The CreativeTourismNetwork® (CTN) participated in the NECSTouR Thematic Conference, organized last October 11th in Brussels by NECSTouR and the Region of Galicia, at the Fundación Galicia Europa, as a side event of the European Week of Regions and Cities.
About 70 representatives from NECSTouR Regions and the main EU Institutions and Stakeholders involved in Tourism and Cultural Heritage participated to the event and shared good practices related to “Local-Led Initiatives on Tourism and Cultural Heritage: a Legacy for Europe”.
The CTN director, Caroline Couret, presented examples of destinations that are betting on creative tourism to create an eco-system for the territory.
The conference was the occasion to officially present the Barcelona Declaration “Better Places to Live, Better Places to Visit”, resulting from the Pan-European Dialogue on Tourism and Cultural Heritage promoted this year by NECSTouR as a contribution of the main European Tourism Regions to the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage.
The Declaration seeks to demonstrate what tourism and cultural heritage sectors can achieve by working more closely together, for the benefit of European citizens and cultural heritage as well as businesses, visitors and destinations. Moreover, it assumes the collective commitment of both sectors towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Declaration has been developed in cooperation with Europa Nostra, the European Travel Commission and the European Cultural Tourism Network, with the support of the European Heritage Alliance 3.3. During the Conference, those organizations expressed their support towards the initiative, as well as Mr. Francisco José Millán Mon – Member of the European Parliament – and representatives from the European Commission DG-EAC and the European Committee of the Regions – NAT Commission.
