Policy Brief on Cultural Routes in Europe

A Policy Brief from the Policy Learning Platform

March 2019

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Summary
‘European Cultural Routes’ are transnational routes that help tourists discover how Europeans have
lived since ancient times. The concept was launched by the Council of Europe in 1987. This policy brief
presents the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes Programme, the EU’s policies on Cultural Routes, as
well as lessons from interregional learning and exchange on the topic. It discusses the obstacles to
further development, maintenance and promotion of Cultural Routes. The brief also makes a number
of recommendations and shares good practices from Interreg Europe projects.

Introduction: What are Cultural Routes?

Launched in 1987 with the Declaration of Santiago de Compostela, the Council of Europe’s Cultural
Routes Programme demonstrates how the heritage and cultures of European regions contribute to a
shared cultural legacy and encourages European citizens to rediscover their heritage. The
Programme’s Routes preserve and enhance Europe’s natural and cultural heritage in order to improve
the living environment and support cultural, social and economic development. They promote a form of
cultural tourism that supports sustainable development. Today, there are over 30 Council of Europe
Cultural Routes on a range of different themes, from architecture and landscape to religious influences,
from gastronomy and intangible heritage to the major figures of European art, music and literature.

Certified Cultural Routes1:

• Atrium, Architecture of Totalitarian

• Saint Martin of Tours Route (2005)
Regimes of the 20th century (2014)
• Cluniac Sites in Europe (2005)
• Réseau Art Nouveau Network (2014)
• Routes of the Olive Tree (2005)
• Via Habsburg (2014)
• Via Regia (2005)
• Roman Emperors and Danube Wine
• Transromanica (2007)
Route (2015)
• Iter Vitis (2009)
• European Routes of Emperor Charles V
(2015) • European Route of Cistercian abbeys
(2010)
• Destination Napoleon (2015)
• European Cemeteries Route (2010)
• In the Footsteps of Robert Louis
Stevenson (2015) • Prehistoric Rock Art Trails (2010)
• Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes • European Route of Historical Thermal
(1987) Towns (2010)
• The Hansa (1991) • Route of Saint Olav Ways (2010)
• Viking Routes (1993) • European Route of Ceramics (2012)
• Via Francigena (1994) • European Route of Megalithic Culture
(2013)
• Routes of El legado of Andalusí (1997)
• Huguenot and Waldensian trail (2013)
• European Mozart Ways (2002)
• Fortified Towns of the Grande Region
• Phoenicians’ Route (2003)
(2016)
• Pyrenean Iron Route (2004)
• Impressionisms route (2018)
• European Route of Jewish Heritage
• Via Charlemagne (2018)
(2004)

Cultural Routes encourage sustainable development and are managed by formal collaborative
networks consisting of national, regional and local authorities, and a wide range of other stakeholders.
They organise innovative activities and projects under five main priorities: cooperation in research and

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development; enhancement of memory, history and European heritage; cultural and educational
exchanges for young Europeans; contemporary cultural and artistic practice; cultural tourism and
sustainable cultural development.

The Programme’s policy architecture is as follows 2:

• The Council of Europe defines the programme’s policies. Set up in 1949, it is the oldest
international organisation in Europe and covers the whole continent.

• The Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on Cultural Routes established in 2010 follows the
Council of Europe’s policy guidelines, decides the programme strategy and awards “Council of
Europe Cultural Route” certification. It is open to Member and non-Member states of the Council
of Europe and helps national, regional and local initiatives to promote culture and tourism. As
of September 2018, the EPA has 32 Member States.

• A joint programme3, Routes4U, between the Council of Europe and the European Union
establishes cooperation between the EPA on Cultural Routes and the European Commission
for the generation of sustainable projects supporting cultural, social and environmental
development in Europe.

• The European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR) is a technical support agency set up in
1998 under an agreement between the Council of Europe and the government of Luxembourg.
It advises existing certified Cultural Routes, provides assistance to new projects, organises
training and visibility activities for route managers and coordinates a university network.

