Cultural heritage Archivi | Twissen https://twissen.com/en/tag/cultural-heritage/ The first independent in tourism Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:43:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://twissen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/logo-breve-50x50.png Cultural heritage Archivi | Twissen https://twissen.com/en/tag/cultural-heritage/ 32 32 Archaeology Beyond the Past: Slow Tourism, Social Value, and the Faro Convention by Fabio Carbone https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/archaeology-beyond-the-past-slow-tourism-social-value-and-the-faro-convention-by-fabio-carbone/ https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/archaeology-beyond-the-past-slow-tourism-social-value-and-the-faro-convention-by-fabio-carbone/#respond Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:43:06 +0000 https://twissen.com/?p=11276 A journey between Crotone and Tobruk to discover how archaeology, the spirit of the Lighthouse, and slow tourism can generate identity, sustainability, and peace in the Mediterranean

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]]> Crotone and Tobruk: Two Mediterranean Laboratories for Sustainable Development and Positive Peace
by Fabio Carbone
Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Northampton (UON) – UK
Director of the Research Centre for Global Economic and Social Development (GESD, UON)
Consultant in Sustainable Tourism Management and Heritage-Led Development in post-conflict reconstruction contexts

This article draws on reflections shared during my keynote address at the 2nd International Conference on Archaeology and Tourism hosted by the University of Tobruk in Libya, under the theme “Investment and Sustainable Development between Archaeology and Tourism:
Prospects and Challenges.” My presentation, entitled “Archaeology Beyond the Past: Slow Tourism, Social Value, and the Faro Convention,” placed two Mediterranean cities in dialogue — Crotone and Tobruk.
Two coastal communities, both peripheral and central at once: ports of history and identity now seeking to redefine their relationship with memory, development, and the future. The central idea is that archaeology, when understood in the broad sense proposed by the Faro Convention (Council of Europe, 2005), is not merely a science of the past. It is a practice of the present, capable of generating social value, cohesion, and, ultimately, what Johan Galtung (1969) called “positive peace” — not the absence of conflict, but the active presence of justice, dialogue, and participation.

Living Archaeology: From Past to Future

Traditionally, archaeology has been understood as a discipline of protection and conservation, a look backward rather than forward.
Yet, the Faro Convention invites us to a radical shift in perspective: cultural heritage is not an assemblage of objects, but a network of relationships. Article 4 of the Convention states that “everyone, alone or collectively, has the right to benefit from the cultural heritage and to contribute towards its enrichment.” Heritage, therefore, becomes a right of cultural citizenship.
In this view, archaeology becomes a language through which communities narrate and recognize themselves. In Crotone, ancient Kroton still speaks, not only through the remains preserved at the Archaeological Museum of Capo Colonna, but through the collective memory of a city struggling to reconcile its past glory with a sustainable future. In Tobruk, Greco-Roman vestiges coexist with the modern memory of twentieth-century conflicts and the ongoing challenges of reconstruction. Here, archaeology is more than material legacy; it can serve as an instrument of civic resilience, reconnecting present-day life to the long history of the Mediterranean as a space of encounter and exchange.
Crotone and Tobruk: Two Mediterranean Laboratories

