News Archive
Western Balkans endorses Tirana Declaration to Support Tourism in the Region
08 Apr 2021
Sarajevo/Tirana – Ministers and representatives of the six Western Balkans (WB) governments endorsed the Tirana Declaration on supporting sustainable tourism recovery and growth in the region, at the high-level regional conference marking the finalisation of the Regional Cooperation Council ...
Tirana Declaration endorsement to mark the finalisation of RCC’s Tourism Development and Promotion project
06 Apr 2021
Sarajevo, Tirana – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and its Triple P Tourism Project are organising a 2-day Regional Conference - Tourism as a Key to Sustainable Development which will kick off on 7 April marking the finalisation of the RCC’s EU funded Triple P Tourism Development ...
Bregu: Futourismo is a new hope to help our region recover its tourism
02 Mar 2021
Tirana/Sarajevo – Seven teams from the Western Balkans: • Guidi for app Veni, Vidi, Guidi • BIB for 'Be in Balkan' Mobile Application, • Digital Clinic for e-Health Tourism • ...
Six Western Balkans projects aimed at helping region’s tourism to be awarded 15.000 EUR each, at a ceremony tomorrow
01 Mar 2021
Sarajevo/Tirana – On 3 February 2021, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and its Triple P Tourism Project launched the 1st regional FUTOURISMO competition, seeking innovative digital solutions that will help mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the heavily affected ...
RCC launches FUTOURISMO, regional competition to boost tourism in the Western Balkans
03 Feb 2021
Sarajevo - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and its EU funded Tourism Project are organising the first Western Balkans FUTOURISMO competition, seeking innovative digital solutions that will help mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the heavily affected sector of tourism.
RCC: Supporting Western Balkans tourism through art
05 Jan 2021
Sarajevo - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) nurtures a beautiful blossom in its midst, with a substance more resilient than any form we try to give to our incentives, the project that promotes tourism, the natural beauties and unique art of our blessed countries.
Tourism in the Western Balkans: Where and How in the Times of the Pandemic?
08 Jun 2020
Sarajevo – “These are very difficult times for the Western Balkans’ tourism as the consequences of the global corona virus pandemic took the highest toll on travel and tourism industries. For our region it is especially important to find the ways to support these industries and help them ...
Western Balkans: Amazing virtual museum tours
18 May 2020
18th May is International Museum Day and today we are coming together to celebrate the history, art and cultural heritage throughout the museums in the Western Balkans. Museums around the world have closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, meanwhile their virtual tours are still open and ...
Bregu: Tourism in the Western Balkans already feels the pinch of COVID-19 pandemic
18 Apr 2020
Sarajevo – “As this pandemic keeps billions of people at home, one sector is already feeling the pinch - tourism. One in five booked trips to Western Balkans planned for 2020 is cancelled. And this makes situation notoriously difficult, knowing that tourism contributes to 10.2% of ...
RCC presents Balkan Monumental Trail, a new regional tourism route
21 Feb 2020
BELGRADE – “We are very pleased to have used today, the Belgrade International Fair of Tourism, as a staging ground for the launch of the new joint regional cultural tourism route called the Balkan Monumental Trail,” said Snjezana Derviskadic, RCC’s Tourism Development and Promotion ...
RCC: Listen to Women as no challenge can keep them from fulfilling their dreams
08 Jan 2020
RCC’s Women Empowerment - WE- campaign continues featuring remarkable women from the Western Balkans and brings you Uta Ibrahimi - “At the beginning they told me climbing was for men and I did a lot of work to prove them wrong and change that mentality. You can do the same, just listen ...
RCC continues developing tourism in the Western Balkans: 3rd call for proposals for tourism development grants published
02 Dec 2019
SARAJEVO – As the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) implemented and EU funded Tourism Development and Promotion Project enters its final stage, the RCC published the 3rd Call for Proposals for the award of tourism development grants in the Western Balkans. The total value of the call is ...
