This project is co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey

April 29th, 2016 PRESS RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL LEAP IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN TURKEY

Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Program opens its first National Office in Küre Mountains, Turkey

The Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Program, which is an initiative designed by Vesselka Consulting under the auspices of Sustainable Rural Development International Ltd., aiming to create a community designed ecotourism network in order to support and promote internationally recognised, certified and sustainable tourism destinations in the Black Sea Basin, opens its national office in the mid- western Black Sea Region of Turkey.

The first national office of the Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Program will be operational following the opening event to be held at the office of Küre Mountains Ecotourism Association at Pinarbaşi district of Kastamonu province on May 6th, 2016 at 14:30. The event is organised within the scope of the Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Project being jointly implemented by Küre Mountains Ecotourism Association (KED), a local civil society organisation, and Sustainable Rural Development International (SRDI), a UK based hybrid non-profit. Management on behalf of SRDI is handled exclusively by Vesselka Consulting Ltd, also based in the UK.

KED takes on national coordination

The national office will be incorporated within KED to coordinate the operations of the Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Program in Turkey. KED will put effort into achieving a sound establishment of the Program around the Küre Mountains and its gradual expansion throughout the Turkish Black Sea Region. Ismail Mentes, the vice chair of KED, says they are taking on an important mission:

“Since the Program’s initial steps in Turkey in early 2013, KED has been an active part of the process. The Program’s choice of Küre Mountains as the starting point is a significant opportunity for us. The Program’s emphasis on sustainable rural economic development and its focus on local communities wholly corresponds with the eco-tourism focus of KED. We aim to strengthen this approach primarily around Küre Mountains and expand it throughout the Turkish Black Sea Region.”

International Secretariat in Istanbul

Richard Shepard, a Board Trustee of SRDI and Director of Vesselka Consulting Ltd., states that the Program Secretariat, which is the international organ of the Program, will be based in Istanbul and explains why they started with Küre Mountains and KED: “The Black Sea Region of Turkey has unique qualities for sustainable rural tourism to support economic and social development. During our search on where in Turkey to start the Program, we

The content of this release is the sole responsibility of Küre Mountains Ecotourism Association (KED) and in no way reflects the opinions of the European Union or Republic of Turkey.

were impressed by the natural and cultural heritage of Küre Mountains as well as local efforts in sustainable tourism. It is also a great opportunity to have a local NGO like KED on board, since engagement of local communities is central to the Program. Within the course of our efforts in the last four years, Turkey is the first country where we reached the point to physically open a national office. We have coordinated our work in Ukraine and Turkey with workshops and experiential exchanges and by July the new national office in Ukraine will be opened in Kyiv. The program originated in Ukraine and was quickly joined by Turkey with the enthusiastic support of KED. The experience to be gained here, we believe, will contribute to the future of the Program in general and the sustainable tourism practices in Turkey in particular.”

High level representation at the opening

District governors and mayors of Pınarbaşı and Azdavay will attend the opening event as well as representatives from Northern Anatolia Development Agency (KUZKA) and the project associates Zelenye Khutora, a Ukraine based CSO, and Tsinandlis Edemi, sustainable rural tourism venture in Georgia. In addition, representatives from local CSOs and sustainable tourism businesses along with local leaders are expected to participate.

Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Project is supported under Civil Society Dialogue Programme. The Programme aims to bring together civil society organisations from Turkey and the EU around common topics, to exchange knowledge and experience, and to build a sustained conversation between them. Around 200 partnership projects have been financed under this Programme which started in 2008. In this third phase of the Programme, 55 dialogue projects designed and being implemented by media and civil society organisations are being realized. The Ministry for European Union Affairs is the responsible institution for the technical implementation of the programme, while the Central Finance and Contracts Unit is the Contracting Authority of the Programme.

Venue: Çalkara Mahallesi Gürbüzler Mevkii No:29 (Horma İnönü İlkokulu), Pınarbaşı/Kastamonu Date / Time: May 6th, 2016, 14:30 For information: Dr. İsmail Menteş, Vice Chair, KED T (366) 771 43 33 F (366) 771 43 33 M (531) 242 53 05 E info@ked.org.tr, www.ked.org.tr

The content of this release is the sole responsibility of Sustainable Rural Development International (SRDI) and the Küre Mountains Ecotourism Association (KED) and in no way reflects the opinions of the European Union or Republic of Turkey.

Richard Shepard, Board Trustee, SRDI; Director, Vesselka Consulting Ltd T +44 207 549 3662 E bst@vesselkaconsult.com, www.ruralsusdev.org, www.vesselkaconsult.com

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