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1 March 2021
ECTN supports the #Tourism4Recovery campaign and the ‘Call for Action: Accelerate Social and Economic Recovery by Investing in Sustainable Tourism Development’ 
25 February 2021
ECTN welcomes the new guidelines on responsible restart of cultural tourism by UNWTO in collaboration with UNESCO News Release Guidelines
New ECTN Board 2021-2022
Following the General Assembly held online on 2 December 2020, ECTN has a new Board with effect 1 January 2021 for the next 2 years, viz: President: Pafos Regional Board of Tourism, Cyprus Vice-President: Sibiu County Tourism Association, Romania Members: - Vidzeme Tourism Association, Latvia (Immediate Past President) - Granada Diputacion, Spain - Experience Bremerhaven, Germany - Inter-Community Alto Minho, Portugal - University of Barcelona, Spain - City of Krk, Croatia Secretariat: Argonautica Network, Greece The Working Group coordinators are: - Policy: Vidzeme Tourism Association, Latvia (Immediate Past President) - Practice: Sibiu County Tourism Association, Romania (Vice-President) - Research: University of Barcelona, Spain 
ECTN organises the 1st Conference of European Cultural Route:
'In the footsteps of Saint Paul, the Apostle of the nations' ECTN as a founding member of the respective European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), established in the frame of: Cult-RInG Interreg Europe project 'Cultural Routes as Investment for Growth and Jobs', with partners: - Region of Central Macedonia, Greece - Lazio Region, Italy - Pafos Regional Board of Tourism, Cyprus. Programme ECTN annual Conference & Awards ceremony online 22 October 2020, 14:00-16:30 CEST Conference Theme: “Post-pandemic recovery of European Tourism through Culture, Heritage and Creativity” Contributions by: ▪ ECTN President ▪ European Commission DG EAC ▪ Europa Nostra Secretary-General ▪ European Travel Commission ▪ NECSTouR President ▪ Interpret Europe ▪ Iter Vitis Cultural Route President ▪ Phoenicians Cultural Route ▪ ECTN Secretary-General Video recording of the Conference Part 1 Part 2 Awards Ceremony “Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2020” Theme: “Special Interest Tourism development and promotion based on Cultural Heritage” Prize Categories: ▪ Industrial Heritage Tourism ▪ Maritime, Coastal and Aquatic Heritage ▪ Innovation & Digitisation, towards Smart Destinations ▪ Transnational Thematic Tourism Products ▪ Wine Tourism ▪ Special Prize of the Jury Closing remarks by ECTN President & Chair of the Jury (Europa Nostra) Video recording of the Awards Ceremony Results 
The European Association of Via Francigena ways joins ECTN
The Via Francigena is a "Cultural Route of the Council of Europe" according to the definition of the Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on Cultural Routes approved by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 8 December 2010. Via Facigena was amongst the winners of the ECTN Awards 'Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2019', in the category 'Transnational Thematic Tourism Products'. The European Association of Via Francigena ways (EAVF) is a voluntary association of Regions and Local Authorities of Italy, Switzerland, France, England, which currently accounts 178 members. It was established on 7 April 2001 in Fidenza (Emilia-Romagna, Italy) to promote the Via Francigena - 1800 kilometres from Canterbury to Rome, through 13 European Regions (Kent; Hauts-de-France; Grand Est; Bourgogne-Franche-Comté; Vaud; Valais; Valle d'Aosta; Piedmont; Lombardy; Emilia-Romagna; Liguria; Tuscany; Lazio), in addition to 4 Regions of southern Italy (Campania, Molise, Basilicata, Apulia) and the Via Francigena of the South in 4 countries (United Kingdom; France; Switzerland; Italy). It carries out activities to enhance and promote the route at all institutional levels: local, regional, national and european. In 2007 the Council of Europe declares EAVF carrier network ("réseau porteur") of the Via Francigena, assigning it the role of official reference point for safeguarding, protecting, promoting and developing the Via Francigena in Europe. https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/ 
New Honorary Member of ECTN: Mr Michael Cramer, former MEP and Chair of the TRAN Commitee
The ECTN General Assembly has approved the nomination by the Board regarding a new Honorary Member, Mr Michael Cramer, former Member of the European Parliament (Greens, Germany, 2004-2019) and ex-Chair of the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN, 2014-2017). Mr Cramer is the founder of the 'Iron Curtain Trail' - EuroVelo13 cycling route, which has been certified as "Cultural Route of the Council of Europe" in 2019. He has been a keynote speaker at ECTN events, namely in the frame of the Cult-RInG Interreg Europe project, in Riga (November 2017) and in Brussels (October 2018). As a Chair of the TRAN Committee of the European Parliament he has advanced the cause of sustainable cultural tourism and sustainable mobility for tourism. The official award ceremony will take place at the Cult-RInG project high-level event and final conference to be held at end May 2020. 
