SO2 - GeoExperience model solution
Participating Danube geopark partners will during the course of the project take up and/or upscale 4 different innovative solutions that will push the geopark sustainable territorial development model to the next level:
- Geopark Experience model solution (1) as a tourism segmentation approach for developing the most unique, authentic, inclusive and sustainable geopark heritage products in the form of experiences and;
- Visitor monitoring systems as solutions designed for specific open landscape situations with free access: solution for routes (2), solution for single heritage hot spots (3) and solution for larger territories with numerous free access points (4).
Putting into practice the above solutions will not only help valorise and preserve heritage but shall also add value to the quality of life and visits to rural Danube geopark territories. These solutions have high potential for additional take-up by other geoparks of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network and similar territories.
Event Report 2nd Transnational Event in Kladovo/Serbia
Danube GeoTour Plus Meeting Summary (11th–14th November)
The Danube GeoTour Plus meeting was held in Kladovo, Serbia, with representatives from various Geoparks collaborating to advance sustainable tourism and inclusive practices.
Day 1: Monday, 11th November Participants arrived sustainably via car-sharing and were welcomed with a dinner at Hotel Aquastar Danube.
Day 2: Tuesday, 12th November The day began with SO1 sessions led by Cristian Ciobanu, focusing on creating and refining SMART action plans. Partners used the Monitoring Tool to record and analyze their plans. A key session followed, transitioning discussions to align SO1 and SO2 objectives, emphasizing the inclusion of vulnerable groups (VGs). Participants developed representative "Personas" for VGs, such as elderly individuals, rural women, and minority groups, to ensure their engagement in Geopark activities.
During the SCOM meeting, critical updates were provided:
Documentation requirements for target group involvement in 2024.
Key upcoming events, including the First-Year Review in February 2025 and the SO3.4 Evaluation Workshop in October 2025.
Communication tasks, such as submitting EGN articles by 30th November 2024.
A roadmap for upcoming meetings and reports.
Day 3: Wednesday, 13th November The SO2 workshop, led by Mojca Gorjup Kavčič of Idrija Tourism Board, presented finalized criteria for Geopark experiences. These criteria focus on heritage, visitor engagement, nature protection, accessibility, and inclusion, among others. A numerical evaluation model for assessing experiences was proposed, and a process scheme was approved without further revisions.
The SO3 workshop focused on approaches to visitor monitoring and the role of Geopark Experiences in redistributing visitors. Led by TUKE, participants used interactive tools like Miro and Figma to collaborate effectively.
Key Activities:
Participants were divided into three groups based on visitation types: open routes, hot spots, and large territories.
Each group worked on identifying optimal data needs and visualization methods for their specific Geopark types.
TUKE provided a prototype of a joint app to facilitate brainstorming and gather feedback.
Outcome: The workshop successfully summarized requests from all Geoparks, laying the groundwork for refining the app to support visitor monitoring and sustainable visitor redistribution.
Day 4: Thursday, 14th November A media event organized by Geopark Djerdap highlighted project milestones and objectives. Press releases were distributed to 11 national and local media outlets, including TV stations and web portals.
The meeting successfully fostered collaboration, refined sustainable tourism criteria, and reinforced the importance of inclusivity and accessibility in Geopark initiatives.
