Sustainable Cultural Tourism development and promotion across Europe
  • Home
  • ECTN
    • About Us
    • Our Members
    • Our Partners >
      • Europa Nostra EHA 3.3
      • E-FAITH
    • Become a Member
  • News
    • News from Members
    • Calls for offers
  • Events
  • Conferences
    • Conference 2025
    • Conference 2024
    • Conference 2023
    • Conference 2022
    • Conference 2021 >
      • Highlights
      • Music Tributes
    • Conference 2020
    • Conference 2019
    • Conference 2018
    • Conference 2017
    • Conference 2016
    • Conference 2015
    • Conference 2014
    • Conference 2013
  • Awards
    • Awards 2025
    • Award 2024 >
      • Results 2024
    • Award 2023 >
      • Results 2023
    • Award 2022 >
      • Results 2022
    • Award 2021 >
      • Results 2021
    • Award 2020 >
      • Results 2020
    • Award 2019 >
      • Results 2019
    • Award 2018 >
      • Results 2018
    • Award 2017 >
      • Results 2017
    • Award 2016
    • Award 2015
    • Award 2014
  • Projects
    • Horizon 2020 ReInHerit >
      • Museums and Heritage Sites Network
    • Interreg Europe Cult-CreaTE
    • Interreg Europe Cult-RInG
    • Interreg Europe CHRISTA
    • INTERREG IVC CHARTS
    • INTERREG IIIB CADSES CHIRON
    • INTERREG IIIC ECTN
  • Contacts
Members Area
UN Tourism
ReInHerit Digital Hub


Picture
Sustainable Cultural Tourism is the integrated management of cultural heritage and tourism activities in conjunction with the local community, creating social, environmental and economic benefits for all stakeholders in order to achieve tangible and intangible cultural heritage conservation and sustainable tourism development. (European Commission DG EAC, OMC Report 2019).

Sustainable Tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. (UNWTO).


ECTN Awards 2025: Deadline for entries extended to 30th May

ECTN 18th Conference - Call for Sessions

ECTN invites relevant projects, initiatives and networks to hold specific sessions at the 18th Cultural Tourism Conference to be held in Sibiu, Romania, 1-4 October 2025.

Proposed sessions should be of up to 90 minutes duration and preferably include up to 4-5 relevant presentations. The session themes must be consistent with the 2025 call for presenters.


The conference fees of presenters at the selected sessions will be waived by ECTN.

Submission online till 30 May 2025    
https://forms.gle/yGsAJrjVsJtwCHyj6

​ECTN Awards 2025 launched !             Apply by 30th May 2025
Picture
Picture
Awards Entry Submission Online
Download Leaflet

Picture
Call for Presenters at the ECTN Conference 2025 launched !

Submission till 30th May 2025
​
Abstracts Submission Online

Picture
INSPIRES SMP Project launched !

The INSPIRES project has been launched, led by Experience Bremerhaven with ECTN as a partner. INSPIRES promotes the twin transition of Tourism SMEs in 6 EU countries. ECTN is the partner responsible for communication and dissemination activities.

​www.inspires-tourism.eu

Picture
Initiatives for Sustainable Innovative Practices, Resilience, and Empowerment in Tourism SMEs

INSPIRES fosters collaboration among Tourism SMEs in Europe, to develop digital and green transition solutions, with resilience and sustainability.

INSPIRES project presents an innovative approach to address a crucial EU priority: fostering collaboration among SMEs to develop scalable and transferable TWIN TRANSITION solutions, thereby stimulating robust economic growth in regional tourism ecosystems throughout Europe. The consortium comprises 7 partners spanning 6 EU countries, each contributing unique expertise: 2 DMOs, 3 Business Support Organisations, 1 university, 1 affiliated city, and 1 EU Network (ECTN). Together, they forge a robust alliance dedicated to bolstering resilience among tourism SMEs in the post-COVID-19 economy, empowering them to navigate crises and thrive.

Co-funded by the Single Market Programme COSME of the European Union.


Picture

ECTN Awards 2024
​

Winners and Runners-up announced!

