On 13–14 August 2026, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa organised and hosted a peer review visit within the project People Powered Tourism: empowerment of local communities through co-designing experience based transformative travel to enhance visitor economy.
The aim of the visit was to give project partners the opportunity to visit the pilot locations and “test” the pilot projects developed under the project – the urban area of Bistrets neighbourhood and the rural area of Zgorigrad village. The visit brought together project partners from Hungary – BURST Non-profit Ltd., Romania – Brasov Metropolitan Agency for Sustainable Development, and Moldova – City Hall of Chișinău. A representative of the Bulgarian associated project partner, Vratsa District Administration, also actively participated in the visit.
During the first day, the partners followed the “Hidden Valley journey” route in Zgorigrad village. They took part in a hike along the Borov Kamak eco-trail, during which they learned interesting facts about the biodiversity of the region. The guide engaged by CCI Vratsa also shared information about the ways in which visitors can contribute to the preservation of local plant and animal species.
The second stop on the route was “Probuda 1926” Community Centre in the centre of the village, where the partners joined representatives of the local community, including members of the “Romantika” Seniors’ Club, for a practical cooking workshop. Participants prepared traditional Zgorigrad-style lyutika and learned the authentic local recipe used to make it. The route concluded with the planting of flowers in the “Garden of the world” in front of the community centre.
The second day of the visit began with the first stop on the “Path of Traditions” route in Bistrets neighbourhood – the St. Ivan Pusti Monastery. During the visit, the partners learned more about the history of the monastery and its significance as a cultural and religious centre in the past. The guide engaged by CCI Vratsa also highlighted its present-day role and the ways in which local communities contribute to preserving it as a living part of local heritage.
The visit continued in the centre of Bistrets neighbourhood, where representatives of „Probuda 1931“ Community Centre and the „Zdravets“ Seniors’ Club had prepared a culinary demonstration for the partners. Each participant took part in preparing traditional beans cooked in a clay pot, kneading bread, and making a meat-free version of lyutika. The working visit concluded at the local “Garden of the world”, where each of the partners planted a flower.
The People Powered Tourism project 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 a “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, highlighting the importance of human relationships, local identities and personalised experiences that bring added value to the local economy.
