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The MIS ETC 2617 Alector project was funded by the Black Sea Basin Joint Operational Programme 2007-2013 with funding from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). Its implementation lasted thirty (30) months starting from January 2014.

The project was implemented by nine (9) partners from seven (7) countries, namely: ENPI Financial Lead Beneficiary (Drama Development S.A., Greece); ENPI Partner No. 1 (National Authority for Tourism, Romania); ENPI Partner No. 2 (Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities, Bulgaria); ENPI Partner No. 3 (National Association of Rural, Ecological and Cultural Tourism, Moldova); ENPI Partner No. 4 (Donetsk Civic Organization “Alliance”, Ukraine); ENPI Partner No. 5 (The Batumi Archaeological Museum, Georgia); IPA Financial Lead Beneficiary (Governorship of Istanbul, Turkey); IPA Partner No. 1 (Eastern Black Sea Development Agency, Turkey); IPA Partner No. 2 (METGEM Development Centre for Vocational Technical Education, Turkey). Three active associate partners were also involved, namely: Associate Partner No. 1 (University of the Aegean Research Unit, Greece); Associate Partner No. 2 (Institute of National Economy of the Romanian Academy, Romania); Associate Partner No. 3 (Ukrainian Network for Education of Adults and Development of Innovation, Ukraine).

The full title of the project “Collaborative Networks of Multilevel Actors to advance Quality Standards for Heritage Tourism at Cross Border Level” clearly suggests that its main objective was the development of quality heritage tourism at local and cross-border level through the application of interpretation and signage standards. In order to achieve this objective the project aimed at: enhancing partners’ skills mainly through education, on-site training activities and manuals; creating innovative tourism promotion products based on quality standards and state of the art technology; involving local decision makers in the design of the project. The “Alector” project produced a considerable number of deliverables, the main being:

The Alector Cultural Heritage Infrastructure: 11 highly transferable tools for the sustainable management of the Heritage Environment accessible across the Black Sea, including HERISCOUT, the e-course and onsite Course in Heritage Tourism and the Alector Mediathek (5 Cross Border Study Visits; 8 onsite lectures; 9 Daily Seminars), 5 studies, plans and strategies (The Visitor Experience Planning manual; the Heritage Panning Manual; the Alector Heritage Charter; the Heritage Tourism Compendium; the Tourism Accessibility Handbook; the E- and Quali- Survey; the Heritage Viability Strategy; 45 standards for the design and delivery of heritage tourism products & services);

The Alector Skills Certification: an EQF Certification for novel professional skills in the planning and management of heritage attractions with 36 trained individuals and 9 collective actors awarded;

The Black Sea Pool of Heritage Experts: a permanent info source of skilled labor forces to be updated at annual basis will benefit the Cooperation Area with further quality products;

SCRIPTORAMA, the first Black Sea Open Street Museum: designed and implemented on a CB basis through know-how transfer and exchange of good practices, assessed by a Cross Border Quality System, the Open Street Museum completes the Project mission multiplying effects for local communities across the Cooperation Area. It consists of 100 bilingual interpretive panels accessible via Quick Response Codes in the territory, a Travel Aider and a multimedia iBook for iOS and Android operating systems with 490 digital spaces connected to the Google map and available as free download in the App Store;

The Black Sea Heritage Observatory: the legal association will manage the project legacy upon project completion. It will be operated in Varna as a Public-Private Sector Network aiming to become a long-term cultural heritage reference network for cultural heritage works in the Black Sea Basin;

The ALECTOR Communication Toolkit: The Alector Project Spot, 2 international, 8 cross border, 21 local events have informed selected target publics about project contents.