Sustainable tourism: exploring the Danube in Romania

The Fisheries Tourism Network is an online platform that offers tourists unique opportunities to visit and learn more about the cultural heritage of fisheries areas in Romania.

The user-friendly platform, developed by the fisheries local action groups (FLAGs) and with the help of EU funding, creates an immersive experience by grouping the sites into interactive tours.

The objective of the project was to increase the promotion and visibility of cultural heritage across the territories of the four local action groups and to attract visitors to the hidden gems of Romania’s fisheries areas.

“We created easy-to-use interactive maps of the four fishing areas with information about their activities, traditions, and local customs,”

said Corina Sofrone, Project Manager at the Galati FLAG.

As with many fisheries areas across the EU, diversification is a key local development goal for the local action groups.

“For us, the fishing travel network project was about capitalising on the human, material and spiritual resources of the four fisheries areas”

underlined Corina.

The collaboration resulted in mutual capacity building and diversifying small-scale fisheries into activities such as tours, arts and crafts, gastronomy and hospitality. Moreover, working together highlighted best practices for a viable tourist offer.

Examples of the hidden gems available on the platform include a fish museum with traditional households in the Gârboavele Forest, a traditional fish collecting point called cherhanaua, and a pavilion for outdoor cultural activities.

In the cherhanaua, tourists can experience traditional fisheries practices first hand. In this wooden structure covered with reeds, they can try receiving, sorting, and selling fish.

Other sites promoted on the platform include former fish farming ponds which are now used for recreational purposes. As well as offering a traditional fishing experience, the ponds also provide quirky accommodation, swimming pools, cycling routes, restaurants. Lake Sulimanu also boasts a cable-based watersports facility.

A new interactive platform

The web-based platform and its dedicated mobile app provide four interactive maps of the four fisheries areas. The user-friendly maps show suggested tours, contact details and coordinates for each destination.

The platform is designed as a functional tool for tourists actively visiting the FLAG areas. At the same time, it is also a means for attracting prospective tourists. For each destination on the map, there is an overview of the attraction, a  video tour, a photo gallery, and 360-degree panoramic views of the key sites.

Shared challenges, shared solutions

The four fisheries local action groups involved – Galati, Calarasi Danube, Dolj Danube and Valea Mostistea– realised that working together would help them attract more tourists to their respective areas. A single, easy-to use platform for promoting their tourist activities brought joint benefits to each of their fisheries communities.

The platform is a one-stop shop for tourists with an interest in fisheries-based activities planning to visit Romania.

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Website of the project