The overall objective of this Project was to contribute to the development of adventure tourism in the Lake Ohrid cross border region by increasing the safety of domestic and foreign visitors. Therefore, the specific objectives were to establish two rescue services for land and water for efficient interventions in cases of emergency, Mountain rescue service in Ohrid and Water rescue service in Pogradec. A modern rescue and training centre for the Mountain Rescue Service was opened in Ohrid. Specialized equipment for mountain and water rescue was purchased and is already in use. By introducing and knowledge transfer about international standards such as the recommendations of ICAR (International Commission for Alpine Rescue) for the mountain rescue service and ILS (International Lifesaving Standard) for the water rescue service, 52 mountain rescuers and 40 water life guards are certified. The rescuers with the best performance and ability were further trained to become instructors.
Also by joining all parties involved in the rescue system: rescue teams, police, ambulance, local authorities, National Parks and existing local Centres for crisis management this Project contributed to a better system of collaboration that enabled the Mountain Rescue service to operate in the Municipality of Pogradec. The newly established rescue services and the set of risk management procedures and standards are strongly promoted to tour operators, travel agencies and tourism service providers in order to be used in enhancing the competitiveness of the Ohrid Lake region for adventure tourism.
Due to the successful implementation of the Project, the Red Cross of Ohrid was awarded numerous awards. The most notable is the Acknowledgment from the Ministry of Defence and the St. Clement’s Charter from the Municipality of Ohrid.