Tour International Danubien (TID)

Background

"The color is coincidental, I found this material. I built the boat in my spare time." Plamen Petrov at the TID, in his self-made boat.
© WWF-Canon / Reinhard Krenn

Folk dances organised by the inhabitants of Bogojevo for TID participants. "This year the festival is much larger than it was formerly, because it is the 50th anniversary of the TID," says Anika Ohajdu from Bogojevo.
© WWF-Canon / Bryan Marx

The TID, or Tour International Danubien, is an annual tour by kayakers down the Danube River. First organized in 1955, some 11 to 12 countries are represented by some 200 participants from all ages. Even during the Cold War, Western European participants were permitted to paddle past the Iron Curtain into Eastern Bloc countries.

The tour and its participants are great symbols of people working with and celebrating nature along the Danube, as well as of sustainable navigation on the Danube.

The last tour was in 2004. The 2005 tour, from June 25 to August 28, will be the 50th anniversary. TID has welcomed WWF to help coordinate and implement activities related to communicating messages about sustainable Danube navigation.

What WWF is doing with the TID

• Informing TID participants along the tour about the unique values of the Danube, key navigation threats, and sustainable navigation solutions.
  
  
• Inviting the media to locations along the tour where they can take great pictures of the hundreds of kayakers, and where they can interview WWF, TID participants and local mayors about sustainable navigation.
  
  
• Journalists hired by WWF will be paddling with the TID and sending great stories - read the Tour diary.