On 11 September 2026, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa held the third stakeholder meeting within the DanubeCrafts project – “Traditional Crafts Route for Sustainable Cultural Tourism Development.” The meeting took place at the St. Sofronii Vrachanski Ethnographic and National Revival Complex in Vratsa.
During the event, the current progress of the project and the upcoming activities were presented, with a focus on preserving and promoting traditional crafts and strengthening their connection with cultural tourism. The DanubeCrafts project aims to support the sustainable development of cultural tourism in the Danube Region by revitalising traditional crafts and integrating them into structured tourism offers.
Special attention was given to the Craft Development Centre in Vratsa, established within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa, its activities to date, and opportunities for further development. Initiatives related to the promotion of local crafts, the organisation of workshops and events, and the creation of new opportunities for interaction between craftspeople, local organisations, tourism stakeholders and visitors were presented.
A key part of the meeting was dedicated to the Regional Action Plan (RAP) for the Vratsa region. Participants discussed the planned activities and the opportunities for their practical implementation. Through interactive feedback, they shared their views, proposals and ideas for the future development of traditional crafts and cultural tourism in the region.
The meeting contributed to strengthening the dialogue between stakeholders and to shaping a shared vision for making traditional crafts a more recognisable part of Vratsa’s tourism offer, while at the same time preserving local cultural heritage and craft traditions.
The DanubeCrafts project is implemented under the Interreg Danube Region Programme 2021–2027 in the period from June 2025 to November 2027. Within the project, a joint strategy and regional action plans, pilot traditional crafts routes, as well as training and business tools are being developed to support the sustainable development of crafts and thematic tourism across the Danube Region.
