The town of Smolyan hosts discussion on bears and ecotourism opportunities

A meeting entitled The Bear in the Context of Ecotourism: Opportunities and Perspectives is taking place today at the municipal building in Smolyan, a town in the Rhodope Mountains.

Organised by WWF Bulgaria and the New Horizons – Smolyan association, the event aims to bring together representatives from tourist information centres, guesthouses, tour operators and other organisations involved in tourism. The goal is to discuss and identify effective solutions to issues related to ecotourism and the conservation of endangered species.

The meeting will focus on bear monitoring in Bulgaria as part of ecotourism initiatives. Successful examples from Romania and Italy, where bears have been used to promote ecotourism, will also be presented.

The meeting is held within the framework of the project Coexisting with bears – Conservation needs Conversation!, funded by a European programme.