Cultural tourism is the fastest growing sector of European tourism and can contribute both to the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism in the European Union and beyond, as well as to the sustainable future of cultural assets, heritage sites and local communities.

Cultural Tourism products and services are important factors in sustainable development, contributing to the protection and promotion of cultural heritage, the extension of the tourism period, as well as increasing culture and heritage awareness among tourists and host communities, regional GDP and its multiplier effects.

These Awards enhance the visibility of European cultural tourism destinations, create aplatform for sharing experience and knowledge and promotes networking between destinations. The Awards Contest is open to tourist destinations across Europe, to showcase their results and outputs in sustainable cultural tourism under several selected categories each year.

The Awards have been organised since 2014 by ECTN around annual themes, for the benefit of destinations, communities, associations, businesses, citizens and visitors.

The 2023 edition of the Awards for ‘Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism’ is organised by ECTN in partnership with Europa Nostra, the European Travel Commission and NECSTouR.

Applications are open to all tourist destinations across Europe, national, regional and local authorities, tourism boards and associations, destination management organizations, museums, interpretation centers, cultural routes, festivals and cultural NGOs.

The applicants are invited to showcase results concerning sustainable cultural tourism, under one of the following 6 categories:

1. Digitalisation advances and digital transition in Sustainable Cultural Tourism
2. History and Heritage
3. Riverside heritage
4. Transnational Thematic Tourism Products, including European Cultural Routes (involving at least 2 European countries, not necessarily neighbouring)
5. Religious, Pilgrimage and Spiritual Tourism
6. Traditional Skills, Crafts and Creativity (for the occasion of the European Year of Skills 2023)

The applicants must address one of the above-mentioned themes and present projects/initiatives that have been completed in the past 3 years.

The deadline for applications is 1 June 2023.

For more information about the Awards and how to apply, please visit the ECTN website, where you can download the Call for Entries and the Application and Declaration Forms.

The winners of the Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism Awards 2023 will be announced during the International Conference for Cultural Tourism organised by ECTN on 18-21 October 2023 in Pafos (Cyprus).

Source: ECTN