The comparison between Crotone and Tobruk emerges naturally: both cities stand at a threshold, poised between marginality and rebirth. They are historic ports, crossroads of civilizations, and custodians of extraordinary archaeological heritage, yet neither has fully transformed that wealth into sustainable social and economic value. In Crotone, recent data show an encouraging yet fragile trend. Regional statistics for the first four months of 2025 report 464,240 overnight stays (+10.1% compared to 2024) and 224,000 arrivals (+10.4%). The local airport welcomed 273,240 passengers in 2024, marking a 20% increase over 2023. Cruise tourism has also grown, with 26 ship calls and over 27,000 passengers in 2024, and 31 arrivals already scheduled for 2025.
However, these numbers conceal a deeper paradox. The enthusiasm surrounding the return of cruise ships to Crotone has been widely celebrated as a symbol of revival. Yet, as I have argued elsewhere, cruise companies are not humanitarian organizations; they do not operate for the destination, but through it. Their economic footprint often bypasses the local community, while the environmental and infrastructural pressures they create remain.
For emerging destinations such as Crotone, this kind of growth can quickly become a Pyrrhic victory: impressive on paper, but hollow in substance. Real development, by contrast, lies in building a tourism model that strengthens the local economy, empowers residents, and
sustains authenticity.
From this perspective, Crotone remains in the “exploration phase” identified by Butler (1980): a critical juncture in which the choices made today will determine whether it evolves toward sustainable maturity or falls into dependency and imitation.
The challenge is clear — to grow without surrendering authenticity, to define a vision rooted in identity, knowledge, and community participation. Tobruk, in eastern Libya, faces a similar turning point in a more complex environment.
After years of fragmentation and instability, the city is rediscovering its archaeological, natural, and human heritage as a resource for social reconstruction. Unlike the already established World Heritage sites of Cyrene, Leptis Magna, and Sabratha, Tobruk represents a living laboratory — a place where cultural tourism can be built from the ground up, combining education, international cooperation, and local engagement.
In this sense, Tobruk can become a model of heritage-led recovery, where archaeological enhancement goes hand in hand with civic education and peacebuilding.
Slow Tourism and the Faro Spirit

In both Crotone and Tobruk, the answer cannot be mass tourism. What is needed instead is a measured, rooted, and participatory approach. The paradigm of slow tourism, developed in the early 2000s, provides an ideal framework to translate the principles of the Faro Convention into concrete practice. It is not merely about “moving more slowly,” but about reconnecting travel with meaning, people with place.
In Crotone, this means enhancing experiences rooted in authenticity — local markets, traditional crafts, vineyards, fishing, gastronomy, and walking routes inspired by Pythagoras and Magna Graecia.
Here, the visitor becomes a participant rather than a spectator, engaging with daily life and human stories rather than consuming attractions.
For Tobruk, the same logic applies. Cultural tourism could involve young people, universities, and local guides; it could merge archaeological visits with education, dialogue, and intercultural exchange. Such a model does not only bring visitors — it builds connections. It fosters understanding, trust, and micro-economies that reinforce the social fabric.
In this regard, event tourism would also be a path worth pursuing. Without going into technical or theoretical details here, this form of tourism is useful in giving a destination a special and unique personality, and in promoting it nationally and in international markets in a sustainable way. In the case of the two locations in question, sporting events would be the most suitable, with particular attention to water sports, but not only. Moreover, tourism and historical-archaeological heritage would once again come together, especially in Crotone, which is strongly connected to the ancient Olympics.
As the Faro Convention reminds us, heritage is valuable not because of its monuments, but because of the meanings people attach to it. In this sense, slow tourism is the living embodiment of the Faro spirit: time, care, and reciprocity as tools for sustainable growth.

Positive Peace and the Social Value of Heritage

The link between heritage and peace is often overlooked. Yet, as Johan Galtung (1969) emphasized, peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of justice and cooperation. In this regard, participatory heritage valorization can become a concrete instrument of positive peace.
In Tobruk, where memories of war remain vivid, archaeology can provide a neutral, symbolic ground for rebuilding trust and belonging. Young people, in particular, can find in cultural tourism a way to participate in their country’s rebirth, becoming both custodians
and narrators of their own history.
In Crotone, the same idea applies in civic form: tourism as education in citizenship, as a collective rediscovery of territory and pride. As I have often noted in public discussions and local media such as Il Crotonese and WeSud, “true sustainable tourism begins with the principle that the first beneficiaries of heritage must be the residents themselves” (an idea I started with my Paideia Approach to tourism development, in 2013). The value of heritage, therefore, is not measured by visitor numbers, but by relationships: by the social capital (trust, cooperation, shared identity…) that it generates.
The Mediterranean as a Workshop for the Future