ECTN celebrates 10 years of activities 2009 - 2019 ! ECTN was established as AISLB in Brussels on 20 May 2009. This year ECTN celebrates 10 years of continuous activities and growth, from the 6 founding members in 2009 to 29 members in 2019 and from 5 countries to 19 countries! During its 10 years of existence, ECTN has participated in 5 EU co-funded projects (4 currently active, established by the ECTN Secretariat), organised 9 international conferences and awarded annual prizes for 'Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism' since 2014. ECTN is a member of the Stakeholder Committee of the 'European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018' (EYCH2018), selected by the European Commission DG EAC in 2017. ECTN was an official supporter of the UN 'International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017', facilitated by UNWTO. ECTN is a signatory of the 'European Manifesto for Growth & Jobs' led by the European Travel Commission and a founding member of the 'European Heritage Alliance 3.3', led by Europa Nostra. 
ECTN keynote address at the International Conference on Archaeology and Tourism, entitled:
'The Charter for Sustainable Cultural Tourism & the European Year of Cultural Heritage legacy' 
Veneto Region joins ECTN
Veneto Region, Italy, has joined ECTN as a member, following successful cooperation in ECTN projects CHARTS INTERREG IVC (2012-2014), CHRISTA Interreg Europe (2016-2020) and Cult-CreaTE Interreg Europe (2018-2022). 
ECTN participated in the 3rd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and CultureThe theme ‘for the Benefit of All’ had two priorities:
1) creating more inclusive partnerships between tourism and culture stakeholders that contribute to SDG implementation; and 2) promoting tourism development that encourages cultural interaction and ensures the benefits are shared by all communities involved. 
Androula Vassiliou confirmed as Honorary Member of ECTN
Former European Commissioner for Culture Mrs Androula Vassiliou, currently Vice-President of Europa Nostra was confirmed as Honorary Member of ECTN at the closing ceremony of the ECTN annual Conference, in Pafos, Cyprus, on 26 October 2018. Mrs Vassiliou had been proposed as ECTN Honorary Member during her term as EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, as a recognition of her contribution to cultural tourism in initiatives such the European Heritage Label and her video message at the 2013 ECTN Conference.
ECTN participated in the 3rd UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism:
Wine Tourism as a Tool for Rural Development 
ECTN participated in the 2nd UNWTO World Conference on Smart Destinations 2018
ECTN in new Interreg Europe projects!
ECTN is a partner in a new Interreg Europe project approved by the monitoring committee, one of 54 projects approved out of 234 applications received in the third call for project proposals. Cult-CreteTE (Cultural and Creative Industries contribution to Cultural and Creative Tourism in Europe) aims to redeploy Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) for the development and promotion of Cultural and Creative Tourism (CCT) strategies, with sustainability, innovations, capitalisation, policy learning, policy implementation and capacity building. Cult-CreteTE is led by Vidzeme Tourism Association in Latvia, with partners Veneto IT, Nicosia CY, Cork IE, Dundee UK, Naoussa EL, Pecs HU, Kujawsko-Pomorskie PL. ECTN has also supported another winning application, DESTI-SMART (Delivering Efficient Sustainable Tourism with low-carbon transport Innovations: Sustainable Mobility, Accessibility and Responsible Travel), led by Metropolitan Development Agency of Thessaloniki, Greece, with partners Bremerhaven DE, Sardenia IT, Mallorca ES, Funchal PT, Hastings UK, Pafos CY, Lake Balaton HU, Greenways LV and Bournemouth University UK as an advisory partner. DESTI-SMART aims to improve the transport and tourism policies of EU destinations, by integrating strategies for sustainable mobility, accessibility and responsible travel with efficient & sustainable tourism development, for transition to a low-carbon economy, through efficiency, resilience, multimodality, novel low-carbon transport systems, cycling & walking, with implementation innovations, policy learning and capacity building. Both of the above topics, CCIs for CCT and SMART Destinations, are included in the ECTN 'Charter for Sustainable Cultural Tourism', which is a contribution of ECTN to the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018.
