Small Business Expansion Project Quarterly Report 3 — FY2016: April – June 2016

The project's efforts culminated in the first-ever regional adventure travel conference in Europe, AdventureNEXT~Balkans, held in Ohrid from May 10-12. The conference brought together nearly 300 representatives from over 30 destinations worldwide, including 12 from South-East Europe, to discuss responsible tourism development in the region. The conference featured educational sessions, peer-to-peer forums, and a market place, where international buyers and local industry members connected to promote their adventure brands and access new markets. A total of 439 meetings took place between international buyers and inbound tour operators from the Balkan region. The event also catered to the needs of governmental and development agencies supporting tourism development, with sessions focused on stimulating buyers to include the Balkans in their offer. The expected impact of the conference is both short- and long-term, with potential deals made during the event and media exposure expected to provoke interest among industry members and adventure travelers. However, challenges need to be addressed to develop Macedonia and the region as an adventure travel destination, including continuous investment in infrastructure and stakeholders' institutional capacity, facilitating cooperation between the public and private sectors, and streamlining destination management. To support the growth of local tourism service providers, such as inbound tour operators, tour guides, and their associations, SBEP has demonstrated a successful model for providing support. However, local service providers need continuous support to upgrade the quality of their services to international industry standards, mitigating the risk of underperforming and giving an underwhelming first impression of Macedonia as a destination. In parallel to the conference, SBEP continued to promote Macedonia as an adventure travel destination. In April, the project brought paragliding pilots Toby Colombé and Mike Agnew to visit paragliding destinations in Macedonia, promoting them in paragliding circles and providing feedback about potential locations. The project also supported four adventure sports events in May and June, aiming to help organizers strengthen their skills and attract more participants and visitors, positively impacting the local economy. The participants of AdventureNEXT widely agreed that this year's conference is a milestone in putting Macedonia and the Balkans on the map of international adventure travel destinations. Local stakeholders need to take advantage of this momentum and work together towards the overall development of this tourism niche for the benefit of local and regional economic growth.