Crotone and Tobruk stand as two shores of the same sea. Both face the challenge of turning their histories — ancient and recent — into engines for the future. The Mediterranean today needs visions that unite development and humanity, economy and culture, tourism and peace.
In this broader vision, archaeological heritage becomes a universal language — a shared alphabet through which Mediterranean peoples can begin to speak to each other again. The real goal is not simply to attract tourists, but to build meaning; not to increase flows, but to regenerate communities. Slow tourism, inspired by the principles of the Faro Convention, offers a concrete path toward that goal: promoting a tourism that does not consume but enriches, that does not simplify but educates, that does not separate but connects. Crotone and Tobruk, each in its
own way, remind us that the most important archaeology is not the one that digs into the ground, but the one that digs into people’s hearts.
Please note that the opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Twissen.

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]]> https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/archaeology-beyond-the-past-slow-tourism-social-value-and-the-faro-convention-by-fabio-carbone/feed/ 0 Creative Europe: the funding opportunities until 2027 https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/creative-europe-the-funding-opportunities-until-2027/ https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/creative-europe-the-funding-opportunities-until-2027/#respond Thu, 10 Feb 2022 14:46:02 +0000 https://twissen.com?p=8801 The budget of Creative Europe, the European programme supporting the cultural and audiovisual sectors, rises to €2.44 billion for the next seven years.

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]]> “Creative Europe”, the EU Programme supporting the culture and audiovisual sectors, is growing especially if compared to the past. This is shown by the increase in the total budget to €2.44 billion for the next seven years. For 2021 alone, more than €297 million have been allocated. 


Source: Annual work programme for the implementation of the Creative Europe Programme 

The projects selected within Creative Europe aim at strengthening cultural diversity and supporting the creative and cultural sectors in overcoming challenges.   

The 2021-2027 budgetary period will enable the sectors concerned to embark on a path of recovery characterised by greater inclusion, digitisation and environmental sustainability. The instrument most frequently referred to is transnational cooperation, whose role is thus strengthened in the new programme.  

Creative Europe is divided into three strands: Culture, Media and Cross-Sectoral. The general objectives are the preservation, development and promotion of European culture, as well as the protection of linguistic diversity and heritage. 
In addition, the Programme focuses on increasing the competitiveness and economic potential of the creative, cultural and, in particular, audiovisual sector.  

In the previous budgetary period, the tourism sector benefited from the spin-offs of some of the Programme’s flagship activities, for example: European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) and European Heritage Days. In the period 2021-2027, the relevance of ECOC for regional development is confirmed. Furthermore, the strand “Culture” supports events, while the section “Media” promotes European tourism both nationally and internationally through film festivals. Finally, the strategy of city branding through culture will increase the value of the cities themselves and attract more visitors.   

At Twissen, we believe that tourism and “culture, media as well as creative sectors” are strongly linked. The Culture strand supports sustainable tourism, indeed. EU funds are creating the conditions for the coordinated recovery of the sectors most affected by the pandemic.   

For more information on projects funded in the 2014-2020 budgetary period, see Follow the Vikings Project and Festival Finder – European Festivals Association. 

European Festivals Association. 

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]]> https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/creative-europe-the-funding-opportunities-until-2027/feed/ 0 5 tips to design a competitive proposal under the tourism call of COSME https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/5-tips-to-design-a-competitive-proposal-under-the-tourism-call-of-cosme/ https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/5-tips-to-design-a-competitive-proposal-under-the-tourism-call-of-cosme/#respond Mon, 19 Jun 2017 09:57:14 +0000 http://twissen.com/?p=2377/ Some useful tips to design at best a proposal for the EU call on transnational tourism products.

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]]> The new call for proposals “Supporting the Promotion and Development of Transnational Thematic Tourism Products Linked to Cultural and Creative Industries”, whose deadline is on the 29th June of, published under the COSME 2014-2020 Programme, provides several innovative starting points, interesting linkages with cultural and creative enterprises and with new technologies, specifically the augmented and virtual reality.

Considering the limited budget provided by the European Commission, the call can be considered highly competitive. For this reason, at Twissen we collected some tips to best design the proposal

1. Stay relevant 

The call is very specific about a transnational tourism product which has to be linked both to the tangible movable/immovable/underwater cultural heritage, and to the intangible cultural heritage.