Criteria for obtaining the “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe" certification4

Cultural Routes are certified and evaluated regularly by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural
Routes of the Council of Europe. The certification “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” is a
guarantee of excellence. New Cultural Routes are certified based on compliance with several criteria.
They should:

• Illustrate a theme representative of European values and common to at least three countries
in Europe;
• Be the subject of transnational, multidisciplinary scientific research;
• Enhance European memory, history and heritage and contribute to interpretation of Europe’s
present-day diversity;
• Support cultural and educational exchanges for young people;
• Develop exemplary and innovative projects in the field of cultural tourism and sustainable
cultural development;
• Develop tourist products aimed at different groups.

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Sometimes referred to as a ‘project’.
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The EU policy context
The European Commission actively cooperates with the Council of Europe, the European Travel
Commission, the UN World Tourism Organisation, and other international partners to contribute to the
development of European Cultural Routes.5

As part of Europe’s support for cultural policies, the Council of Europe’s Work Plan for Culture (2015-
2018) highlighted the need for synergies with all relevant EU programmes and funds, especially in the
fields of culture, education, research, digitalisation, and regional and urban development. As part of this
Plan, around 20 concrete actions have been pursued under the following priorities: accessible and
inclusive culture; cultural heritage; cultural and creative sectors: creative economy and innovation; and
promotion of cultural diversity, culture in EU external relations and mobility.

Building on the momentum created during the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage, on 7 December
2018 the European Commission presented the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage,
which runs to 2022 featured also in an article prepared by the Policy Learning Platform. The Framework
sets a common direction for heritage-related activities at European level, primarily in EU policies and
programmes. Under its Pillar on cultural heritage the document envisages actions that promote the
Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes. Another document that outlines how to build on the legacy of the
European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 is the New European Agenda for Culture, and a Staff working
document accompanying the Agenda. The Agenda describes how the EC will support EU Member
States by tapping into culture’s potential to foster innovation, creativity, sustainable growth and jobs.
The document acknowledges the role of Regional and European Territorial Cooperation in promoting
Europe as a destination, including via macro-regional Cultural Routes and highlights that there is scope
to build on these experiences to enhance the role of culture for territorial development. To mark the
closure of the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH) a Closing Conference was organised by the
Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The main focus of the conference was the
legacy of the EYCH 2018 and how ideas can be further developed and integrated into cultural policies.
An article from Policy Learning Platform about this event is available here.

Routes4U, is an EU support programme for the Council of Europe’s European Cultural Routes
Programme covering the years 2018-2020. This 30-month programme was launched by the Council of
Europe (Directorate General of Democracy) and the European Union (European Commission – DG
REGIO). It seeks to strengthen the macro-regional dimension of Cultural Routes and to develop new
Routes in macro-regions, of which there are four to date: the Adriatic-Ionian, the Alpine, the Baltic Sea
and the Danube Region. Specific activities include:

• support for the certification of new Cultural Routes in the EU macro-regions;

• the identification and drafting of guidelines for transnational regional policies on Cultural Routes
for local authorities and operators;
• the development of new competencies and skills through e-learning modules;
• the development of tourism tools and products such as a Cultural Routes card and a trip
planner.
The “World Heritage Journey in the EU” is an initiative of the European Commission in cooperation with
UNESCO and in partnership with National Geographic. It aims to develop and promote four thematic
trans-European Cultural Routes: Royal Europe, Ancient Europe, Underground Europe and Romantic
Europe. These routes link 34 World Heritage sites across 19 EU countries. Cultural heritage, combining
built heritage with historic and existing intangible cultural heritage, is the primary focus for this initiative,
which encourages people to travel beyond the major tourist hubs and experience local culture. The
project also aims to improve the governance of the four trans-European journeys by enabling heritage
and destination management authorities, working with local communities, to develop shared objectives

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and implement common marketing strategies. A web platform has been developed showcasing the
different itineraries.

