Ohrid to upgrade five beaches with accessible infrastructure funded €187,000 by EU

The Municipality of Ohrid will use a €187,000 grant from the cross‑border project "Accessible Adventure Across Borders" to make five public lakeside beaches accessible for people with disabilities, purchase a specialised transport vehicle and build an inclusive motor skills playground.

Interventions will include accessible paths, changing rooms and rescue facilities

The work on the five public beaches along Ohrid's shoreline will introduce modern urban equipment, accessible walkways, changing rooms and sanitary facilities, plus additional solutions to ease and secure access to the lake for people with reduced mobility. The plans also include a dedicated room equipped for rescue operations and an observation post for the lifeguard service.

Beyond infrastructure, the project covers soft measures such as studies, trainings, mentoring, hands‑on learning and exchange of experiences for tourism workers and other stakeholders. Those activities aim to raise awareness about the needs of people with disabilities and encourage development of accessible tourism services.

A specialised vehicle for people with disabilities will be procured and put at the disposal of the Municipality of Ohrid, which will also take responsibility for its upkeep. In the former barracks complex where existing playgrounds are located, a new motor skills park — an inclusive playground for children with disabilities — will be constructed to complement an indoor facility used by the association for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

"With the implementation of the project, a significant improvement in accessibility of Ohrid beaches is expected, an increase in the number of tourists with disabilities, better conditions for safety and recreation, development of inclusive and sustainable tourism, and strengthening of the tourist offer," said Gjoko Apostolov, head of the Tourism and Local Economic Development Sector at the Municipality of Ohrid.

The initiative is part of the Interreg IPA cross‑border cooperation programme between North Macedonia and Greece for the 2021–2027 period and seeks to create a cross‑border route for accessible adventure tourism that will link mountain and lake destinations in both countries. Partners in the project include the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Thessaloniki, the Greek National Tourism Organization, the Municipality of Ohrid, the Network for Rural Development of North Macedonia and the Scout Association "Krste Jon" — Struga.

A first coordination meeting for the project was held recently in Ohrid, where partners discussed implementation steps and capacity‑building activities foreseen under the grant.

Photo: SDK.MK)