Some examples can be found in theatres, archaeological sites, ruins, historical cities, but also local cuisine, handicrafts and rural life.

It is required that the cultural assets has to be linked to one or more UNESCO sites.

2. The theme 

The transnational tourism product has to be thematic.

So, being too generic, as it happens sometimes, is not positive and it does not allow to clearly identify the tourism product.

Since the conception phase, it is useful to specify all the connections with the enterprises of the cultural and creative industry, and, most of all, with other tourism segments.

3. Technology 

The augmented and the virtual reality solutions are increasingly expanding in the Travel & Tourism industry, with different modalities and functions.

The call specifies that the combination with technology has to be designed to enhance the tourists’ experience and to support the promotion of the tourism product.

4. Be focused 

Even if the call does not specify it, we think that target-tourists need to be well identified and described, proving that their needs and expectations are clear. At this point, the proposed actions need to be coherent.

Staying to vague causes a loss in credibility.

5. Partnership 

The set of involved partners is for sure one of the most important aspects of a competitive proposal. The main partner has to prove an appropriate experience, but generally the consortium must highlight a balance in terms of skills, nature (public and private) and geography.

Roles and tasks must be clear, but it is also important to elaborate from the beginning how to prove the sustainability of the project after the co-funding period.

At Twissen we analysed the call for proposals “Supporting the Promotion and Development of Transnational Thematic Tourism Products Linked to Cultural and Creative Industries”, that introduces some interesting innovations to be developed in the proposals. The projects must be quality-oriented, and must clearly define all the required aspects, in particular the transnational tourism product. Applicants should to read the call carefully, and compare the proposal with all the evaluation criteria which are specified in point 9 of the call.

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]]> https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/5-tips-to-design-a-competitive-proposal-under-the-tourism-call-of-cosme/feed/ 0 European call to bond tourism, cultural heritage and technology https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/european-call-to-bond-tourism-cultural-heritage-and-technology/ https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/european-call-to-bond-tourism-cultural-heritage-and-technology/#respond Mon, 08 May 2017 13:53:46 +0000 http://twissen.com/?p=2159/ A new EU call for proposals aims to foster the connection between tourism, CCIs and technology.

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]]> The European Commission has just published a new call for proposals called “Supporting the Promotion and Development of Transnational Thematic Tourism Products Linked to Cultural and Creative Industries” under the COSME Programme – Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium sized Enterprises 2014-2020.

As 2018 will be the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission is addressing this theme in order to exploit and enhance synergies between the cultural and the creative sectors through concrete actions.

The modality of fruition of cultural heritage is changing, also due to ICTs which allow tourist to better enjoy it. ICTs are also modifying the way of promoting the cultural heritage, allowing the attraction of an higher number of tourists. Visitors are looking for experience and are paying a growing attention to sustainability and to in-destination activities.

The general objectives of the call are referred to developing synergies between the cultural and the creative industry and the tourism sector, in order to stimulate the competitiveness, innovation, diversification and valorisation of European tourism offer.

The call recommends some specific activities to be implemented, such as:

  • the development of a transnational tourism product which needs to be related to the European cultural heritage;
  • the promotion and the visibility of a transnational tourism product linked to the European heritage by using technologies related to the cultural and creative industries (CCIs);
  • the facilitation of public-private partnerships and the integration of tourism enterprises, as well as public authorities;
  • the growth of SMEs’ skills and opportunities in transnational cooperation, and the development of tourism products.

Eligible proposals must be presented by consortia which gather from 5 to 8 partners of various nature and located in at least 4 different eligible Countries. Moreover, the consortia need to include at least one managing authority of a UNESCO cultural site, a SME operating in the tourism or in CCIs industry subsector of cultural heritage, and one national, regional or local public authority.

EASME – Executive Agency for SMEs is delegated for the implementation of the call. It foresees to finance 5 to 7 projects which have to last 15-18 months. Every project can be granted with an up to 75% co-financing of eligible costs up to € 300.000, and the total budget is € 1,5 million.

