Introduction to the Project

Cultural tourism entails opportunities but also risks. If not managed properly, cultural tourism can easily turn into a “value extractive” industry, generating negative environmental, social and cultural impacts on local communities and ecosystems. This project will develop specific strategies to promote an understanding of cultural tourism, which moves away from a “stop-and-go” consumer-oriented approach towards one that puts humans and circular economy models at its centre, paying attention to nature, communities and cultural diversity.

Wide and diversified partnerships of stakeholders from 18 EU and non-EU regions of Northern-Central and Southern Europe, the Balkans, the Eastern neighbourhood and the Mediterranean, will be the driving force of the project. A community of 300 innovators (which includes regional authorities and municipalities, clusters and associations, museums and tourist boards, entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, citizens, researchers, practitioners as well as project partners) in 6 pilot regions will co-create innovative place-based solutions for human-centred and circular cultural tourism. 

ERRIN is currently building a community of passionate regional representatives committed to shaping the future of cultural tourism in their territory. The Be.CulTour community will learn about innovative approaches to regional development through circular cultural tourism. 

More information on this webpage.

Project Objectives

The overarching goal of Be.CULTOUR is to co-create and test sustainable human-centred innovations for circular cultural tourism through collaborative innovation networks/methodologies and improved investments strategies. Targeting deprived remote, peripheral or deindustrialized areas and cultural landscapes as well as over-exploited areas, local Heritage innovation networks will co-develop a long-term heritage-led development project in the areas involved enhancing inclusive economic growth, communities’ wellbeing and resilience, nature regeneration as well as effective cooperation at cross-border, regional and local level.

ERRIN's Role

Leveraging the interest of its Cultural Heritage and Tourism Working Group, ERRIN mobilised pilot regions in Cyprus, Spain (Aragon), Italy (Basilicata), Sweden (Vastra Gotaland), Romania (North-East Romania) to build a member-driven Community of Practice which - together with the Vojvodina Region (Serbia) - will be at the heart of the project's activities. Considered as practice partners, they represent the real-life settings in which specific territorial challenges related to the cultural tourism field will be tackled. ERRIN will follow closely these activities while being responsible for opening additional opportunities for 12 'mirror ecosystems'. Via the establishment and management of a Community of Interest of these 12 additional regions, ERRIN will empower local and governments, and their stakeholder ecosystems, to act as catalysts of transformations by offering mentoring and support services to exploit the full potential of sustainable cultural tourism solutions developed in Be.CULTOUR. 

  • Gaia Marotta
  • Project and Policy Officer
  • Francesca Pozzebon
  • Project Officer
  • Agnieszka Wieczorek Jetha
  • Communications Officer

ERRIN Members

Benefit & Links

The overarching goal of Be.CULTOUR is to co-create and test sustainable human-centred innovations for circular cultural tourism through collaborative innovation networks/methodologies and improved investments strategies. Targeting deprived remote, peripheral or deindustrialized areas and cultural landscapes as well as over-exploited areas, local Heritage innovation networks will co-develop a long-term heritage-led development project in the areas involved enhancing inclusive economic growth, communities’ wellbeing and resilience, nature regeneration as well as effective cooperation at cross-border, regional and local level.

Latest Updates

Funding opportunities in circular cultural tourism
  • By Gianpiero Petruzziello

Funding opportunities in circular cultural tourism

Read about selected calls on circular cultural tourism in the Be.CULTOUR newsletter special edition on funding opportunities. The newsletter is provided by ERRIN, in collaboration with Iniziativa Cube, as partners of Be.CULTOUR project.

energy and climate
  • By Francesca Pozzebon

Energy & Climate Change WG meeting on Sustainable Buildings - call for presentations

On Friday 30 September from 10:30-12:00, the Energy and Climate Change Working Group will host a hybrid event on the topic of Sustainable Buildings. A call for presentations to be presented during the meeting is now open until 25 September.

survey
  • By Teresa Vio

DG GROW Inventory of transferable digital tools and practices for the tourism sector

DG GROW has launched the project “INVENTORY OF TRANSFERABLE DIGITAL APPLICATIONS AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE TOURISM ECOSYSTEM” (Contract Number EASME-2019-OP-0021-015-GROW-IN) that aims to collect information about digital tools and practices used in EU countries that support the tourism sector. The inventory is built on data collected via a public survey open until 30 September.

SURVEY
  • By Francesca Pozzebon

Call for contributions - DG GROW survey on digital tools and practices that support the tourism sector

The overarching, strategic objective of EU industrial policies is to lead to greener, more digital and innovative, as well as more resilient industrial ecosystems, which are fit to deal with current and future challenges. Within this frame, European Commission’s DG GROW has launched the project “INVENTORY OF TRANSFERABLE DIGITAL APPLICATIONS AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE TOURISM ECOSYSTEM” that aims to collect information about digital tools and practices used in EU countries that support the tourism sector. Don't miss the opportunity to become a part of the online inventory and promote your tourism digital tool and good practice!

CHA
  • By Teresa Vio

Cultural Heritage in Action: Call for Participants in peer learning visit in Cantabria

Cultural Heritage in Action is organising a peer learning visit to Cantabria from 21 to 23 September. Anyone working on culture and cultural heritage for a regional, city or rural administration from the EU and the UK can apply to take part in the visit by 15 June.

boh
  • By Francesca Pozzebon

Peer Learning Workshop on Sustainable Pathways for the Tourism Industry in Malta

On the 30th of May, ESPON will host a Peer Leaning Workshop on "Sustainable Pathways for the Tourism Industry in Malta", in collaboration with the Ministry for Tourism of Malta and Malta Tourism Authority, with the goal of inspiring and empowering sustainable tourism routes in Malta to help overcome the country's post-COVID-19 challenges and cope with the accelerated effects of climate change.