COUNTRY : Germany/Austria SHORT DESCRIPTIONBackgroundTrails, also known as long-distance hiking trails, trekking routes, hiking trails, are increasingly popular with outdoor, trekking - and hiking enthusiasts and provide mountain regions with additional or new popularity. Professionally developed and marketed, these hiking and trekking trails can become an attractive, sustainable tourism product, which supports economic recovery of mountain regions and attracts hikers as enthusiastic guests. The cross-border Peaks of the Balkans trail (www.peaksofthebalkans.com), which was opened in 2012 and connected Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo by linking the mountain regions through a challenging 192 km long trekking trail, is one of these new trails. To introduce Bavarian and Austrian success models to the local stakeholders in South-Eastern Europe, AGEG TSC organized and conducted a study trip to the Alpe Adria Trail, the Salzburger Almenweg and the Salzalpensteig in Berchtesgaden. ObjectiveThe participants of the study tour are to have opportunity to get to know in practice long-distance trails, which have successfully established themselves in the tourism market and are being professionally managed and marketed. Special attention was turned to the analysis and assessment of the various models of sustainable trail funding, management and institutional anchoring as well as marketing and the integration of the local tourist businesses in a successful trail concept. Participants were to receive as many practical impulses as possible and get to know successful models, in order to then specifically integrate them into the management and marketing of the peaks of the Balkans trails in Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. Services ProvidedAGEG Tourism for Sustainability Consulting AGEG Tourism for Sustainability Consulting provided the following services:
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