The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Annual Advisory Forum 2021 “Resilient and Sustainable Cultural Routes – Innovating Out of Crisis" will take place ONLINE from 29 September*-1 October.

Organised by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia and the Kutaisi City Municipality, the Forum will address the role of Cultural Routes in encouraging innovation and sustainability in the tourism sector in a post-pandemic Europe.

“The Annual Advisory Forum will be the occasion to discuss how Cultural Routes can open up opportunities for rethinking access to cultural heritage with the purpose of developing more resilient and sustainable approaches. Currently, all conditions are in place for Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe to become an ideal tool for the cultural heritage sector to overcome the difficulties and challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to propose an innovative model for the future of European cultural cooperation”, said Stefano DOMINIONI, Executive Secretary of the EPA.

Because of travel and event restrictions still affecting cultural events Europe-wide due to COVID-19, the 2021 edition of the Advisory Forum will take place online with the virtual participation of Representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia, Kutaisi local authorities, representatives of the 35 member States of the EPA, representatives of the 45 certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and candidate networks to the "Cultural Route of the Council of Europe" certification, International Organisations (such as EU, UNESCO, UNWTO, ETC, BSEC, OEI) and local and regional authorities, along with academics and experts from the culture and tourism industry. The Forum will also be open to the general public.

Three thematic panels with online live discussion sessions, online certification ceremonies for the 5 newly certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and a live-streaming concert from Kutaisi will be among the main Forum events.

Further information on registration and the draft programme of the 10th Annual Advisory Forum 2021 can be found here in due time.

*Pre-Forum sessions restricted to EPA member States and Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe representatives