16 New Grants for Tourism Development and Promotion in Western Balkans Awarded by RCC, EU
22 Nov 2019
Durres – “Today, with presenting the results of the completed 12 and awarding 16 new grants for the tourism development and promotion in the Western Balkans, we are showing you a part of the success story from this region, and it is not a success of policy-making or GDP but of the people. ...
Via Dinarica expands its regional coordination structure throughout Western Balkans
08 Nov 2019
Non-governmental organisations from Albania, Kosovo* and Serbia joined today Via Dinarica regional coordination structure during a meeting organised by the RCC implemented and EU funded Tourism Development and Promotion Project in Tirana.
Via Dinarica just keeps getting better
07 Nov 2019
It is 11 o’clock on an idle Monday and about to start raining in a tiny village of Rekë e Allagës in Rugova Mountain, all green with pine trees. Fetije Nikiqi is well under way to prepare cheese pie in a wooden stove while Hozefa Indorewala looks to the sky from the porch thinking just how ...
RCC launches the next grant call: 750,000 EUR for developing tourism in the Western Balkans
10 Jun 2019
SARAJEVO – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), under its Tourism Development and Promotion EU funded project, launched today the second in a row grant call for projects developing the tourism offer in the Western Balkans. While the grants scheme totals EUR 1.62 million, this second tranche ...
Via Dinarica connectivity in the Accursed Mountain gets an upgrade
08 Jun 2019
PEJE/PEČ - Community Development Fund, beneficiary of the RCC implemented and EU funded tourism development grant scheme, organize today a FAM trip for tour operators and media to inaugurate 6 newly developed sections of Via Dinarica trail in Kosovo* connecting it with the trail portions ...
New circuit trail and tales of river log-driving enrich Via Dinarica
07 Jun 2019
PODGORICA - A new attraction for hikers of Via Dinarica’s White Trail passing through Tara River Canyon in Montenegro was presented today in Podgorica.
New regional hiking trail comes to life: Mokra Gora Mt., Beauty of the Balkans
07 Jun 2019
ZUBIN POTOK - A brand new regional hiking trail running across Mokra Gora Mountain from Montenegro, across Kosovo* to Serbia was inaugurated today in Zubin Potok. The trail was developed by the Institute for Territorial Economic Development – InTER through an RCC implemented and EU funded ...
Powered by RCC, Accursed Mountains show their cultural edge
06 Jun 2019
TIRANA – Stunningly beautiful nature of the Accursed Mountains settled between Albania, Kosovo* and Montenegro just got its cultural edge. From now on, colourful legends, verbal history, songs, dances, crafts and cuisine of local communities living in remote mountainous villages are going ...
The Tales of 4 Fortresses - Creative History Balkans Tour enriches regional tourism offer
05 Jun 2019
NOVI SAD – With the summer at our door, the Western Balkans cultural tourism offers just got richer. EXIT Foundation, a beneficiary of the RCC implemented and EU funded tourism development grant scheme and a winner of the RCC’s champion of regional cooperation award, launched today in Novi ...
Legends of fortresses get new interpretation
05 Jun 2019
DANILOVGRAD - Danilovgrad Municipality, through an RCC provided and EU funded tourism development grant, has revived three fortresses in three Western Balkans economies.
New horseback riding route connects Western Balkans
30 May 2019
Subotica – The latest Western Balkans tourism attraction – a 500 kilometres long horseback riding route running from Vojvodina in the north to Hercegovina in the south – was inaugurated today in Subotica.
Hidden Gems of Skopje Old Town surface up with new cool mobile app
18 May 2019
Skopje - Starting today, visitors of the Skopje Old Town, Čaršija, will be able to experience it in a completely new way. Coming to their service is the mobile application – Skopje Gems - that provides seven guided cultural tours through Čaršija and takes visitors to the doorsteps of ...
Futuristic World War II monuments making comeback as Balkan’s tourism attraction
14 May 2019
SARAJEVO - Among the Western Balkans cultural tourism routes that the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s Tourism Development and Promotion project is currently developing, is the so called Balkan Monumental Trail that encompasses region’s iconic World War II (WWII) monuments.
