GREEN PILGRIMAGE supporting natural and cultural heritage

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1 GREEN PILGRIMAGE supporting natural and cultural heritage Alina Cârlogea National Institute for Research and Development in Tourism Bucharest, ROMANIA 10th International Conference for Cultural Tourism in Europe September 2017, Sibiu, Romania

2 Partnership Green Pilgrimage (GP) is an innovative project which will show how growth and development policies can capitalize and protect natural and cultural heritage. Kent County Council - UK Östergötland County Council - Sweden Norfolk County Council - UK Puglia Region - Italy South- Trøndelag County Authority - Norway National Institute of Research and Development in Tourism (INCDT) - Romania Diocese of Canterbury / The European Green Pilgrimage Network UK Special Advisory partner to help other partners integrate the faith aspects of pilgrimage with its potential as a tool for sustainable development Duration: 60 months Phase 1: Phase 2:

3 Project description The overall objective of Green Pilgrimage is to provide an evidence base to regional policy makers showing green pilgrimage as a social and economically valuable cultural heritage tradition that enhances and develops Europe s natural landscape and cultural assets. Why Pilgrimage? For more than two millenia, churches, relics and religious objects have been main goals for travellers and pilgrims. We are facing today an increased interest in cultural and religious travels inspired by old pilgrims traditions. pilgrimage is one of the fastest growing segments in the travel industry with more than 330 million people (1/3 of all tourists worldwide) going on pilgrimage every year visiting the world s key religious sites United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) 3

4 Project results 5 Years to: Identify and analyse best practices; work with our Policy holders to direct more investment towards these route; promote the opportunities which this routes provide for businesses, local people and faith and tourism organisations; a sustainable promotion of Pilgrimage and long distance walking; develop GP action plans that enable the development of natural and cultural assets through sustainable economic growth. 4

5 Our role in the project Within the project, INCDT will have to: to form a stakeholder group at national level and organised periodical meetings with them; to collect information regarding the existing of good practices related with innovation in valorization of natural and cultural heritage through Green Pilgrimage. to attend to the project meetings and study visits organized by the partners; to organize the second partner meeting and a study visit in Romania, presenting best practices identified at national level (was organized in September 2017, in Suceava County); to develop a national GP action plan. The Action Plan will inspire an invigorated interest and development of Pilgrimage from the local level through to regional level policy makers; To pursue and strive for the implementation of the national action plan. 5

6 Our expectation what we hope to achieve in the project We expect that the implementation of the project will: be the basis for drawing up the future itineraries and routes to pilgrimage sites or to religious places (an extension of the Via Mariae route from Sumuleu Ciuc, Harghita County to Suceava County); increase the notoriety of the religious heritage as an instrument for a sustainable development of the tourism; create a high quality of local/regional/national/international network between the organizations operating in the cultural, religious and sustainable tourism field; raise the number of pilgrimage tourists in our region. 6

7 Final conclusions: We share culture and traditions, and for me the whole project became an eye-opener for the difference and similarities between us Romania may become a desired destination for cultural and religious tourism We have the varied and rich tangible cultural heritage and existence of co-inhabiting minorities with their cultural richness We need to find out how to develop pilgrimages, religious tourism and the different routes and ways by making use of tangible and intangible heritage, and building a network of partners among local, regional, national and international partners, NGOs, authorities, religious institutions and more 7

8 Thank you! September 2017, Sibiu, Romania