Bar: International Women’s Entrepreneurship in Tourism Claster formed during NEW ICONS Conference

 Bar: International Women’s Entrepreneurship in Tourism Claster formed during NEW ICONS Conference

An international Women’s Entrepreneurship in Tourism Claster has been formed to enable structured networking among women entrepreneurs from Montenegro, Italy, and Albania, and to support their joint efforts in developing innovative tourism products and services.

At the beginning of June, Bar hosted the international conference NEW ICONS, organized by BSC Bar in partnership with the National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises from Bari (CNA Bari), as well as Molise Verso 2000 organisation from Italy, and NUCLEUS from Albania. The event was a part of the NEW ICONS project, implemented under the INTERREG IPA South Adriatic 2021–2027 programme. The project aims to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship in the tourism sector through regional cooperation, digitalisation, and knowledge exchange.

As a part of the conference, an Agreement on Cooperation was signed for the establishment of an international women’s entrepreneurship cluster in tourism – an initiative that will enable structured networking among women entrepreneurs from Montenegro, Italy, and Albania, as well as joint efforts in developing innovative tourism products and services.

The first signatories of the agreement in Bar from Montenegro are: Tijana Kosović – Multilingua, Ana Unkašević – Adventure Dream, Jelena Pejanović – Ukus i Tradicija, Biljana Dabić IN-Bar – AVE Tours, as well as the representatives of Cluster of Creative Industries and Tourism Bar Olja Fatić and Faculty Faculty of Business Economics and Law Bar Sandra Đurović.

The representatives of the tourism sector from Italy who attended the conference are: Grazia Petrosino (CNA Bari), Maria Francesca (Dimora Vista Mare – guest house), Margherita Napolitano (Holly Tour – Tour operator), Rosa Surico (International Hospitality and Tourism Management), Camillo Marracino (GAL Molise verso 2000), Dafne Petruccioli (MUFEG – Community Museum of Jelsi Municipality), Natascia Palmieri (Oleum – guest house), and Debora Di Iorio(Artisan).

The women entrepreneurs from Albania who participated are: Valbona Paluka (NUCLEUS), and artisans Ganimet Artunda, Artenca Kruja, and Vjollca Nishani.

The participants expressed their commitment to maintaining joint efforts through the newly established Cluster to advance women’s entrepreneurship in Montenegro, Italy, and Albania.

Ivana Tomašević: The establishment of the cluster within the framework of the NEW ICONS project opens the door to new opportunities and partnerships in a cross-border context

On behalf of BSC Bar, Ivana Tomašević highlighted the importance of empowering women in tourism through regional networking, digital transformation, and access to finance.

“This event in Bar represents the culmination of the activities carried out so far within the NEW ICONS project. The establishment of the Cluster opens the door to new opportunities and partnerships in a cross-border context,” said Tomašević.

The conference brought together representatives of organisations and businesses from three countries. Tanja Radusinović presented the networking support programmes of the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, while Milena Ljutica spoke about the benefits of digitalisation, robotics, and artificial intelligence in tourism.

In addition, entrepreneurship support programmes implemented by the Municipality of Bar since 2019 were also presented.

The conference featured three thematic sessions, covering key areas for the development of modern tourism businesses: networking, digitalisation, and access to finance. Participants had the opportunity to share experiences, establish contacts, and agree on various forms of cooperation, further strengthening the regional dimension of the project.

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