International projects
Horse Industry and Tourism
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The horse industry and tourism is something not studied in the secondary tourist-catering schools, and the horse industry is not studied even in the secondary agricultural schools. The students rarely have true opportunity to realize what is a horse industry and what are the potentials of this sector.
The people still think that this is entertainment only for rich and that it’s difficult to start business with horses. However, the analyses in this sector and in the region show that a good horse with pedigree can be bought also for 2,000 euros.
The students should learn about this industry and see the opportunities provided. Achievement of these objectives of the training is difficult if only theoretical teaching is used. Thus the students should have contact with the business sector, mainly with small family businesses in order to generate ideas for potential businesses this being able to develop tourist product they will offer to tourists visiting the region or will be at the service of well-known wineries in the region that try to offer more unique products and services due to the significant competition.
Having in mind the above, two-weeks training in Slovenia is proposed where, in the morning hours, the participants will be able to have theoretical input about the tourist and tourist products but also to meet the horses. They will be able to learn how to approach them, how to cherish them, ride, etc. In the afternoon they will be visiting real companies that provide various services in this area: riding, carriage tours, nature hiking (which can vary from recreational do adventurous), etc.
The example of Slovenia is exceptionally good for the students because it will be a one-stop-shop where the students will see how the secondary agricultural school combines with the tourist-catering and with the stable that has 40 pedigree horses. This stable, together with the farm growing various farming products, are used by their restaurant located in the city center and makes additional income for the school. The school breeds the horses, sells them, and also makes money by teaching riding lessons. This also includes a number of competitions for the students in riding, taming, decoration of horses which attract significant number of tourists every year from which additional income is also collected.
The students will participate in a number of dissemination sessions following the training in Slovenia.
The knowledge and experience students acquire will be shared with other students in the school and in other tourist-catering schools.
-First they will have sessions with their friends from the school in order to share what they learned and saw. The sessions will take place on Kozhuf Mountain where they will be able to show what they learned.
-Secondly, a regional survey will organized (visits to farms owning horses) in order to analyze the potentials for this business in the region. Before starting the field survey, the project coordinator, together with the responsible teachers, will inform the students through desk research on how to use the data available from the State Statistical Office and other institutions.
- At the end, tourist products will be developed that will be reviewed by a special commission and award the best ones.
-The project and the project results will be also shared with other students and teachers that will attend the workshop to be held in the Josif Josifovski school.
The project will also develop a Handbook for Tourism Product Development that will be disseminated in other secondary vocational schools. It will be available in three languages (Macedonia, English and Albanian) as well as on the website of the school.
Gevgelija and the region of Gevgelija has significant potential for development of the horse industry and tourism. The city is located at the Macedonian-G
