CUHaCHA for gastro-tourism
Municipality of Tivat and partners won an IPA project worth more than € 700,000
Municipality of Tivat - Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship and was officially approved for the implementation of the project "EnhanCing Sustainable Tourism Development through Culinary Heritage - CUHaCHA" within the second call of the Interreg IPA cross-border cooperation program between Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro 2014-2020. The project partner is the Agency for Rural Development of Zadar County - AGRRA (HR), and other partners in the implementation of the project, in addition to the Municipality of Tivat, are the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Herzegovina-Neretva County - Canton (BiH) and Zadar County (HR) . The project implementation period is from 15.08.2020. to 14.08.2022. The total budget of the project is € 710,946.94, while the amount is intended for the Municipality of Tivat € 173,823.60. The project was approved under the program priority measure: Contribution to the development of tourism and preservation of cultural and natural heritage.
The key activity of the project refers to the renovation of school premises and equipping the school kitchen in the Secondary School Mladost - "The culinary heritage showroom" which will serve students in professional fields for the needs of holding the practical part of classes. About € 100,000.00 in grants have been provided for this purpose.
The Municipality of Tivat, as a partner organization of the project, will also work on the valorization and promotion of gastronomic heritage, by organizing specialized trainings, networking and promotion of new tourist products that will be produced within the project. One of these products will be "culinary heritage trails" - trails of gastronomic heritage, as well as a chef of traditional recipes.
"The main theme of this project is traditional food, which for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years has played a major role in the tradition and folklore of the countries in the program area, representing a basic part of their cultural heritage. Food and culture are of special importance in our area, especially in Boka where tradition, cultural heritage, gastronomy and catering are inextricably intertwined. It is very important to preserve our indigenous products and dishes from oblivion that the modern age brings with it, and local cuisine and local products are the ones that can encourage innovation and improve development at the regional and global level. Above all, I can further improve the tourist offer, "said Petar Vujovic, secretary of the Secretariat for Tourism and Entrepreneurship, which coordinates the municipal team for writing and implementing EU projects.
The main goal of the project "CUHaCHA" is to strengthen and preserve the identity of the common culinary heritage of the program area and contribute to the development of tourism. This goal will be achieved through the achievement of two specific goals:
1) Establishing cross-border cooperation in order to strengthen the tourist offer and make it more diverse;
2) Better management and promotion of culinary heritage as part of the tourist offer.
In order to achieve the specific goals of the project, 4 results will be realized:
1) Common culinary heritage trails for strengthening and diversifying the tourist offer;
2) Culinary heritage monograph;
3) Training for service providers, to ensure better management of culinary heritage;
4) Arranging traditional kitchens to promote the culinary heritage of this area.
The main target groups that will benefit from the implementation of the project are the general public, public bodies, service providers and other participants in the field of tourism, development and economy in the program area. Despite the potential of the culinary heritage of the program area, there were no transnational projects that would connect it with the tourist offer. This project will achieve a broader goal through cross-border cooperation and create a unique common culinary heritage trail, while strengthening the tourist offer of all three partner countries.
