SERDA presented the results of an inclusive gastronomic programme at the final SReST project conference in Zlatibor

During the conference, results of six pilot actions developed within the project were presented. On behalf of SERDA, Programme Manager Aida Džamalija Duran presented the results of the pilot action “Young chefs with disabilities engaged in slow food tourism in the Sarajevo Canton”, implemented with the aim of improving employability, professional competencies and social inclusion of young persons with disabilities through education and practical work in gastronomy and sustainable tourism.

The pilot action enabled participants to acquire new knowledge and skills through working with local gastronomic products, traditional recipes and slow food principles, demonstrating how gastronomic tourism can serve as a powerful tool for inclusion, human capital development, and the creation of new employment opportunities for vulnerable groups of the population.

In addition to the presentations of pilot actions, participants discussed the long-term effects of project solutions and their potential integration into local and regional development policies. Special focus was placed on the preservation of agrobiodiversity, the valorisation of gastronomic heritage, and the creation of sustainable tourism products that connect local producers, the hospitality sector, and communities.

As part of the conference, a presentation of best practices in the valorisation of gastronomic heritage through tourism was organised, including culinary demonstrations, tastings of traditional dishes, and exhibitions of local products from partner regions. This event further confirmed the importance of gastronomy as a key component of the tourism offer and local economic development.

On the second day, a study visit was organised during which participants visited some of the most significant tourist attractions in Zlatibor and its surroundings – Stopića Cave, the Knitters’ Museum, and the Open-Air Museum “Old Village” Sirogojno. The visit provided an opportunity to explore successful examples of preserving cultural heritage and integrating it into sustainable tourism experiences.

The SReST project is implemented under the Interreg Danube Region Programme. In addition to SERDA, partners from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary and Slovakia participated in the project, while the associated partner from Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The Lead Partner of the project is the Municipality of Postojna in Slovenia.

The aim of the project is to re-establish the principles of socially responsible slow food tourism through the development of joint methodologies for mapping the potential of gastronomic heritage and agrobiodiversity, testing innovative tourism itineraries, and strengthening the participation of vulnerable groups, rural youth and elderly people in shaping tourism offers. One of the key project outputs is the establishment of a virtual ecosystem for learning and innovation in socially responsible slow food tourism, as well as the development of policy recommendations supporting sustainable local development.

Participation in the Final Conference once again confirmed the importance of international cooperation in developing innovative and inclusive tourism models, and opened opportunities for continued collaboration and the application of successful project solutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across the wider Danube Region.