With the support of COSME Programme, the European Commission promotes synergies between
tourism and cultural and creative industries (CCI). Two calls for proposals on the synergies between
tourism and CCI were launched in 2017 and 2018 and the six projects awarded will develop and
promote transnational tourism products such as routes, itineraries and tourism offers, specifically
related to Europe’s cultural heritage.

Practical
For networking opportunities, you can visit the following sites:

• The Network of European Regions for Competitive and Sustainable Tourism (NECSTouR), a
partner in STAR Cities project works with the EICR and the Council of Europe to share good
practices on measuring the impact of cultural tourism and itineraries proposed by European
Cultural Routes.
• The European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN), a partner in Cult-RInG and CHRISTA
projects, is a European network for cultural tourism development and promotion.

Cultural routes and interregional cooperation

The Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes

The Interreg Europe programme is currently supporting a number of projects related to Cultural Routes
under its Thematic Area on Environment and Resource Efficiency. Two of these, Cult-RInG and STAR
Cities, aim to improve the effectiveness of regional policies for Cultural Routes in the context of the
Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes Programme.

One of the objectives of the Cult-RInG project is to assess the benefits of existing Cultural Routes and
opportunities for the development of new routes, and their certification under the Council of Europe’s
Cultural Routes Programme. The project partners are assessing the contribution of six existing Cultural
Routes in achieving socio-economic objectives and are developing new routes. Examples of this
ongoing work are presented below:

• The Lazio region, one of the partners in Cult-RInG, is involved in the extension of Southern Via
Francigena Cultural Route. Actions have included path maintenance; promoting cultural events;
research activities; creating multimedia material; etc. Among other activities, the Lazio region’s
action plan is focused on extending the Cultural Route to become a "European Cultural Itinerary
to Southern Italy".6

• Cult-RiNG partners are working on the certification process for the “In the footsteps of St. Paul,
the Apostle of the Nations” Cultural Route, initiated by the Region of Central Macedonia,
Greece. A Memorandum of Understanding on certification was signed between the Region of
Central Macedonia, the Lazio Region, the Pafos Tourism Board (Cyprus) and the ECTN. An
application for certification will be submitted to the Council of Europe in September 2019. The
application involves and will be supported by three European Regions: the Region of Central
Macedonia in Greece, the Region of Paphos in Cyprus and the Lazio Region in Italy. 7

• Cult-RiNG partners are also working to upgrade the EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail – from a
successful cycling route to a new cultural route. The route is also a candidate for Council of
Europe certification. These activities are supported by Vidzeme Tourism Association (VTA),

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Cult-RInG progress report 3
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https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_tevprojects/library/file_1538340444.pdf

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 Latvia, a Cult-RInG project partner, in its action plan.8 On 27 September 2018 VTA, together
with European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences,
submitted an application to the Council of Europe to certify the EuroVelo 13 (Iron Curtain Trail)
as an official Council of Europe Cultural Route.9

The STAR Cities project is also considering an application for certification. This project focuses on
riverside routes to ensure that the role of rivers in the emergence and the development of popular leisure
activities in Europe is recognised. Some of project’s partners are also members of the Riverside Cities
Network, which brings together local authorities and regions wishing to develop recreational activities
along rivers or waterways in an urban environment.

Other Routes

Interreg Europe projects have not only promoted Cultural Routes and related activities, but have
revealed new perspectives for regional development. Project partners have identified numerous good
practices, including: developing religious-pilgrim routes (SHARE, Green Pilgrimage,) wine routes in
Northern Greece (Cult-RInG), thematic routes (SHARE) and transnational routes linked to natural
assets and cultural heritage (EPICAH and CRinMA).

