Council of Europe

Kyiv Initiative: Wine Culture Tourism Exchange (WCTE)

Cultural vine routes criss-cross Europe, pre-dating by centuries modern state frontiers. These routes map out an "intercultural" European heritage, which the Council of Europe, using innovative approaches to cultural cooperation, intends to reanimate.

The wine, culture and tourism sectors have a complimentary relationship. The tourism sector has long recognised the value of culture to the industry. This project will explore how wine cultural tourism can be developed to the advantage of all three sectors involved.

Context

The Kyiv Initiative (KI), the regional programme of cultural cooperation involving: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, includes in its activities the Wine, Culture and Tourism exchange (WCTE) project. Greece has taken an important management role in the project since its inception and Turkey is now actively engaged. Other states in the Black Sea Region have also manifested an interest in participating.

Background

Wine has played a significant role in the development of civilisation. Places of worship, learning, cultural and commercial exchange have, for thousands of years, been linked to the agricultural exploitation of the vine. Many of the vine/cultural routes spanning across Europe are hundreds of years older than the state borders that exist today. The Council of Europe aims to bring these routes back to life using innovative approaches to cultural cooperation, thus creating an "intercultural" European heritage.

Partnership

The project is based on a partnership between the wine, cultural and tourism sectors with the object of stimulating cultural and commercial exchange in a way that is advantageous for all partners. This partnership will operate both within and between the participating states. Interested countries and organisations are invited to become active partners in this project.

Stakeholders

The Wine Route Project will be managed through a stakeholder partnership, serving the interests of the participating communities it represents: wine producers; cultural sector, sector, tourism agencies, technology partners, financial institutions; local governments, foundations etc.

2012

Capacity building programme for sustainable tourism development along cultural routes, Chisinau (Moldova), 22-25 March 2012 [14/03/2012]

Documentation

Short flyer on the project

Black Sea Wine Necklace brochure

Meeting reports

WCTE Project Charter

Contacts

KI WCTE project co-ordinators

Council of Europe Secretariat

Related links

Kyiv Initiative

Exchange mechanism

Liaison Office Network

The intention is to implement a liaison office network across the participating wine/tourism routes. These offices will be points of exchange between the local and international. They should provide stakeholders with the capacity to manage and direct wine, culture and tourism exchange, generating revenue streams to sustain local productivity. These offices will undertake mapping exercises and data development on cultural tourism; oversee the implementation of consistent norms and standards; build capacity through training; sustain regional and international exchange.

Electronic network exchange

The intention is to implement a portal network, which will link all liaison offices and provide an electronic platform for exchange of wine, culture, tourism products, services and information. The portal network should generate revenue streams from wine and cultural tourism markets and cultural event ticketing. The portal will also provide for electronic collection of data and statistics on the cultural sector; provide access to creative partnerships; act as a marketing tool for wine and tourism; provide for virtual storefront or gallery space; generate an advertising revenue stream.  

Policy Briefs on Sustainable Tourism

Truly sustainable tourism anticipates local development, local management and local ownership of the tourism experience and the direct value produced by it. The following concepts are considered to be essential to the construction of a politics of sustainability in general and to one of sustainable tourism in particular: alternative tourism; new property; equity; eco and cultural protection; collaborative entrepreneurship; access; technology and tourism; cooperation; European norms.

More information on training and policy: www.act-e.org.

Policy briefs and fact sheets already published:

 Cultural Policy Brief Nº 1 - Reflections on mass tourism and sustainability

Cultural Policy Brief Nº 2 - Establishing alternative tourism: innovative tourism products

Cultural Policy Brief Nº 3 - Sustainable tourism: technology and new model Destination Management Systems (DMS)

Cultural Policy Brief Nº 4 - Valuing the entrepreneurial input

Cultural Policy Brief Nº 5 - Enabling sustainable tourism: Virtual exchange networks and marketing tools

Cultural Policy Brief Nº 6 - Establishing Alternative Tourism: Mobilising and defending localised knowledge as collective property

Cultural Fact Sheet Nº 1 - European norms and the Wine Sector