ECTN participates in the official opening of the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year at the Doge's Palace, Venice
ECTN had been invited by the European Commission DG GROW to to the official opening of the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year (ECTY) on Friday 19 January 2018 in Venice, at the Doge's Palace and the ECTN Secretary-General participated. The ECTY was announced jointly in July 2016 by the President of the European Commission and the Chinese Prime Minister. It aims at increasing the investment opportunities in China for European operators and boosting European growth and jobs by promoting Chinese tourism to the EU. ECTY was launched by Commissioner Bieńkowska and the Chairman of China National Tourism Administration. ECTN is ready to contribute to ECTY 2018, in terms of responsible and sustainable cultural tourism which is highly relevant to both EU and China tourism sectors. ECTN is also facilitating synergies between ECTY 2018 and EYCH 2018, as the only member of the EYCH 2018 Stakeholders Committee with a tourism mandate.
A VERY HAPPY AND CREATIVE 2018 - EUROPEAN YEAR OF CULTURAL HERITAGE !
ECTN participates in the European Tourism Day 2017 in Brussels
ECTN participated in the 2017 edition of the European Tourism Day on 28 November in Brussels, organised by the European Commission. This year the conference addressed the topic of "The future of EU tourism" and will look into issues such as access to finance under the next EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the tourism value chain and its implications on consumers, businesses and local communities as well as the future of tourism governance at EU, national and regional level. The event gathered up to 400 participants, including Commissioners, other representatives of the European Commission and high-level representatives of public authorities at EU, national and regional level. We’ll also line up representatives of prominent European sector associations, the tourism and travel industry as well as other relevant stakeholders.
Granada, Spain and Västra Götaland, Sweden, join ECTN Board
Representatives from Granada County Council (Diputación Provincial de Granada) - Spain, and from Västra Götaland Region (Västra Götalands Regionen) - Sweden, have been elected to join the Board of ECTN. They join the existing Board members, representatives from Vidzeme Tourism Association - Latvia (President), Pafos Regional Board of Tourism - Cyprus (Vice-President), Sibiu County Tourism Association - Romania, CIM Ave - Portugal, and Dubrovnik City Development Agency DURA - Croatia. ECTN at the Working Group of Member States' experts on Sustainable Cultural Tourism, in Bruges
ECTN presented its aims, activities and the Charter for Sustainable Cultural Tourism to the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) Working Group of Member States' experts Priority Area C "Cultural and Creative Sectors: Creative Economy and Innovation" Topic C3: Sustainable Cultural Tourism, in Bruges, Belgium, 12 September 2017 |
ECTN welcomes new members and previous members rejoining
ECTN is a member of the: 
ECTN is a signatory of the:
ECTN Projects:
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MEPs, regions, cities and the tourism industry urge the European Commission to come forward with a European Tourism Strategy. 40 MEPs, more than 70 Members of the European Committee of the Regions and representatives of Europe's tourism industry call for a comprehensive strategy supporting the tourism sector in an Open Letter addressed to the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. READ MORE
Civil society calls on EU Leaders to recognise fundamental role of Cultural Heritage for the future of Europe
3 February 2017 Ahead of the informal summit of European leaders on the future of the EU in Valletta on 03.02.2017, 40 European heritage networks that form the European Heritage Alliance 3.3 are urging EU leaders to recognise the fundamental role of Europe’s shared cultural heritage for bringing people in Europe together. READ MORE
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Cultural Heritage
Counts for Europe compelling evidence of the value of cultural heritage and its impact on Europe’s economy, culture, society and the environment 
ECTN Partners:
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