Partners from Cult-RInG are also exploring opportunities for mythology-based and intangible heritage
themed routes (e.g. Aphrodite in Cyprus, Greece and Italy; ‘Argonautica’ from ancient Iolkos, in present-
day Volos in central Greece, to ancient Kolchis, in present-day Georgia, and back).

Challenges at regional level

Cultural Routes are assets for sustainable regional development and specifically for promoting cultural
tourism. They bring economic benefits to local communities and improve social cohesion.

In terms of territorial cooperation policy, Interreg Europe has recently been engaging with European
regions on this theme. In June 2018 the Policy Learning Platform organised a thematic workshop on
cultural heritage. The key takeaway from the workshop, regarding Cultural Routes, was that there is a
need for joint action on the following challenges:

o How to involve stakeholders and catalyse interest in cultural heritage, in particular

among young people, as well as among local and regional policymakers;
o How to diversify tourism offers – while reconciling protection and economic use;
o How to make the most of digital tools – and how to share data.

In February 2019, the Platform organised a webinar on cultural routes which gave participants insights
into the challenges and opportunities of cultural and other routes and presented lessons from good
practices from three European regions active in this area.
Among the most urgent issues highlighted by participants were a lack of appreciation of the potential of
Cultural Routes for regional development, and a lack of funds for their maintenance and promotion. The
’Study on the Cultural Routes’ Impact on SMEs Innovation, Competitiveness and Clustering’ mentions
that low trans-national connectivity between Cultural Route networks is a major challenge, specifically
with regards to:

• a lack of coordination at trans-national level in development of Cultural Routes and promotion

strategies;
• a weak brand image and weak marketing strategies;
• a lack of expertise in network management and a lack of performance evaluation tools;
• a low degree of good practice exchange;
• an insufficient use of ICT.

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Stakeholder involvement

Developing Cultural Routes requires both a vision and purposeful and sustained effort to build
consensus between stakeholders (local and regional authorities, tourism boards/associations,
businesses, academia, etc.). Engaging a broad range of stakeholders with diverse interests requires
creativity and innovative techniques to identify and work with the appropriate people. Regions and cities
are still facing problems in this regard.

Governance

A lack of coordination or dialogue between institutions often hampers the development and promotion
of Cultural Routes, especially in the cross-border context. In this respect, overcoming differences in
legal frameworks and policy mandates/powers at and between all levels of governance responsible for
the territory(ies) concerned by the route, is a key challenge that authorities need to address. The
Portuguese Way to Saint James, as a cross-border ‘pilgrim route’ project, faced this challenge. This
project, identified as a good practice by Cult-RInG, established a network of ten municipalities, which
have worked together on enhancing and promoting the route. The Duero-Douro River Transnational
Route in Spain and Portugal, identified as a good practice by the EPICAH project, is a successful
example of developing a transnational route based on solid collaboration between authorities between
two countries.

Digitisation

Digital tools provide quality information about heritage sites and enhance the visitor experience. They
can revolutionise the way people travel and experience Cultural Routes. However, digital tools require
not only technical knowledge but also organisational capacity and an appreciation of their potential to
enhance Cultural Routes. Where this potential is not well understood they are overlooked, to the
detriment of the visitor experience, a problem also highlighted by the participants at the webinar
organised by the Policy Learning Platform.

In a study on the digitisation of pilgrimage routes prepared as part of Green Pilgrimage project, the
‘digital maturity’ of four selected trails was analysed. Project partners concluded that the development
of more digital routes is hampered by: insufficient financing for software; a lack of collaborative platforms
where different stakeholders can meet and discuss (digitally or physically); and poor connectivity on the
trails. In a peer review process conducted as part of the study, all participants agreed that digitisation
of the pilgrim trails would have benefits, including:
• Better visibility of the trails for pilgrims, accommodation providers and public stakeholders;
• Clearer communication regarding the trails;
• Facilitating the information search, booking and planning phases
• Creating feedback opportunities, interactions between different stakeholders and creating a
community.10

