Estonia supports development of rural tourism in northern Moldova

Chisinau, 31 August /MOLDPRES/ – The local public authorities (APL), representatives of non – governmental organisations (NGOs), entrepreneurs and craftsmen from the North Region of Moldova participated in a seminar on organisation of rural events and hospitality services. The forum took place on 29 – 30 August, in Balti and Soroca, as part of a project implemented by support of the Estonian partners.

The project is carried out by North Regional Development Agency (ADR Nord) in partnership with the Tartu Pärnu College (TPC) in Estonia and the State University of Moldova (USM). The seminar agenda was supported by a group of Estonian experts.

The Estonian specialists provided info on tourism development in Estonia, told their colleagues in Moldova about the marketing of tourist services, organisation of events and development of the product within rural tourism, relying on success stories in Estonia. Also, there were presented the Event Management Guide and two case studies. The participants in the seminar were also trained in a practical exercise.

Interim Director of ADR Nord, Ion Iliev, appreciated the cooperation with the Estonian partners and estimated that it would have a valuable impact upon development of the northern region of Moldova. "The development of tourism means new jobs and more opportunities for popular craftsmen, but also for all those who want to launch business in this field. We are interested in highlighting tourist destinations in northern Moldova," said Ion Iliev.

During current week, within the visit of the Estonian delegation in Moldova, the guests visited several tourist attractions in Glodeni district, they participated in festival Art Fest, organised in village Hajdieni. Similarly, this tourist route served as a case study during the seminar, with Estonian experts providing practical observations and recommendations for optimising the route.

The Moldovan – Estonian cooperation takes place under project "Empowering women and young people by increasing their skills and competences in the field of rural events design and hospitality services". The programme has a budget of over €45 thousand and the money is provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. The project is being implemented in August 2017 – January 2019.

(Reporter L. Grubii, editor A. Raileanu)