VIRTUAL TOURS FOR VISITORS AND NEXT-GENERATION TRAVEL AGENCIES
DUE MARI virtual tours, a digital platform connecting more than 600 sights of preserved cultural and natural heritage, leaning on the charm of Adriatic and Ionian Sea, is connecting the best of Puglia, Molise, Montenegro and Albania. Tour operators and individual travellers, seeking for authentic experiences off-the-beaten-track are eager to find out about new itineraries and cultural or adventurous routes. Due Mari Project that started back in 2019 and is financed by Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro 2014-2020, gives them the best answer and help them plan new tours or holidays in a sustainable and authentic way.
TWO SEAS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, ONE INSPIRING DESTINATION
The mission of the Due Mari project, which started in 2019 and concludes in December this year, is to connect regions in one attractive destination designed to satisfy the needs of independent, responsible, curious and active travellers, the so-called new tourists, aiming to immerse themselves into local experiences, away from mass tourism. The project is lead by the Ministry of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Region Development (ME), and implemented along with project partners: Ministry of Tourism and Environment (AL), Puglia Region – Department of Tourism, Economy of Culture and Valorisation of Territory (IT), MOLISE REGION (IT), INNOVAPUGLIA S.p.A. (IT), and the National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro (ME).
All partners gathered at the Final Conference at Hotel CUE in Podgorica on Thursday, November 30, 2023, marking the conclusion of the project´s goals. The event was hybrid, with both live and online participation, allowing partners from Montenegro, Albania, and the Italian regions of Molise and Puglia to join. Ms. Maja Kovačević from the DUE MARI project team at the Ministry of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Northern Region Development – Montenegro, welcomed everyone with an opening speech.
DUE MARI CULTURAL AND ADVENTUROUS ROUTES
A crucial project achievement is the newly established Due Mari virtual platform. The result of successful regional and interregional collaboration is also evident in the creation of 13 itineraries covering and unveiling natural and cultural landmarks across all regions. The platform will provide support to communities, tour operators, tourism providers and potential visitors in planning their next journey. The desire to develop a model for managing cultural routes that would also highlight lesser-known cultural and natural treasures of the regions led to the digitization and promotion of a total of 659 points of interest – 199 in Albania, 160 in Montenegro, 150 in the Molise region, and 150 in Puglia.
Numerous publications were produced, including the catalogue – Due Mari Route It, presenting highlights of the Due Mari destination. Another significant accomplishment is the replica of the printing press from the first South Slavic Cyrillic printing press and the first state printing press in the world, now on display at the Njegoš Museum in Cetinje.