The year 2020 behind us will surely be remembered as a period with a lot of uncertainties and difficulties. Despite that, our cluster continued with all the planned activities. We are especially pleased that we have managed to successfully implement another project, despite these aggravating circumstances. “Diversification of economic activities in rural areas of Southeast Europe through value chain development” was the name of the project financed by the SWG RRD (together in partnership with German GIZ) in which all planned activities were realized.
The project included our cluster members, namely d.o.o. Komovi (Hotel Komovi) and d.o.o. B.G. (Eco Katun Stavna). The aim of the project was to help and improve the business environment of these cluster members in the long run. The plan also included the improvement of the tourist product in the municipality of Andrijevica, diversification of offer, improvement of environmental protection, improvement of sales, increase of income – thus increasing employment. The desire was to increase the consumption of locally produced raw materials / products by increasing turnover, which should in turn foster economic ties in the “value chain”.
We surely hope that investments like these will further boost tourism, among other things by encouraging the local population to engage in tourism and related activities. We see any investment in the tourism sector and capacity expansion as a step in reducing the outflow of population or depopulation. There is no doubt that the tourist season this year has seriously miscarried due to the pandemic, so it is obvious that the results expected by realization of this project should be waited until the recovery of the tourist sector / end of the pandemic.
The total value of the project was € 20,260.00, of which 60% (excluding VAT) was provided by the donor SWG (together with German GIZ) while the rest was provided by the Tourist Cluster. The project provided procurement of the following items: 80 chairs for a restaurant, 6 armchairs and 3 pull-out sofas for rooms, 2 sofas and 4 two-seaters for the cafe, 44 liquid soap dispensers for rooms, 3 devices for warm storage of food for the buffet , then there was 3 bicycles with helmets and 6 pairs of snowshoes for the needs of Eko Katuna Štavna.
