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).
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).
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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 15 May 2025 https://forms.gle/yGsAJrjVsJtwCHyj6 ECTN presented at "This is Athens Agora" destination event
ECTN was presented at the "This is Athens Agora" event in Athens on 8 April 2025, followed by a panel discussion on "Cultural Identity and Tourism - Shaping Athens' future through culture and creativity". The panelists were senior officials from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, the Technopolis of the City of Athens and the Athens-Epidavros Festival. ECTN presented the culture and heritage synergies with sustainable tourism development, the EU Smart Tourism Capital initiative, which includes Cultural Heritage and Creativity as a component (together with Accessibility, Sustainability and Digitalisation), as well as the EU Transition Pathway for Tourism. The European Heritage Label of Heart of Ancient Athens and the European Cultural Route of St Paul's footsteps were highlighted as two very relevant assets for cultural tourism in Athens. The cooperation of the tourism industry with the culture and creative sectors was presented by the panelists, as well as the involvement of the host community. The results of this debate will be useful for the Athens DMO in enhancing the visitors experiences with authenticity and resilience. The event was co-rganised by "This is Athens - Convention & Visitors Bureau", in cooperation "ETOA - European tourism association".
ECTN participated at the European Heritage Hub Forum in Budva, Montenegro
ECTN participated in a panel at the European Heritage Hub Forum in Budva, Montenegro, on 3rd April 2025. ECTN shared a platform with Europa Nostra, ICOMOS and Europeana, moderated by ICLEI. The specific panel is entitled: "Cultural Heritage as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development and Social Equity" The ECTN contribution was on the topic of: "Sustainable Cultural Tourism and Heritage Preservation Synergies". This is the first time that Sustainable Cultural Tourism is included explicitly in an EHH forum. ECTN has supported the EHH since its launch in Brussels in May 2023. ECTN has created a group on Sustainable Cultural Tourism on the online Social Forum of the Hub. The ECTN group currently has 90 members (12% of the total Hub members). Further details can be found on the EHH: https://www.europeanheritagehub.eu/ Download event booklet here Download the ECTN Presentation here
ECTN Awards 2025 launched ! Apply by 15th May 2025
Call for Presenters at the ECTN Conference 2025 launched !
Submission till 15th May 2025 
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 
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. 
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. 
ECTN celebrates 15 years of activities ! since its founding in Brussels on 20 May 2009 
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.
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 ! 
ECTN supports the UNWTO 'Tourism Opens Minds' initiative 
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. 
ECTN supports the #Tourism4Recovery campaign and the ‘Call for Action: Accelerate Social and Economic Recovery by Investing in Sustainable Tourism Development’ 
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:
Affiliate Member
ECTN is a signatory of the:
ECTN Projects:
Religious, Spiritual and Pilgrimage European Cultural Tourism with Sustainability
Smart Tourism - Smart Destinations: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation, Cultural Heritage and Creativity
Eno-Gastronomy in Developing Experiential Sustainable Tourism with eno-culinary heritage preservation
Initiatives for Sustainable Innovative Practices, Resilience, and Empowerment in Tourism SMEs
ECTN supports:
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