Formation of a rural tourism cluster in Dolyna district of Ivano-Frankivsk region – continued

On 30 July 2018, the Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Railway Heritage Centre hosted a scientific and practical seminar ‘Initiatives of Rural Tourism Clusters in the Carpathian Region’.

The event was organised at the initiative of Oksana Kleban, representative of the Union of Rural Green Tourism of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk region, with the support of the district state administration and the Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Railway Heritage Centre.

Viktor Gromysh, First Deputy Head of the District State Administration, welcomed the participants to the seminar. Later, Viktor Gromysh and Volodymyr Vasyliev, Head of the Union of Rural Green Tourism of Ukraine, signed a Memorandum of Partnership and Cooperation between the Union of Rural Green Tourism of Ukraine and Dolyna District State Administration. Yaroslav Naum, head of Vyhoda village council, made a welcoming speech.

Volodymyr Vasyliev told the audience about the main problems and prospects for the development of rural green tourism, project management opportunities, standards and branding of services, geographical names of food products, and presented the second category Ukrainian Hospitable Estate signs and certificates (Dzherelo Estate, owner Mykola Fedoriv and Zatyshok Estate, owner Serhiy Andrusiak) and certificates to new members of the Union.

Yurii Zinko, Head of the Lviv Regional Centre for Rural Tourism, spoke about cluster initiatives for rural green tourism in the Carpathian region – opportunities and threats.

A representative of the Union of Rural Green Tourism of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, owner of the Darvayiv Kut estate, presented the resource potential of the Hospitable Boyko Valley cluster.

The second part of the event was a strategic session of the participants of the Hospitable Boyko Valley cluster initiative. At the strategic session, the cluster’s management team was elected. Oksana Kleban was elected manager of the Cluster Initiative. Serhiy Andrusiak, Director of the Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Railway Heritage Centre, Oleksa Ihnativ, owner of the Chorna Bdzhola honey factory, Liubomyr Yatskiv, Director of the Carpathian Tram, Oksana Luchkiv, representative of the Dubovyi Kut farm, and Mykola Hoshovsky, owner of the Sleep on the Hives, were elected as board members.

Work on the cluster formation is ongoing.