among the BSEC Member States.

  • -Fostering harmonization of the actions discussed and implemented from the BSEC perspective, drawing concrete and unitary lines of action, leading to the re-launching of tourism activity after the crisis caused by Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, in safe conditions for tourists, which rebuild the trust of tourist products/ services consumers.

 

2.   LIST OF ACTIVITES AND JOINT PROJECTS:

a) Activities (planned and ongoing)

Organizing the High-Level Dignitaries Meeting "BSEC Meeting of Ministers in Charge of Tourism", Bucharest, June 2022

b) Joint projects (planned and ongoing)

Consideration of a possibility to start a Project on Development of Cruise Tourism based on Fast Track Cooperation;

  • Creation of a common cruise product which will unite the Black Sea region ports.
  • Promotion of Yacht and Cruise Destinations in Black Sea Region

  Design of the Project "Joint initiative to promote common tourist products in Black Sea Region".

  • Creation of joint tourist products of:

Gastronomy, wine tourism and film-induced tourism;

Cultural tourism;

Rural, agro, maritime tourism

Exhibitions, tourism fairs and other events with regard to active types of tourism

Consideration of possibility of organizing a Joint Meeting with the Working Group on Culture to undertake other projects on Cultural tourism/ Cultural routes.

c) Draft Agreements/MoUs (title, subject, stage of elaboration)

3.    PRIORITIES FOR PDF FUNDING:

In accordance with the decision of the Working Group on Cooperation in Tourism (Yalta, 28February 2013), the priorities of the Working Group for PDF funding are: new tourist products and routes; research; education and training; marketing and promotion.

4.    MEETINGS OF THE WORKING GROUP:

Given the grave impact of COVID-19 and the heavy restrictions on movement and travel imposed as a result, meetings will be held via videoconference, as long as the epidemiological situation requires it. Accordingly, the list of activities (dates and venues) is provisional and will be updated in consultations with BSEC PERM IS and the Chairmanship-in-Office as appropriate.

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

  1. Second semester 2020: videoconference - elaboration of a possible common platform/ framework for cooperation to ensure a safe and gradual renewal and recovery of the tourism activities among the BSEC Member States
  2. First semester 2021: videoconference(s) - on-going consideration of the possible platform /agreement on solidarity and cooperation in tourism of the BSEC Member States in the face of the challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic
  3. Second semester 2021 - meeting of the WG: consideration of the on-going projects
  4. First semester 2022 - meeting of the WG: consideration and approval of the evaluation report of the Country-Coordinator

 

5.   MINISTERIAL MEETINGS:

"BSEC Meeting of Ministers in Charge of Tourism", Bucharest, June 2022 –

6.   RELEVANT EVENTS:

7.  COOPERATION WITH OTHER BSEC BODIES:

a) Other Working Groups:

 BSEC Working Group on Culture - Consideration of Cultural tourism / Cultural routes projects .

8. COOPERATION WITH BSEC OBSERVERS AND PARTNERS:

Close cooperation with UNWTO, which is reflected in many joint efforts and initiatives, should continue to enhance and further expand.

To harness the potential of cultural tourism, WG will step up cooperation with the Secretariat of the Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, on activities and issues of common interest.

 

9. COOPERATION WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

In addition to the above, the WG, under the country - coordination of Romania, will continue to promote and develop cooperation with all other interested regional and international organizations.

ANNEX I

LIST OF REPRESENTATIVES/NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS*

Mihaela PARTECA

Head of Office

Tourism International Re!ations and European Affairs Office

Ministry of Economy, Business Environment and Tourism

 e-mail: mihaela.parteca@mturism.ro

 

Laurentiu CIUTURA

Counsellor

Tourism International Relations and European Affairs Office

Ministry of Economy, Business Environment and Tourism

e-mail: laurentiu.ciutura@mturism.ro

 

Steliana COJOCARIU

Counsellor

Tourism International Relations and European Affairs Office

Ministry of Economy, Business Environment and Tourism

e-mail: steliana.cojocariu@mturism.ro

 

. * (the 16th Council, Belgrade 2007, recommended the Member States to appoint representatives to the Working Groups on a long tenn basis who will attend the successive meetings for as long as possible and act as their national contact points in respective Groups)