The winners were announced during the Award ceremony that took place in the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2023, Pafos, Cyprus, on 19^th October 2023.

The ‘Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism’ Awards aim to amplify the visibility of European cultural Tourism destinations, establish a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge and foster networking among destinations. For the sixth consecutive year, the European Travel Commission (ETC), the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN), Europa Nostra, and the Network of European Regions for Competitive and Sustainable Tourism (NECSTouR) have jointly organised these awards to promote best practices in sustainable cultural tourism.

This year’s edition focuses on ‘Smart Tourism – Smart Destinations: Cultural Heritage & Creativity, Digitalisation, Sustainability’ and is supported by the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2023, the city of Pafos, and ReInHerit Horizon2020 Coordination and Support Action. The Awards contest was open to tourist destinations across Europe, to showcase their achievements and contributions in sustainable cultural tourism across six categories.

The winners and runners-up were selected by an expert jury (composed of representatives of ETC, ECTN, Europa Nostra, NECSTouR, the European Parliament CULT Committee and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus), out of 60 applications received from 25 countries. For the first time ever, the public was also given the chance to cast their votes for their favourite project within each category from the pool of 20 finalists. The Public Choice Award was presented to the candidate who received the highest number of votes among all contestants.

The winners were revealed at an Awards ceremony held in beautiful Pafos, a year-round destination and one of Cyprus’s most diverse and historically rich regions. Once the capital of the island during Roman times, Pafos holds the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism for 2023.

Three of the winning projects were submitted by ETC members – Turismo de Portugal and Fáilte Ireland:

•  The REVIVE programme by Turismo de Portugal involves the transformation of neglected public heritage sites of exceptional cultural and historical value into sustainable and profitable tourism accommodations that prioritise the community and the region. This is a joint project involving public authorities, private entities and local communities. Thanks to its objectives and innovative governance model, REVIVE stands out as a best practice in tourism sustainability (economic, environmental, social) and cultural preservation. Moreover, the project has already been replicated at an international level.
•  The project Reimagined Boyne Valley Drive by Fáilte Ireland has reimagined the existing Boyne Valley Drive from a car-based journey between heritage sites, into an immersive visitor proposition that becomes a 5000-year journey through time and along Ireland’s most historic river, the Boyne. The project developed a framework and action plan creating local visitor clusters that sensitively integrate their built and natural riverside heritage with activities and experiences, enabling the Boyne Valley region to be celebrated as a place.
•  Ireland’s Púca Festival developed by Fáilte Ireland has been developed to claim ownership of Halloween, this internationally celebrated event, by illuminating the story of its origins in Irish and Celtic traditions motivating international visitors to visit Ireland during the off-peak October and November. Tourism Ireland first partnered with Fáilte Ireland in 2020 to position the Púca Festival as a flagship event under the global proposition of Ireland, Home of Halloween.

See the full list of winners below, and detailed descriptions of all projects in the accompanying brochure.

Public vote:

Winner:

Holistic Digital Documentation of Asinou Church a UNESCO World Heritage Monument

By UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus

(inception EU Horizon 2020 project)

Jury vote – winners per category:

DIGITALISATION ADVANCES AND DIGITAL TRANSITION IN SUSTAINABLE CULTURAL TOURISM 

1^st prize:

rurAllure: promotion of rural museums and heritage sites in the vicinity of European pilgrimage routes

By University of Vigo, Spain

for Galicia region (Spain) and Northern Portugal; Italy with a specific focus on Veneto, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions, south-eastern Norway; Hungary, Slovakia, and Romanian Transylvania

(rurAllure EU Horizon 2020 project)

2^nd prize:

Dublin Discovery Trails App

By Dublin City Council, Ireland,

funded by Fáilte Ireland, National Tourism Development Authority, Republic of Ireland, under their Destination Towns Initiative

3^rd prize:

The Golden Path – Hungarian Money Museum and Visitors Center

By the Hungarian Money Museum and Visitors Center in Budapest, Hungary

Mention:

Holistic Digital Documentation of Asinou Church a UNESCO World Heritage Monument

By UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus

(inception EU Horizon 2020 project)

HISTORY AND HERITAGE

1^st prize:

REVIVE: Reviving public heritage into sustainable tourism in Portugal

By Turismo de Portugal (National Tourism Authority), Portugal

2^nd prize:

Renaturalization and recovery of the historical industrial garden of the Museum of the Water, Central Cornellá

By Museum of the Water (Museu de les Aigues), Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

3^rd prize:

Sephardic Routes in Spain. Preserving heritage, inspiring tourism

By Red de Juderías de España – Caminos de Sefarad, Spain

Mention:

Ostia, gateway to the Mediterranean – Public Archaeology in Ostia antica (European Heritage Label site)

By the Italian Ministry of Culture, Italy

in cooperation with “Scuole Migranti”

RIVERSIDE HERITAGE

1^st prize:

Emajõgi – The Binding River: Drawing Inhabitants Closer in Tartu

By Visit Tartu, Estonia

2^nd prize:

Reimagined Boyne Valley Drive at Ireland’s Ancient East

By Fáilte Ireland, National Tourism Development Authority, Republic of Ireland

3^rd prize:

The great ship of culture “NEMUNO7”, Zapyškis, Kaunas region

By Kaunas District Tourism and Business Information Center, Lithuania

TRANSNATIONAL THEMATIC TOURISM PRODUCTS

1^st prize:

Liberation Route Europe: Transnational memorial of trails connecting World War Two remembrance sites and stories – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

Spanning 9 countries (United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Czechia)

By LRE Foundation, Belgium

2^nd prize:

Iron Age Danube Route – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

Spanning 8 countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Romania and Slovenia)

By Iron Age Danube Route Association, Croatia

3^rd prize:

Pannonia-Adria Connection (PA.CON) Joint Thematic Tourism Product, cross-border region of Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina

By Tourism Board of the City of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

RELIGIOUS, PILGRIMAGE AND SPIRITUAL TOURISM

1^st prize:

Púca Festival at County Meath, Irelands Ancient East

By Fáilte Ireland, National Tourism Development Authority, Republic of Ireland

2^nd prize:

“Via Mariae” – The Reconciliation Road at Bucovina

By Suceava County Council, Romania

TRADITIONAL SKILLS, CRAFTS AND CREATIVITY

1^st prize:

Regional Museum/Information Centre of Akamas Rural Life at Droushia village

By Droushia Community Council, Cyprus

2^nd prize:

Arts & Crafs | New Design Open Days at Algarve, Alentejo, Centro, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Norte

By Spira – revitalização patrimonial (heritage revitalization), with the support of Turismo de Portugal, AICEP Portugal Global, Tourism of Alentejo and Algarve, the Northern Regional Directorate for Culture, the City Councils of Lisbon and Loulé and the specialized communication platform património.pt, Portugal

Joint 3^rd prize:

Empowering Women and Revitalizing Talysh Cultural Heritage through Cultural Tourism at Lankaran

by Tor Art LLC, Leyne.Co Community, Azerbaijan

The International Garden Festival at the Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire: The Resilient Garden

By Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire, France

Read more information about the awarded projects here