Cultural Routes and Archaeological Parks

Utilizing the outcomes of the full synergy between citizens, state bodies and institutions, sponsors, and European funding programmes, DIAZOMA designs and proposes the implementation of holistic cultural tourism programmes (Cultural-Environmental Routes and Archaeological Parks).

Cultural-Environmental Routes and Archaeological Parks have the potential to act as the driving force for a region’s sustainable development and to connect a region’s monuments with local entrepreneurship and its primary sector production, as reflected in the philosophy underpinning the NSRF programmes.

The financing tool used for the implementation of the Cultural-Environmental Routes is the Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI).  ITIs are an integrated territorial development tool for the application of development strategies to specific territorial entities, which either present certain issues that need to be globally addressed or significant development potential that could be utilized and maximized based on a comprehensive development plan.

The ITI philosophy can be applied to:

1. Geographic regions which may also span two or more administrative regions
2. Urban areas in the form of a Sustainable Urban Development Programme (SUDP)
3. Local community clusters in the form of Community-led Local Development (CLLD)

WHAT IS A CULTURAL-ENVIRONMENTAL ROUTE?

A Cultural Route is a specialized and branded holistic tourism product that is structured around a specific cohesive element. Often that element is antiquities, for example, antiquities of the same period or belonging to different periods but sharing other characteristics. Alternatively, a route could be based on a historical road or trail, myths, legends, and so on. Similarly, an Environmental Route can be designed around environmental and natural elements.

Cultural-Environmental Routes aim to act as the driving force for a region’s sustainable development (economic, social, and environmental), as well as to connect great cultural and natural monuments with a region’s local entrepreneurship and primary sector production.

CULTURAL ROUTE POLES OF ATTRACTION

The poles of attraction are the elements that bestow a distinct character to a Cultural Route. They must be carefully chosen, as they will act as the pillars of the Route’s identity and physical embodiment. Poles of attraction must be suitably disbursed geographically and meet specific criteria, such as:

• act as a magnet for tourists, being areas distinguished by unique historical and/or cultural characteristics
• be a developed tourist destination or be connected to existing tourism development areas
• function as starting points for tourist movement across the network, as well as connection and redistribution points of tourist flow

LOCAL CULTURAL ROUTES

Local Cultural Routes are designed and implemented within the framework of a Cultural Route. The reference point of a Local Route is one of the poles of attraction of the wider Cultural Route. Local routes connect-aggregate monuments, businesses, local bodies, and communities in a comprehensive and functional whole.

 

WHAT IS AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK?

An Archaeological Park is also a holistic cultural tourism product. Archaeological parks involve expanding and promoting several monuments as a whole, in a comprehensible and pleasant manner. This transforms the archaeological site into a park that integrates the monuments into the natural landscape where they were created. Moreover, the creation of archaeological parks connects monuments to the local economy and the modern life of the area’s inhabitants.