Development of tourist destinations in the context of Ukraine's participation in the program of the cultural routes of the council of Europe

The purpose of the article is to analyze the existing Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, to explore the historical and cultural connection of these routes with tourist destinations and cultural monuments of Ukraine, to identify those tracks of the Council of Europe to which our country can connect. The methodology involves the treatment of general scientific and special methods, including comparative, analytical, synthesis methods, historical and cultural systems. The scientific novelty of the article is the study of key links between European cultural routes and local historical and cultural sites; in forming a list of cultural routes which possess grounds to be joined for Ukrainian tourist destinations, museums, etc. Conclusions. In the XXI century, the development of tourist destinations, in particular, and tourism as a socio-cultural phenomenon, in general, is correlated with several global factors. One of the mentioned circumstances is the pan-European cultural process, including cultural programs successfully implemented by the Council of Europe. Ukraine has joined only three routes out of the 45 certified European cultural paths. At the same time, according to the study, our country can already apply for active participation in 18 relevant cultural and tourist routes related to the history and culture of Ukraine. Another 11 routes require additional research as well as historical and cultural studies. Joining the above-mentioned Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe will contribute a powerful stimulus for the development of tourist destinations, the formation of advanced models of cultural tourism, the improvement of historical and cultural monuments as well as the intensification of scientific research in the particular field. Key words: cultural tourism, state policy, cultural routes, tourist destinations, interrelation of cultures.

Innovations in a Traditional Landscape of Pilgrimage: The Via Francigena del Sud towards Rome and Other Apulian Pilgrim’s Routes

Religious routes and itineraries can be seen as promoting not only the sharing of ethical and religious values and sentiments of peace and brotherhood but also the awareness and personal growth of the traveller. Those who walk remote pilgrimage paths today wish to experience the fascination of the past, to feel something of the dread and the passion of ancient travellers, but they also seek to fulfil an emotional and intellectual need for authenticity, spirituality and culture. The Puglia region has numerous religious paths that arose in past centuries and continue to be practised by modern pilgrims, who treat the journey as an emotional, educational, social and participatory experience. Appropriate exploitation of this type of journey would enable the promotion of a “gentle” but no less successful tourism, above all in a period of social distancing and global suffering. The present study starts with a presentation of some of the precursors of the many routes that led from the Orient towards Rome, such as those of the Apostle Peter, St Francis of Assisi and the anonymous Pilgrim of Bordeaux. It then examines the new values that prompt people to follow the Via Francigena del Sud that runs along the Italian peninsula linking Europe north of the Alps to the ports of Puglia, and it is just an exemplary case aimed at fulfilling the potential of eastern Mediterranean coastal regions by offering cultural routes and itineraries for sustainable and quality tourism.

Where Does Sustainability Stand in Underground Tourism? A Literature Review

Underground sites have become an attractive tourist destination for an increasing number of visitors. This flow of visitors has made sustainability a major issue, that is, the way in which tourism development ensures economic benefits for host communities and respects local identity without compromising the environmental resources. Many studies have explored sustainable tourism in the Underground Built Heritage (UBH), but privilege the analysis of a single perspective, that is, economic sustainability, e.g., potentialities of cultural routes, or environmental sustainability, such as the impact of visitors on the cave climate. However, some attention has been paid to the social implications of tourism in the UBH, that is, the impacts of tourism development on improving the quality of life of the local community and the enhancement of their sense of community while respecting cultural authenticity. Our aim is to reconcile these perspectives and obtain, through a semi-systematic review, a clear picture of the sustainability of tourism in UBH sites. The aggregation of existing knowledge around the three pillars of sustainability has highlighted the importance of community involvement and collaboration among UBH stakeholders to ensure a balance between the protection and valorisation of UBH, which can also be achieved through networking strategies.