Competitive proposals will be valued according to the relevance and the quality of the proposed actions. Moreover, it will be valued the potential impact on the target audience and the budget and cost-effectiveness of the proposals. In particular, EASME will award projects that include a transnational tourism product structured around theme linked to the European cultural heritage. In fact, a UNESCO cultural site must be the focal point of the tourism product. In particular, the projects must promote synergies between tourism, CCIs and ICTs in order to promote the tourism product and enhance the visitor’s experience. In fact, as specified in the Eligible Activities list, proposals could include the “development and promotion of a common narrative (audio-visual presentation) on the common theme using the augmented reality and/or immersion (virtual reality) technologies for promotion of all the sites being part of a transitional tourism product.”

The deadline for the call is fixed June, the 29th 2017.

At Twissen we observed that ICTs have become a fundamental tool to promote destinations and cultural sites, as they have a great potential in attracting tourism flows.

Calls regarding the development of transnational tourism products strongly address sustainability. In fact, beyond the environmental components, it is necessary to describe how the project will be able to develop after the co-funding period. As we have already specified, a balanced partnership is the base of the general success of the proposal.

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]]> https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/european-call-to-bond-tourism-cultural-heritage-and-technology/feed/ 0 Sustainability and heritage in tourism: ECTN’s workshop to exploit synergies https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/sustainability-and-heritage-in-tourism-ectns-workshop-to-exploit-synergies/ https://twissen.com/en/trends-en/policies-funding/sustainability-and-heritage-in-tourism-ectns-workshop-to-exploit-synergies/#respond Sat, 26 Nov 2016 02:15:54 +0000 http://twissen.com/?p=1058 There’s a full engagement both from policy makers and private operators to cultural tourism. This year the Italian National Strategic Plan included it in the vision as in 2015 cultural tourism arrivals recorded a +7% and overnights +5% yoy. In Andalucia (Spain) the government planned important investments on this segment and a cluster was established

L'articolo Sustainability and heritage in tourism: ECTN’s workshop to exploit synergies proviene da Twissen.

]]> There’s a full engagement both from policy makers and private operators to cultural tourism. This year the Italian National Strategic Plan included it in the vision as in 2015 cultural tourism arrivals recorded a +7% and overnights +5% yoy. In Andalucia (Spain) the government planned important investments on this segment and a cluster was established to capitalize the opportunities given by the huge heritage. But also other European destinations, such as Romania and Greece, are working hard.

In 2018 European Commission will support the European Year for Cultural Heritage through Creative Europe Programme. This initiative is aimed at celebrating the cultural heritage that characterises Europe, in order to promote what the European Union can do for its conservation, digitalisation, skills development and to protect it from the international conflicts’ threats.

In order to support the initiative, the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) organised the event “Sustainable Cultural Tourism. European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 and beyond“, which will be held on November 30th in Brussels at EU Info Centre in Rue Archimede from 9 to 13. This event is addressed to cultural heritage and tourism organisations and stakeholders to exploit synergies and cooperation opportunities regarding sustainable cultural tourism development and promotion in Europe, with emphasis on the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 and EU co-funding programmes. Potential actions for sustainable cultural tourism will be discussed related to the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017.

At Twissen we are observing that tourists are demanding cultural experiences once at destinations, and aggregators, such as Musement and Viator, are promoting a growing number of these products. Moreover, we recorded a growing interest in supporting a change in policies in favour of a sustainable way of thinking and making tourism. It is a wide spread opinion that the term “sustainable” could be very soon incorporated in “tourism”. Tourist demand is growing and investments in making infrastructures and facilities more sustainable is increasingly engaging both the public and the private sector.

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European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) is the pan-European network for Cultural Tourism Development and Promotion, which brings together the tourism and cultural industry professionals working in different regions of Europe to exchange experience and information on best practice and to develop new approaches and innovations. ECTN Members are destinations, authorities, NGOs and research institutes coming from 11 EU Member States and 4 Associate countries.

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