Several certified Cultural Routes have already integrated ICT tools in their network management,
marketing, and communication strategies using social media, mobile, GIS system, blogs, etc. 11

Good Practices from Interreg Europe projects

Two examples of ongoing Interreg Europe projects/ good practices are detailed below:

Thematic objective: ENVIRONMENT & RESOURCE EFFICIENCY - Good Practice: St Francis

Way, development of pilgrim route to drive rural tourism SHARE project

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https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_tevprojects/library/file_1542879273.pdf
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https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_tevprojects/library/file_1522859189.pdf

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This good practice is about developing the St. Francis Way route, which connects cultural heritage and
sites from the life of Francis of Assisi, to create a 550 km route.

Using a bottom-up approach, the initiative focuses on developing a sustainable offer in ‘slow tourism’,
by promoting overlooked villages and cultural heritage sites, and by providing a source of revenue and
employment for rural and mountain communities. Its activities include:

- defining, mapping and signposting a single route;

- producing promotional materials (multilingual maps, guidebooks and brochures);
- organising press tours; joint marketing activities, working with public transport networks (including
electric vehicles, bike sharing) and monitoring and analysing traffic.

This practice has also established strategic partnerships with stakeholders (e.g. a tourism board, hiking,
cycling and horse-riding clubs, etc.). In cooperation with hospitality and tourism service providers,
minimum standards for walkers, cyclists and horse riders have been developed.

The main stakeholders include the Umbria Region (Departments of agriculture, environment, tourism,
commerce, and infrastructure), religious institutions, municipalities, SMEs, and the Ministry of Cultural
Heritage.

The development of St. Francis Way offers lessons to other regions in Europe on how to effectively
involve stakeholders, who bring not only opinions, but also the specific skill-sets needed to implement,
manage and promote a pilgrimage route ‒ on, for example, how communications channels were opened
with stakeholders (experts, religious and civil associations) through calls for proposals with funding. The
proactive role of the regional development agency Sviluppumbria was also essential as a driver of the
process. To ensure a high-quality walking and route experience, stakeholders spent days in the field
walking together and sharing the needs of the pilgrim. By experiencing the tourism product themselves,
they have been able to work together to improve it.

The enhancement of the St. Francis Way route has resulted in an increase of 35% in the number of
hikers using the route in the period 2015-2017. The St. Francis Way also won best European
‘Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism’ in 2018, an accolade awarded by the European Cultural
Tourism Network and Europa Nostra.

https://www.interregeurope.eu/policylearning/good-practices/item/1808/st-francis-way-development-
of-an-intangible-cultural-history-asset-to-drive-rural-tourism/

Thematic objective: ENVIRONMENT & RESOURCE EFFICIENCY - Good Practice “Sea, Nature,
Sicily – underwater and nautical itineraries’, Cult-RInG project

This good practice has focused on planning and setting up new eco-tourism itineraries, including
interregional ones, in Sicily, and specifically on the theme of marine eco-tourism. The specific tourist
activities are designed so as to ensure that underwater archaeological sites and landscapes are
safeguarded. The total cost of the project is 226,000 EUR and is funded by the region of Sicily.

The new tourist activities have resulted in an increase in national and international visitors with an
interest in natural heritage and the sea. These activities have been important for reducing the
seasonality of tourism. The project has also improved the quality of the tourism offer and has resulted
in the design and introduction of targeted tourism proposals, such as underwater itineraries.
Stakeholders from the public sector, business and academia, as well as representatives of the
Phoenicians Cultural Route, have been working jointly in this project.

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Cult-RInG will share lessons learned with other regions along the 'Phoenicians Route', such as Tuscany
and Sardinia in Italy and the Balearic Islands & Andalusia in Spain, etc. In addition, a website and a
Multimedia App named “Sea, Nature, Sicily” promoting marine eco-tourism in Sicily, have been
developed. These multimedia products are designed as digital guides and provide users with
information on cultural and natural heritage.

