Country: Greece

Organization: Bourazani Resort

Year the initiative began: 1992

Project Website: www.bourazani.gr

Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions:

• Main barrier addressed: Lack of quality assurance
• Main insight addressed: Market authenticity

What is the goal of your innovation?
Sensitise guests in the environmental and cultural wealth of the area, in order to protect it.

How does your approach support or embody geotourism?
We fully support local wildlife by special projects in cooperation with Universities in Greece and other organizations worldwide. Moreover, we undertook the responsibility for research and development of the cultural monuments in the area, especially of the Pre-Industrial era. In collaboration with the Municipality of Konitsa and the University of Athens, Dept. of Biology, we made all the necessary steps to raise a fund for the publication of Konitsas’ Flora and Fauna Guide. We undertook the task to introduce our region into the Programme PEP of Epirus, in order to rule-bound the use of land (e.g. agricultural area, agro tourism area, etc.) and determine the rules for the construction, the materials used etc. for the organization structure and growth. Through National Funds, we project to include our area in the National Park Vikos Aoos. We support the local traditional products, music and dances in various ways.

Describe your approach in detial. How is it innovative?
"BOURAZANI’ is located next to Aoos river. All our buildings follow the local traditional architecture, made of stone and they are fully adjusted to the environment. The interior is dressed in wood. The total number of fully equiped rooms and suites is nineteen (19). At the Hotel Restaurant one can taste a variety of traditional local dishes. Fully detailed excursions, by car/foot/mountain bike; Bird, butterfly and flower observation (orchids); Fly-fishing; River rafting; Sky observation. Every evening organized visits to our Environmental Educational Park. The owners of “BOURAZANI” Resort, started to collaborate with the local community for the research and maintenance of the monuments and environment fifteen years ago. After taking the circumstances and developments in Europe into consideration (through several visits to European countries) we realized the great importance of the cultural and environmental wealth of our region. Therefore: -We fully support local wildlife by special projects in cooperation with Universities in Greece and other organizations worldwide. -We have identified and classified 690 flowers, 50 of which belong to the Orchid family. (It is worth mentioning that there are 130 species of orchids all over Greece, and 50 of these have been recognized in Bourazani, so far. Therefore, it became real that the flora biodiversity of our area is unique in Europe. We also formed a long catalogue of flowers, birds and butterflies of the area. -Moreover, we undertook the responsibility for research and development of the cultural monuments in the area, especially of the Pre-Industrial era. -We undertook the task to introduce our region into the Programme PEP of Epirus, in order to rule-bound the use of land and determine the rules for the construction, the materials used etc. for the organization structure and growth. -Through National Funds, we manage to include our area in the New National Park Grammos.

What types of partnerships or professional developement would be most beneficial in spearding your innovation?
Collaboration with Non Government Organizations, Foundations and Universities in Greece and worldwide.

In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
Our practices have great financial and social benefit to local community and intend to maximize the environmental sensibility of both local community and guests.

Describe the degree of success of your approach to date. Clearly define how you measure quantitative and qualitative impact in terms of how your approach contributes to the sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How does your approach minimize negative impacts?
We have achieved a great percentage of success until now. We create guides and brochures, which we offer to the visitors. Our aim is to make sensitive our guests and the local community concerning the environmental wealth in order to protect it.Both our brochure and website provide travellers with accurate pre-trip information on our destination. -We constantly encourage travellers to purchase locally produced goods and services, souvenirs, crafts, meals and guides. -We sensitise travellers about the flora and fauna of the region to minimise damage to the environment, wildlife and river ecosystems. -Fully detailed excursions, by car/foot/mountain bike; bird, butterfly and flower observation (orchids); Fly-fishing; River rafting; Sky observation.For all the above services we provide local guides. -Through the European Commission (EC) Programme RAFAEL and in collaboration with local and international organizations we restored the Watermill of Bourazani and we transformed it into a Centre of Water Movement. Today one can see the watermill washing clothes or grinding wheat, corn etc. to make flour. Nowadays, we feel very happy and satisfied since a lot of school children-the future citizens- visit our area and Park every year in thousands and get sensitive in cultural and environmental issues.

How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
We fully support local life in various ways: -We constantly encourage travellers to purchase locally produced goods and services, souvenirs, crafts, meals and guides. -Travellers interested in local cuisine can participate in our “ TRADITIONAL COOKING CLASSES”. -We encourage our guests to participate in local fiestas ("panigiria" with local traditional music and dances) or in the Fiesta for Tsipouro (a local eau de vie drink) Distillery, which takes place in Molyvdoskepastos village, every November. -We support the local traditional music and dances in various ways.

In what ways are local residents actively involved in your innovation, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
Around "Bourazani" Resort there is a small network of workshops, shops and monuments which is benefited from our approach. The standard policy of our enterprise is that no one knows better the area than the locals, who love and take care of it. In addition, we live in a small community, in this part of Greece, where we know each other and we can trust each other. Our guests visit the whole area of Konitsa and the wider area of Zagoria and Epirus giving a considerable income to the places they visit. Thus, especially the small villages in the area around our hotel, next to the Greek-Albanian boarder, become alive and welfare.

