Synergy of culture and tourism: utilisation of cultural potentials in less favoured rural regions

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Less favoured rural areas in SEE rely on traditional economic activities as the main source of income and jobs. At the same time they possess unique cultural values which are not recognised as a development factor and consequently not properly managed. The main objective of the project is therefore to improve the management of cultural values in rural areas in order to contribute to economic and social development of less favoured rural areas. This will be achieved through development, application and promotion of a common methodology for management of cultural values in rural areas based on a participatory approach to stakeholders. The application of this methodology will contribute to creating new non-massive rural cultural tourism destinations and consequently generate new income and jobs in tourism. It will be applied and tested in pilot areas where cross-sectoral networks will be established comprising of local and regional public bodies and tourism providers. The experiences from pilot areas will result in a joint proposal for inclusion of the common methodology in the development of the European Label for Sustainable Cultural Tourism Destinations fostered by the European Cultural Tourism Network, which wants to base the Label on the application of practical destination management process. This will be facilitated by the virtual chamber established for promotion of the common methodology and its transfer to other rural areas in SEE. The chamber will be a consulting body for tourism developers and will function through the internet platform where rural areas will exchange experience and good practices in managing cultural values. In order to improve policies for better management of cultural values the common methodology will be disseminated to policy makers in a form of recommendations for concrete local, regional and national policy documents to ensure economic stability of cultural values preservation, especially through income from tourism sector.

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