On 20 and 27 June 2026, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa held the second stakeholder meetings in the pilot locations – Bistrets neighborhood, and the village of Zgorigrad under the project “People Powered Tourism: Building Sustainable Models in Support of the Local Economy” /People Powered Tourism – PPT/, funded by the Interreg Danube Region Programme 2021–2027.
The partnership includes 14 organisations from 10 countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe and is led by the Municipality of Szeged, Hungary. The project addresses contemporary challenges in tourism by introducing the “visitor economy” model – an economy that places visitors and local communities at the centre of development. This approach turns people into the main driver of sustainable development and highlights the importance of human relationships, local identities, and personalised experiences that bring added value to the local economy.
The two events aimed at further developing the already prepared concepts for tourist services and collecting ideas for their piloting in the following month. To track the progress achieved so far, an Innovation Flowchart was used, helping to visualise the results and the next steps. The tool was also applied as a practical working framework, through which participants identified the people, skills, activities, and financial resources needed for the successful development of the pilot initiative.
The results of the group work were jointly discussed, allowing each participant to share additional recommendations, ideas, and suggestions.
The meetings contributed to a clearer structuring of the future tourist services, placing emphasis on practical work, local potential, and active stakeholder involvement.
