Protected Areas and Regional Development through
Ecotourism in the Caucasian Region

- Planning for sustainbale tourism in a regional context -

Programme No
Seminar AD04700100

Institutions
InWEnt - Zschortau in co-operation with
The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BFN), the State Department of Tourism and Resorts, Georgia and WWF Caucasus Regional Office Tblisi

Date and Duration
August 4-11, 2003,
plus 2-day workshops in all 3 countries (13-14 or 14-15 August)

Venues
Kazbeki and Bakuriani, Georgia
Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku

Programme Language
Russian and English

Certificate
Certificate of Attendance

Admission requirements
University or college degree with a min of 5 years of professional experience

Contact
Ivan Vashakmadze, Sustainable Tourism Centre, Tbilisi
Mail: stc@gol.ge

and
Inwent - Zschortau (near Leipzig)
Dr. Thomas Petermann
Fax +49-34202-845 777
E-mail: thomas.petermann@inwent.org

janet.lechner@inwent.org
Internet: www.inwent.org
Website: www.dse.de/zel/landinfo

Target Participants, Institutions and Countries

The training course is designed for planners and sector specialists from governmental institutions or NGOs that have a mandate in planning for or the management of protected areas, rural development and tourism development. Also the tourism business sector, re-searchers and lecturers from Universities, Colleges or Applied Research institutions are invited.
They are from the Caucasus region: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Objectives (may need some adjustment!!)

This seminar aims at a constructive dialogue on concepts to promote sustainable tourism development in order to link biodiversity conservation and development to contribute to a sustainable livelihood of people in the surroundings of protected areas.
The seminar addresses issues that are relevant for protected area systems planning and management in a regional context with a special focus on planning for sustainable tourism development.
The seminar combines elements of dialogue to share regional experience and training to acquire technical knowledge and practical planning and management skills in an interactive adult learning environment.

Programme Outline (1st draft)

The course will be implemented at two locations:

  • Kazbegi (Monday - Wednesday)
  • Bakuriani (Thursday - Sunday/Monday)
  • National meetings in Tbilisi, Baku and Yerewan

The course has four parts:

  1. Introduction. Keynote. Introduction to key themes
  2. Basics of tourism development planning
    a. Tourism as a business
    b. Information, Public relation and site interpretation
    c. Marketing and promotion of estinations
    d. Infrastructure operation and management
    e. Tourist services in protected areas and surroundings
    f. Institutional meachnism (local participation; local government)
  3. Field trips: Kazbegi and Borjomi (mountain tourism; agro-tourism, biodiversity-related tourism with nature trails in a national park)

After the training course, two-day workshops in all three countries will be held for senior planners and managers, policy makers and programme managers: To inform policies:
Dates need to be arranged during the period 13-16 August, 2003 in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia