Project description

Project REVITAS – Revitalisation of the Istrian hinterland and tourism in the Istrian hinterland is a cross-border project co-financed by the EU within the Operational Programme IPA Slovenia – Croatia 2007-2013 (IPA – Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance). The project includes 10 partners on either side of the border: Municipality of Koper (lead partner), Region of Istria, Municipality of Izola, Municipality of Piran, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia - OE Piran, Town of Buzet, Town of Poreč, Istria Tourist Board, Municipality of Svetvinčenat and the Town of Vodnjan. The area of project implementation is Slovenian and Croatian Istria, the duration of the project is 30 months, the total value of the project being 1,840,362.92 EUR, 85% co-financing are IPA funds, whereas the partner's share accounts for 15% of the entire project value.

Its realisation is planned through five work packages: Management and project coordination, Development of revitalisation model of the Istrian interior, Local activities regarding the revitalisation of the Istrian hinterland and integrating into the tourist offer, Integrated development of tourist infrastructure and human resources, and Communication and public information.

The project will ensure creating a revitalisation model of the Istrian interior, integrated tourist products, an info-center and info-point network, joint cross-border education and cultural exchange which will additionally contribute to human resources development in the border area and transfer of experience on development potentials of Slovenian and Croatian Istria. All project activities will help to create a recognizable joint cross-border destination Istria, cross-border tourist itineraries and routes, as well as recognizable Istrian identity (regardless of state borders) founded on common history, but respecting local specific features, raising awareness of local population on the value and uniqueness of the interior of Istria. The project will enable the flow of tourists from urban areas into rural ones with environmentally friendly transportation, sustainable development of cross-border destination, yet at the same time enable easy access to information on each locality, through modern IT and information on offer of the entire destination of Istria. This way, the increased integrated cross-border offer will have impact on the extension of tourist season and economy of the border area, with tourism as its main sector.