Describe how your innovation helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area's cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues. How do you motivate them to act responsibly in their future travel decisions?
We provide travelers and local residents with all the useful information concerning the cultural and natural heritage of the area in our Environmental Educational Park "Bourazani" and in our Museum of Natural History using audio-visual systems.

Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? What is the potential demand for your innovation?
We are financially and organizationally sustainable.

How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
We are self financed, since the Hotel, Restaurant Museum and Park are open through the year. Our annual budget is 500.000 euro. Our twelve-full time-employees have health insurance and personal contracts of payment subject to the Greek Law. We follow all the safety regulations according to the engineered standards and we pay special attention to the well being of our employees and their families, all from the near-by villages. During special seasons we additionally employ ten part-time employees.

What is your plan to expand your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
We intend to collaborate with Universities and Foundations in order to gain more specific knowledge concerning the environment and the culture of the area. These results will enrich the data in the Natural Museum Histrory giving thus more knowledge to our visitors.

What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
There are no barriers, since we have a very good and fruitfull collaboration with the local community and the Environmental Department of Epirus Region.

What is the origin of your innovation? Tell your story.
Bourazani, a small valley next to Aoos River, is located by the Greek-Albanian boarders. Tassos family was the owner of the forest property of 350 ha and in 1973 it was decided to surround an area of 120 ha in order to create a game farm and a hunting area. In 1983 Hotel Bourazani was built. The first structure had ten rooms intended to give shelter to hunters. In our small Hotel Restaurant wild game (boar, deer etc.) was served, cooked in various ways. Soon it became clear that, although many hunters still visited our hotel, most of our visitors were families, which they had nothing to do with hunting. Their main purpose was to enjoy the nature, to observe the wild game in their natural environment, to feel our hospitality and to taste our delicious food. In 1991, because of the increasing number of our guests, we faced the demand for more space. Therefore, we added ten more rooms in the existed and we enlarged the Restaurant Hall. In 1992, we established a new philosophy for our company giving up completely the idea of hunting. We therefore transformed the game farm into a well-organized Environmental Park. With the assistance of European Programmes, in ten years we constructed roads and warehouses, for the storage of the food for the animals, as well as special buildings for the reception and information of our guests in matters concerned the biological circles of the hosted animals and the flora and fauna of the area. The special buildings within the Environmental Park of Bourazani are: 1.The “Peripteron” of Environmental Education (constructed in 1993) 2.The Workshop, where we elaborate the fallen trophies of the animals for small objects production. 3.The Main Building for the Audio-Visual Environmental Education, which is a well-organized Conference Hall (constructed in 2001). 4. The Natural History Museum (constructed in 2008) Today, in the Environmental Park of Bourazani we host eight hundred and fifty wild animals, which belong to six species: the fallow deer, the red deer, the roebuck, the mouflon (wild sheep), the kri-kri (wild goat) and the boar. These animals live free within an area of 120 ha and each year give birth to approximately sixty to seventy newborn animals. Every year we are obliged to remove sixty to seventy animals in order to maintain the balance of the animal population and keep stable the number of animals we host.

Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
I was born in Ioannina Greece. After my basic studies in high school, I attented the University of Thessaloniki, Department of Veterinary Science. I succeeded in the examinations of the State Scholarships Foundation of Greece and in 1987 I started my research programme as a DEA student at the Grand Ecole Veterinaire de Nantes, INRA Paris, Field Molecular Biology. I completed my studies and I returned to Greece. Since then I am responsible for "Bourazani" Resort.

Please write an overview of your project. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the Google map located on teh competition homepage.
A serenity shelter lost in green next to the river. "BOURAZANI’ Resort is located 58 Kms from Ioannina, 12 Kms from Konitsa, next to Aoos river, a few meters from Bourazani bridge, just opposite the Environmental Park ‘BOURAZANI’. All our buildings follow the local traditional architecture, made of stone. They are fully adjusted to the environment. The interior (reception, dinning room, rooms etc.) is dressed with wood and decorated with trophies. We have single, Double, Triple rooms and two (2) suites. The total number of rooms and suites is nineteen (19). At the Hotel Restaurant you could taste a lot of traditional local dishes. Our facilities and services are: Air conditioning, Restaurant, Bar-cafeteria, Tennis court, Basketball Court, Pool, Parking, Conference center, Minibus, Fishing equipment, Mountain bikes, Families accepted, Pets allowed, Fully detailed excursions, by car/foot/mountain bike; Bird, butterfly and flower observation (orchids); Fly-fishing; River rafting; Sky observation. Every evening you could visit our Environmental Educational Park. The Tassos family will warmly welcome you and offer you their family hospitality.

Contact Information
DEA George Tassos
Veterinary Surgeon
Bourazani Resort
Bourazani
burazani@otenet.gr