33 North has been working for the past two years on the delineation and development of a long-distance trail across the Mountains of the Bekaa Valley for a distance of 350 km. This trail is the first long-distance trail across the mountains of the Bekaa Valley covering the Western, the Eastern Mountain Chain known as  Anti Lebanon, and the area of Mount Hermon. 

Boukaat Loubnan Trails’ website implemented by 33 North under the RESTART MED! project is an online platform that plays a key role in promoting trail tourism in Lebanon – in the region of the North Bekaa Trail, Anti Lebanon, and Mount Hermon Region. With the details it provides, the website acts as an informative for both: those who are aiming to hike for one full day and those who are planning to hike for multiple days.

The Boukaat Loubnan Trails emphasizes on conservation and environmental protection by promoting the conversation of natural habitat, wildlife, and biodiversity as well as promoting responsible wildlife viewing and avoiding activities that disturb or harm wildlife. Moreover, it encourages low-impact activities that have minimal impact on the environment such as hiking.

Active Albania is a responsible tour operator based in Tirana, Albania’s capital, which runs tours around the country and its neighbours. Albania is an attractive destination that has great natural and cultural assets, its landscapes ranging from high mountains to crystal clear sea. Active Albania has a great offer of adventure tours on land and on water – hiking, cycling, rafting, snorkelling, kayaking, horseback riding and more.

The USP of Active Albania is the offer of adventure activities with the local experience since the company works with small local businesses, thus travellers can experience the genuine hospitality and authenticity of small, often family-run accommodation and taste local food.

Active Albania is a good practice example for developing creative responsible tourism campaigns, such as their 2019 innovative marketing campaign Taken by Albania . The idea of the campaign came from the movie “Taken”, a thriller where actor Liam Neeson played the main role and which portrayed some negative stereotypes of Albanians.

Thus, within the framework of the Taken by Albania campaign, Active Albania developed a promotional video with the slogan “Be taken by Albania” that refers directly to the movie, combats the stereotypes and addresses the actor Liam Neeson to come and be taken by the many great local features of Albania – from spectacular landscapes, outdoor activities, local culture and food. During the three years since its release, this video on YouTube has been viewed more than 450,000 times; this campaign helped Active Albania to better position itself as a green, hospitable, and active tourism destination and to showcase their offer.

Target groups: Adventure travellers from international markets, as well as from the Balkan region.

Destination Dahar is a unique, upcoming sustainable tourism destination in the southeast of Tunisia, focusing on the conservation of the authenticity of the destination and promoting community-driven cultural heritage, eco and adventure tourism. Dahar’s main adventure tourism product is the so-called ‘La Grande Traversée du Dahar’, a hiking trail around 200 km long leading through the destination. The destination is also marked by local Amazigh culture, its authentic handicraft, and many cultural festivals, which can be found in different Berber villages as well as the offer of authentic accommodation in “Troglodyte caves” offered by locals.

Destination Dahar is a great example of an emerging destination that has taken its first steps towards their ambition to become an established sustainable destination and that uses it for marketing. In 2021, Destination Dahar successfully participated in the Green Destinations Top 100 Sustainability Stories competition (with the support of AGEG Tourism for Sustainability consultants on behalf of the IPD programme) – they were awarded as one of Top 100 sustainable destinations worldwide, which immediately resulted in local and national media attention.

‘Authentic and Sustainable Dahar’ mark: At the end of 2021, the destination created a special mark and a series of Codes

of Conduct (for DMO, visitors and tourism service providers) to further develop their sustainability efforts as well as to use it as a promotional tool highlighting authentic businesses.

Target Groups: Hikers and trekkers, cyclists, cultural tourists, families, couples. Target markets are mainly European

markets and French-speaking markets.

The Fifth Lake “Cinquè Llac” is a circular 5-day hiking trail in the Pyrenees, just 200 km from Barcelona, which begins and ends in La Pobla de Segur. It runs through the mountains of the Pyrenees of Lleida, in Catalonia. The route includes the counties of Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà and Alta Ribagorça. It is a mid-mountain route, accessible to all kinds of hiking enthusiasts, at the foot of the Aigüestortes i Sant Maurici Natural Park, by way of an itinerary divided into 5 stages (between 15 km and 25 km per day).

For over 100 kilometres, hikers will conquer the changing terrain nature offers us, while enjoying one of the most unknown and astounding areas of the Pyrenees: the Pla de Corts plain, the valleys of Vall Fosca and Vall de Manyanet, and discovering Montcortès lake, the Fifth Lake.

One of the trail’s key values is that most of the route follows bridle paths and mountain trails (62%), some especially retrieved for the occasion and others already marked out by the respective town councils. However, each stage has sections by track (26%) and road (12%).

• The trail product Five Lakes is a good example of how local actors – in this case, the rural tourism accommodation establishments of the region and the agency marketing the product, Pirineu Emoció – have joined forces to manage the Fifth Lake and to start revitalising a region through this sustainable tourism approach.
• Different ways of travelling the Fifth Lake trail: hiking, by mountain bike, on horseback and even astride a Catalan donkey or guided by a local expert.
• Target groups: Nature and cultural interested hikers from Europe.