Cultural diversity connects Sarajevo, Kotor and Novi Sad
07 May 2019
SARAJEVO - Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures (SMOC), beneficiary of the RCC implemented and EU funded Tourism Development and Promotion Grant Scheme, presented today in Sarajevo a new regional tourism route based on cultural diversity of the Western Balkans.
Balkan Trafik! Festival: Promoting the best of the Western Balkans in the European Union
29 Apr 2019
Brussels – For the past few days Brussels replaced its political foretoken as a European political centre and became a hub for Western Balkan art and culture. The 13th edition of Balkan Trafik! Festival (BTF), which took place 24-28 April, promoted the best of the Western Balkans (WB) and ...
Tourism industry accounts for 14 percent of employment in the Western Balkans
25 Apr 2019
Belgrade – Planning of most viable itineraries along the two new Western Balkans cultural routes that are currently under development was the main topic discussed by the representatives of tourism agencies and tour operators from the region, at the meeting organized by the Regional Cooperation ...
RCC grant recipient introduces new regional cultural tourism product: The Illyricum Trail
19 Apr 2019
BELGRADE - Danube Competence Center (DCC), beneficiary of the RCC Tourism Development and Promotion Project’s grant scheme, funded by the European Union, introduced yesterday in Belgrade the new and upcoming Western Balkans branch of the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route’s called the ...
Western Balkans tourism on the rise: Powered by RCC, cultural and adventure tour operators promote the region at the ITB Berlin
12 Mar 2019
Berlin – Over the last five days, 19 tour operators from the Western Balkans promoted the regional tourism offer at a joint Western Balkans – Powered by RCC.int stand at the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin, which gathers some 10,000 exhibitors and over 100,000 visitors.
Powered by RCC: Western Balkans’ adventure tourism takes Utrecht fair
04 Mar 2019
Utrecht – Over the last three days, ten tour operators from the Western Balkans presented the best of regional adventure tourism offer at the Fiets en Wandelbeurs fair at Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands, within the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) EU-funded, Tourism Development ...
RCC introduces new regional cultural and adventure tourism routes at the International Fair of Tourism in Belgrade
22 Feb 2019
Belgrade – The RCC’s Tourism Development and Promotion Project introduced today the three new Western Balkans cultural routes and presented the development work done by the three tourism grants recipients at the largest international tourism fair in the South East European – IFT Belgrade.
Western Balkans endorses development of joint tourism routes
06 Dec 2018
VIENNA – The South East Europe Tourism Expert Group (TEG) endorsed a joint plan establishing the regional cultural and adventure tourism routes for the Western Balkans six, at the meeting held in Vienna today.
RCC’s tourism project develops regional umbrella identity: Western Balkans - Crossroads of Civilisations
14 Nov 2018
Podgorica - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s Tourism Development and Promotion Project prepared and presented the new joint regional umbrella identity concept dubbed “Western Balkans - Crossroads of Civilisations”, at the WB Tourism Focus Group meeting held today in Podgorica.
RCC to award first twelve grants for Western Balkans tourism development and promotion
08 Nov 2018
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) will award the first twelve grants in total worth of EUR 550,000 for the development and promotion of tourism in the Six Western Balkans economies, at a ceremony in Sarajevo tomorrow.
RCC launches tourism development grant scheme; 1.62 million euro made available
15 Jul 2018
Sarajevo – Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat launched today 1.62-million-euros worth grant scheme that will be utilised to improve infrastructure and quality of services along regional cultural and adventure tourism routes.
New RCC project to focus on development of cultural and adventure tourism in the Western Balkans
28 Jun 2018
SARAJEVO – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) officially marked the beginning of its 3-year project dedicated to the development and promotion of tourism in the Western Balkans, in Sarajevo today. The project will help six Western Balkans economies to diversify and consolidate their cultural ...
RCC’s Tourism Expert Group adopts “Crossroad of Civilisations” as a regional tourism identity, agrees on tourism routes to be developed
27 Jun 2018
Sarajevo – The South East Europe Tourism Expert Group (TEG) adopted “Crossroads of Civilisations” as a regional tourism identity that will be applied throughout all the routes development efforts in the framework of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s Tourism Development and Promotion ...