ECTN is very pleased to announce the winners and runners-up of the ECTN Awards 2024. The winners (1st Prize) and runners-up (2nd and 3rd Prizes) were revealed at the ECTN Awards ceremony that took place on 24 October at the Portrait Gallery of Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland, during the 17th ECTN Conference gala dinner.

The joint Jury is comprised by representatives of ECTN, Europa Nostra, European Travel Commission and Dublin City Council - European Capital of Smart Tourism 2024, with the participation of ENAT - European Network for Accessible Tourism for the 'Accessibility to Heritage - Accessible Cultural Tourism' category.

The results list can be downloaded here.



Picture

ECTN celebrates 15 years

of activities !


​
​since its founding in Brussels on

20 May 2009


Picture
House of European History receives ECTN Award !

The ECTN Board has decided to award the 'House of European History' a Special Prize as a 'Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2023' at pan-European level. This special award is introduced in the framework of a specific category on 'History and Heritage' in the ECTN Awards, 10th edition. Furthermore, it is as an acknowledgement of a study visit that took place in May 2023, in the framework of the ReInHerit (Redefining the future of cultural heritage) Coordination and Support Action (CSA) in the EU Horizon 2020 programme.

The Award ceremony took place at the House of European History in Brussels on 14 March 2024. The museum director Dr. Constanze Itzel received the award from the ECTN Secretary-General, Manos Vougioukas.

Picture
Picture
​The House of European History (HEH) is a history museum and cultural institution in Brussels, Belgium, focusing on the recent history of Europe. It is an initiative by the European Parliament, opened in 2017. It meets several of ECTN Awards and ReInHerit CSA criteria, such as cultural heritage management, sustainability, quality, digitalisation, accessibility and innovation. Regarding digitalisation, HEH offers highly relevant digital facilities such as multilingual and interactive tablets with audio enhancing the visitor experience, virtual tours and online collection. With additional high standards on sustainability, accessibility and creativity in special exhibitions, HEH is also meeting smart tourism destination criteria. HEH is a most important museum in Brussels, documenting and highlighting European history.

ECTN congratulates HEH for receiving this newly introduced special award at pan-European level !

Picture


​ECTN supports the UNWTO

'Tourism Opens Minds' initiative


Picture
ECTN an affiliate member of UNWTO

In the framework of the 118th session of the UNWTO Executive Council in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on 16-18 May 2023, the new candidatures for the UNWTO Affiliate Membership have been approved.

European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) is amongst 16 new entities that joined the Affiliate Membership, adding a wide range of profiles with different backgrounds.

We are looking forward to working together to build a more accessible, responsible and sustainable tourism industry.



Picture
                                                                                                                                
ECTN supports the #Tourism4Recovery campaign and the 
​
‘Call for Action: Accelerate Social and Economic Recovery by Investing in Sustainable Tourism Development’


Picture
​                                                                                                                        
ECTN welcomes the new guidelines on responsible restart of cultural tourism by UNWTO in collaboration with UNESCO

News Release      Guidelines


ECTN a member of the Stakeholders Commitee for the EUROPEAN YEAR OF CULTURAL HERITAGE 2018, selected by the European Commission DG Education & Culture (EAC)

ECTN was the only member of the EYCH 2018 Stakeholders Committee with a tourism mandate

Best Practices on Cultural Heritage Management, Digitalisation and Smart Tourism

ReInHerit Horizon2020 CSA
​Digital Hub

​ECTN is a member of the:
Picture
Picture
Affiliate Member

ECTN is a signatory of the:
Picture

ECTN Projects:
Picture
Religious, Spiritual and Pilgrimage European Cultural Tourism with Sustainability

Picture
Smart Tourism - Smart Destinations: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation, Cultural Heritage and Creativity 

Picture
Eno-Gastronomy in Developing Experiential Sustainable Tourism with eno-culinary heritage preservation

Picture
Initiatives for Sustainable Innovative Practices, Resilience, and Empowerment in Tourism SMEs

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

ECTN supports:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​

  • Executive Summary and Strategic Recommendations
  • Full Report



Picture

European Cultural Tourism Network

​AISBL

(ECTN)


Brussels

Contact:   [email protected]

​© Copyright 2021 ECTN | Privacy Policy | All rights reserved | Developed by Argonautica Network