This initiative received the 1st Prize in the 2018 ECTN Awards for 'Transnational Thematic Tourism'.

https://www.interregeurope.eu/policylearning/good-practices/item/1903/sea-nature-sicily-underwater-
and-nautical-itineraries/

PART III - WHAT COULD REGIONS DO NEXT?

Cultural Routes play an important role in achieving sustainable and inclusive growth. Regions and cities
are in a position to help develop, maintain and promote them in various ways. Below are several
examples of what they can do:

• The Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes offers significant potential for collaboration at all levels
– European, national, regional and local. Regional and local authorities can play an active role
in strengthening the cooperation between the Council of Europe Cultural Routes, the Routes
created with European Union funds, the UNESCO labelled European sites, and other
international initiatives. The opportunities for support under EU initiatives, such as the EU-
funded Routes4U programme, could be also considered.

• Cultural Routes are mostly interregional in nature and interregional exchange can contribute to
improving policies by facilitating the exchange of good practices and knowledge on important
topics such as developing and managing routes. These include, for example, successful
governance models, use of technology, branding, innovative approaches for engaging and
working with stakeholders (e.g. tourism boards, private sector, etc.).

• Cultural Routes can also make a strong contribution to local economies and communities as
they build on local knowledge and skills and often promote lesser-known destinations. For
instance, 90% of Cultural Routes pass through rural areas. The good practices identified can
serve as inspiration on how to promote overlooked villages, cultural heritage sites and
sustainable tourism. For example, the Wine roads network of Northern Greece (Cult-RInG
project), which developed 8 thematic routes, provides insight into how to promote wine tourism
alongside cultural tourism, raise awareness of the history of wine and viticultural products and
bring economic benefits to local businesses. Working with the tourism sector professionals is
also an opportunity for diversifying the tourism offer.

• One lesson from the Platform’s webinar on Cultural Routes was that regions and cities need to
take advantage of the opportunities that digital tools provide to improve access to heritage
assets and audience engagement. The project “Sea, Nature, Sicily – underwater and nautical
itineraries’ (Cult-RiNG) and the good practice (Green Pilgrimage) from Sweden on a website
based application developed by Visit Ostergotland, are some of the examples that could inspire
other regions.

Forthcoming events:

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 • The EPA organises several annual meetings including Cultural Routes Annual Advisory
Forum in close collaboration with one of the member States of the EPA on Cultural Routes.
Romania will be hosting the 2019 event in October in Sibiu12.

• Each year in June, a Training Academy for the Cultural Routes managers and partners is
organised in close collaboration with one of the certified Cultural Routes of the Council of
Europe. The Training Academy aims to provide training on specific current issues in the field of
cultural heritage management and tourism promotion to Cultural Routes operators. The
Training Academy offers hands-on approaches to the selected topic through the participation
of academic or professional experts with whom the Cultural Routes operators can have some
exchanges of views.13

Sources of further information:

• Study on the Cultural Routes’ Impact on SMEs Innovation, Competitiveness and Clustering’, a
joint study, between the Commission and the Council of Europe
• 2018, Cultural heritage e-book developed by Interact and the European Commission
Directorate - General for Regional and Urban Policy

• EC, Mapping of Cultural Heritage actions in European Union policies, programmes and
activities, 2017

• ICOMOS, International Cultural Tourism Charter. Principles And Guidelines For Managing
Tourism At Places Of Cultural And Heritage Significance. ICOMOS International Cultural
Tourism Committee. 2002.

• EC, The Guide on EU Funding for the Tourism Sector, 2014-2020

Cover image credits: Photo by Jens Johnsson from Pexels

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https://www.coe.int/en/web/cultural-routes/-/romania-to-host-the-2019-annual-advisory-forum-on-cultural-routes-in-sibiu-2-4-october-2019-
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https://www.coe.int/en/web/cultural-routes/training-academy

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