The Riverside Roads of Culture as a Tool for the Development of Aitoloakarnania

Cultural routes are a well-established development tool to highlight and promote a region’s cultural and environmental reserve, as well as having a positive impact on a region’s socio-economic development. Underdeveloped or rural areas, which have limited financial and technological resources available, often envision cultural routes as a useful development tool to cater to their needs. However, unless these cultural routes are designed and implemented based on the principles of a circular economy or while respecting the region’s cultural identity and heritage, their impact will not be significant. The region of Aitoloakarnania is the poorest prefecture of Greece. The prefecture served as a case study to demonstrate that the utilization of its cultural and architectural heritage can be based on the identification, documentation, and the reveal of paths of cultural tourism along the region’s main natural features, namely its rivers, lakes, lagoons, and coastline. Τhe density and the representative distribution of the monuments in the area, in combination with the unique natural environment of the prefecture, led to the configuration of a mild design of cultural routes, promoting the revealing of both the cultural and the natural landmarks of Aitoloakarnania. In this framework, certain cultural paths were defined. The first one, along the Acheloos River, includes sites of natural heritage, ancient and medieval monuments (castles, fortifications, monasteries, churches, burial sites, archaeological sites, etc.). The other cultural path regards sites along the Evinos River and Trichonida Lake, which includes similar monuments and traditional settlements. A similar cultural path regards cultural sites and points of interest along the coastal parts of the prefecture, and in particular, a path initiating from the historic city of Nafpaktos and following the route to the west, it reaches the Venetian castle of Plagia, opposite of Lefkada. These cultural paths fuse along their routes sites of natural heritage, sites of archaeological and cultural interest, and sites of historic importance to the region. This amalgamation of different types of cultural sites, integrated into a single cultural entity, provide the means for the local and regional development in a sustainable approach while ensuring and disseminating the region’s brand and history.

The potential of defensive architectural heritage as a resource for proposing cultural itineraries

PurposeHeritage landmarks and historical values often coexist with places and regions of remarkable environmental and landscape wealth. This article studies their capacity to generate global understanding of their territory through the creation of cultural routes. The proposed methodology is verified through the study of the defensive features of the ancient Nasrid Kingdom, the last Islamic territory in the Iberian Peninsula from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, which shaped the Spanish region known as the Kingdom of Granada until the nineteenth century.Design/methodology/approachTo assist in the proposal of new routes, a precise collection of physical data (topography, landmarks, resources, population centres …), existing public paths and protected natural sites was carried out. Those cultural routes relevant to the area of study were also selected and mapped through GIS. A set of indicators prioritised through an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) have evaluated the proposed itineraries.FindingsThe methodology enables the integral evaluation of parameters such as natural heritage, existing paths networks, defensive architectural heritage (watchtowers), existing cultural routes or proximity to basic services. The methodology's application allows an index to be obtained that quantifies the global implications of these parameters in the design of new itineraries. This leads to the development of a network with its own narrative that provides a historical, environmental and cultural meaning.Originality/valueWatchtowers in this region have previously been studied as isolated and locally relevant architectural features. This work studies them from an overall perspective, considering each tower as a piece of a complex defensive and territorial system. Cultural routes arise from this joint interpretation as tools to restore and highlight the interrelationship between architectural heritage and territory and people.

A STUDY ON THE SPATIAL INTERPRETATION STRATEGY OF CHANG'AN CITY SITE OF TANG DYNASTY: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURAL ROUTES INTERPRETATION

Chang'an is the starting point of "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor", which was listed as World Heritage in 2014. Based on the practice and exploration of presentation of the Chang'an City Site of Tang Dynasty in Xi'an, this paper presents a discussion of how to combine the interpretation of cultural routes with the interpretation and presentation of the urban traces under a modern city. Under the pressure of urban development and renewal, it explores the interpretation strategies based on cultural routes, trying to solve the contradictions between the needs of potential heritage conservation and urban development. Moreover, the paper explores contradictions between meanings and values arising among approaches to heritage sites in relation to the urban role as a starting point of the Silk Road. Focusing on the need to actively integrate potential underground ruins into the development plan of the city, the paper extends the notion of "setting" to include the historic urban context and their structuring components. Integrating archaeological and literature materials and based on the heritage value of Chang'an City of Tang Dynasty in the cultural route, the paper attempts to sort out the relationship of inheritance and continuity between the underground city and the modern city patterns. It is argued that such kind of sorting is a key task for spatial interpretation. Furthermore, the spatial interpretation-based strategy for potential sites is recommended as the tool to explore the guiding principles of urban cultural heritage interpretation and land use co-development.

THE ENHANCEMENT OF CULTURAL TOURISM ROUTES IN THE LANNA REGION OF NORTHERN THAILAND

The Lanna region is a former kingdom in the area of modern-day Northern Thailand that also once extended into Myanmar, Laos and China. Currently, Lanna culture is used as a selling point for tourism to Northern Thailand, but there are problems with the way tourism routes are designed and packaged. This paper aims to promote the architectural value of Lanna culture through the development of tourism routes. The qualitative investigation assesses existing Lanna tourist routes in Northern Thailand and develops guidelines for the development of cultural tourism in the region. Initial research led to the identification of 35 sites for in-depth evaluation. Data was gathered by document research, field evaluation and interviews following criteria co-developed by Chulalongkorn University and the Department of Tourism (2007). Findings indicated that destinations in Northern Thailand are of a good standard but should be developed in terms of tourism support and management. The researchers produced guidelines for the development of individual attractions and designed cultural routes according to provincial boundaries and periodic themes.