After several months of meetings, field visits, interviews in 29 municipalities of the Union and a writing and mapping exercise, this project – which was led by a local steering committee – has resulted in tools such as a guide to the municipalities of the Union and a Tourist Map. The products will be available for dissemination after approval by the Ministries of Culture and Tourism.

The project aimed to increase coordination and cooperation between the Union, its municipalities and the Tourism Office in order to promote local economic development. It also encouraged private sector and civil society actors.

The initiative built upon a previous technical assistance by MedCities which conducted a participatory diagnosis to identify priority actions for the development of the tourist potential of the Batroun district and the Batroun Region. The process, which particularly emphasized mountainous regions, resulted in the identification of 12 priorities to guide further activities and technical assistance in the territory, with the overall aim of fostering its cohesion and economic development. The current project implemented one of those priority actions.

The initiative was supported by the Union of Municipalities of Batroun, the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and the Catalan Agency for Cooperation and Development. It will be followed up with a larger, 18-month project together with the municipalities of Jezzine and Zgharta-Ehden – also members of MedCities – that will engage in the development and implementation of Territorial Branding Strategies. The strategic project is co-founded by the Municipality of Barcelona.