When tourism operators join forces to create official networks—overlooking petty competition and cutthroat tactics to advance an entire region—the ultimate winner is the traveler. Networks serve to codify standards, promote quality, and thrive on the philosophy that a rising tide raises all boats. The advantages of such cooperatives are numerous. Challenges exist as well.
For this session in the Western Balkans Adventure Travel Webinar Series, we’ll speak with two travel-professional veterans—and ATTA members—about the positives and the pitfalls of these tourism collaborations.
Register here for this month’s Western Balkans Adventure Travel Webinar—The Advantages (and Challenges) of Network Membership—which will air on Monday, July 31 at 9:30 a.m. EST (3:30 p.m. CET). As always listeners are invited to ask questions and chime in. (The webinar will be archived and free.)
We will have two guests. Jack Delf is the chair of the Western Balkans Geotourism Network and owner of Black Mountain, a Montenegro-based adventure tourism company. Thierry Joubert is a founding member of the Via Dinarica Alliance and the director of Green Visions, a Bosnia and Herzegovina-based operator with 17 years of experience in the Balkans.
The Western Balkans has become Europe’s adventure playground. National Geographic Traveler named the Via Dinarica hiking trail, which runs through the middle of the region, one of its “Best of the World” destinations for 2017. The trail links and traverses Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, and Macedonia.
In response to this energy and excitement, we invite all those interested to participate in our Webinar Series. Alex Crevar, who has covered the Balkans (The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler) as a travel journalist for 20 years, moderates and tackles topics of interest to the adventure travel industry—for both professionals and travelers.
The monthly series is brought to you by the Western Balkans Geotourism Network and the Via Dinarica Alliance. These cross-border cooperatives are committed to strengthening the region’s sustainability through responsible tourism. The series is hosted by Balkan Vibe, the premier travel platform for the Western Balkans, offering the widest range of tours for the region as well as a seamless booking and credit-card payment system. The series is supported by the USAID/REG project.