Between August 19-26, Cristuru Secuiesc hosted the “Sustainable Tourism in the Szekler Area” youth exchange program, which brought together 42 young participants from Spain, Portugal, Estonia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, and Romania. The program aimed to raise awareness about sustainable tourism, achieved through site visits, cultural activities, and collaborative projects.

The first days of the program were spent getting to know each other and understanding the basics of sustainable tourism. The participants visited various tourist sites, including the Babusgató Petting Zoo in Sub Cetate, the ski slope in Băile Homorod, the Sólyom Major gastronomic spot in Șoimușu Mic, and historical landmarks in Sighișoara. In addition to these visits, the young participants actively engaged in a European Parliament Simulation and shared their own cultures with the group.

Throughout the exchange program, participants not only enriched their experiences with site visits but also created interviews, videos, and articles about the places they visited to promote sustainable tourism practices. They also held brainstorming sessions to generate ideas for the development of historical points in Sighișoara, and they plan to continue creating reports on tourist spots in their own regions after returning home.

The final day focused on evaluation, self-reflection, and the distribution of Youthpass certificates. The participants bid an emotional farewell to each other, but the knowledge and experiences gained here will stay with them, shaping their future decisions and attitudes toward sustainable tourism.

An overview website featuring the videos and articles produced during the program will be launched soon.

The program was implemented within the framework of Erasmus+.