On 2-4 October 2019, the 9th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum took place in Sibiu, Romania. The event was organised by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism of Romania.

The Forum was officially opened at the Astra Museum in Sibiu and introduced by Snezana SAMARDŽIĆ-MARKOVIĆ, Director-General of Democracy, Council of Europe, Bodgan TRIF, Minister of Tourism of Romania, Birgitta RINGBEK, Chair of the EPA Governing Board, Stefano DOMINIONI, Executive Secretary of the EPA on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and Director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes, Maria MINEA, Prefect of the Sibiu County, Ciprian ŞTEFAN, Manager of the Astra Museum and Laurențiu STREZA, Metropolitan of Transylvania.

The Forum sessions held at Cisnădie Home of Culture were the occasion to discuss challenges and opportunities for the expansion of cultural tourism and the vital role that the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe can play in its wider development. Representatives of International Organisations (such as EU, UNESCO, UNWTO, ETC, BSEC), EPA member States and Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe focused on how to capitalise the potential for cultural tourism so to foster European heritage and traditions, as well as encourage innovation and creativity in the cultural sector in favour of the tourist experience from different perspectives.

During the Forum, official ceremonies took place to welcome Latvia as a new member State of the EPA and the 5 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe certified in 2019 (European Route of Industrial Heritage, Iron Curtain Trail, Le Corbusier Destinations: Architectural Promenades, Liberation Route Europe and Routes of Reformation). At the opening dinner, the Minister of Tourism of Romania Bodgan TRIF and the Chair of the EPA Governing Board Birgitta RINGBECK awarded 4 certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe for their “Best Practices in Cultural Tourism along the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe”: Iter Vitis Route, Prehistoric Rock Art Trails, ATRIUM and European Route of Historic Thermal Towns.

14 Cultural Routes projects, the 10th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum, which will take place in Chanià (Greece) in 2020, and the 9th Training Academy on Cultural Routes, which will be organised in Fontainebleau in cooperation with the certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe “Impressionisms Routes”, were also presented at the event.

The Forum was attended by some 200 participants, 20 EPA member States, 25 certified Cultural Routes and 15 new Cultural Routes networks interested in the certification “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe”.

The programme of the 9th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum can be found here. More media on the event will be soon available on the dedicated webpage of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe website.