The recent international conference organized by the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology, the UNESCO Chair in Maritime and Coastal Archaeology (MoMArch – Aix-Marseille University) and the UNESCO 2001 Convention Secretariat was a remarkable success. The Conference was held at Le Cube in Aix-en-Provence from January 29 to February 1, 2026.
The conference fostered important discussions on innovative and sustainable tourism practices, paving the way for future collaborations in cultural tourism. The insights shared reflect a collective commitment to enhancing rural and remote tourism through creative and sustainable approaches.
The conference organized the participation of the Cluster of Cultural & Creative Tourism Horizon Europe projects: SECreTour, CROCUS, CULTURALITY.
Special session
One of the most engaging moments was the TOURAL special session on January 31, 2026, titled: Development of Cultural & Creative Tourism in Rural and Remote Areas, Empowered by Multidimensional Models of Tourism Growth.
This session emphasized sustainable balanced growth in rural regions, innovation in business model development, macro-regional and cross-border cooperation, barriers and policy challenges and most importantly, the significance of creative tourism and intangible cultural heritage.
The session featured insightful presentations, including:
- The TOURAL UCCST Approach to Sustainable Development of Tourism Destinations by Vasiliki Drouga.
- Communicating Sustainable Growth: The Role of EU-Funded Projects in Fostering Innovation and Stakeholder Engagement in Underwater Heritage Tourism by Marija Dušević, focusing on the communication of underwater cultural heritage tourism and TOURAL project.
- The TOURAL Living Labs by Elpida Besi.
- Touching the Land: Rural Craft as a Tool for Deep Experiential Tourism by Ángel Antonio Rodríguez, representing CULTURALITY project.
- Antonella Fresa’s presentation on Sustainable, engaging and creative tourism as a driver for a better future in rural and remote areas, representing SECreTOUR project.
Key Takeaways
- Quality over Quantity: The discussions underscored the importance of focusing on quality tourism experiences rather than merely increasing visitor numbers.
- Shared Challenges: Different pilot sites face similar difficulties, indicating a need for cohesive strategies and solutions.
- Bottom-Up Approach: Emphasizing a value chain approach is vital, particularly in linking urban “mother places” with nearby rural areas.
- Stakeholder Involvement: Engaging key stakeholders is crucial, serving as the foundation for success in all projects presented.
- Cultural Value: Culture, heritage, and art can be tourism products themselves, but the actual tourism experiences must enhance their value.
- Policy Recommendations: Many recommendations overlap, suggesting that common issues exist across various regions and projects.
- Overlapping Masterplans: The issue of overlapping masterplans was highlighted as a significant challenge, complicating effective implementation.
Cluster Corner
The Cluster of Cultural & Creative Tourism Horizon Europe projects: TOURAL, SECreTOUR, CROCUS, and CULTURALITY projects showcased their initiatives in a dedicated cluster corner during the poster session. Each project presented a unique poster, highlighting their contributions to cultural tourism.
Posters and presentations delivered by SECreTOUR and CULTURALITY are available for here for free download:
