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South-Eastern Europe Gets The Hidden Pearls of SAFE Coastal Tourism

Kristijan Curavi
President of New Macedonia H.E George Ivanov with H.E Kristijan Curavic, President of OACM certifying lake of Ohrid.

When we speak of tourism, we usually imagine beaches, clear blue water, the sun, and nautical tourism, which is the most common form of tourism.

The Ocean Alliance Conservation Members (OACM) are working to re-invent or re-launch forgotten pearls of the tourism industry- clean oceans, rivers, and lakes. The global focus in the last two decades mainly included coastal regions.

Overlooking noncoastal waters contributed to financial losses for some nations without direct access to beaches.

OACM has been communicating with European Governments, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, and North Macedonia, to find its “Hidden Continental Pearls” again, which means clean rivers and lakes free of plastic.

This is where the Ocean Alliance SOS CP System builds and maintains SAFE Marine Areas. This clean-up and certification program frees water from plastic and debris and turns such rivers and lakes into desirable travel and tourism destinations.

Such programs are implemented in over 50 nations and certify SAFE Marine areas. Large teams of divers help with the cleanings. Such a process will take several months.

Certified SAFE Marine Areas are promoted by road signs, through the Global Environmental Promotion Network, and digital monitors at airports and other gateways. They include cross-promotions between other SAFE Marine areas in numerous regions worldwide, turning this project into an effective global advertising campaign designed to attract repeat visitors.

image 22 | eTurboNews | eTN

Nations worldwide lose hundreds of millions in national GDP due to poor access to clean coastal areas. They often have unutilized lake and river recreational areas that have the potential for the development of continental tourism.

OACM aims to change this negative impact by supporting national economies and economic growth by launching the first European Continental Tourism Program.

Continental tourism can be relaunched by investing more than 50 million Euros in Europe. The investment is based on mutual collaboration between the government and corporate sectors, including financial support from the OACM CSMA solidarity fund.

Southeast Europe, with the Republic of Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Romain, Bulgaria, and Hungary, is a good starting point.

image 23 | eTurboNews | eTN

This program was first initiated in 2014 by the former President of Slovenia, H.E Borut Pahor, who raised the White Flag for the Lake of Bled Beach in the concession of Hotel Grand Toplice.

A few months after the President of New Macedonia, H.E. George Ivanov, certified two SAFE Aquatic Areas, each owned by Hotel Inex, the CSMA White Flag award was awarded both times.

OACM is currently preparing a strategic continental program to increase financial support for Southeastern Europe by the World Bank and EIB

“The certification of SAFE Aquatic Areas for Human and Aquatic Life will significantly protect important biodiversity and endemic preservation,” according to the Ocean Alliance president, Kristijan Curavic. “This is due to the CSMA system, which includes the physical minimization of plastic in lakes and rivers, executed manually by divers and maintained throughout the year. “

OACM enables these long-term financial sustainability tools by utilizing the SOS CP program’s unique mechanism that generates mutual benefit between the government and the corporate sector.

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