Recognising landscapes as repositories of natural, living, tangible and intangible heritage will be on the agenda as stakeholders meet in Cappadocia, Türkiye, for the 14th Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. Highlighting the role of cultural routes in safeguarding heritage through sustainable, even transformative, cultural tourism practices will also be addressed under the overall theme "Advancing heritage protection through cultural and sustainable tourism".
During the Forum, some 300 representatives of Council of Europe countries, leaders of cultural routes, universities and cultural heritage scholars and practitioners are examining a wide range of strategies and initiatives aimed at cultural heritage protection.
In his welcoming remarks via video message, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge welcomed new routes: "There are now 49 Cultural Routes - with three new ones this year: the Romea Strata, the Pyrenean Freedom Routes and St Francis's Ways." He also congratulated the most recent member states joining: "The Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes now counts 43 member states - I congratulate the Netherlands and Ireland for their recent accession.
"These routes are precious symbols of intercultural dialogue, transnational cooperation and sustainable development. More than that even - they are part of a network through which European citizens may discover our history and celebrate our surroundings," Deputy Secretary General Berge said.
Located in Luxembourg, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe was established by the Committee of Ministers in 2010. Speaking at the ceremony to mark the accession of new member states to the enlarged partial agreement, Ambassador Patrick Engelberg, Chair of the enlarged partial agreement's Statutory Committee and Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe said "the enlarged partial agreement has played a vital role in the expansion of the Cultural Routes programme over the past 15 years. [It] offers an essential framework for countries committed to cultural cooperation, sustainable development, and intercultural dialogue. It allows them to not only protect their heritage but also connect it to Europe's broader narrative."
Speakers at the opening of the forum include the Governor of Nevşehir, Ali Fidan, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Türkiye, Nadir Alpaslan and the Head of Department for Democratic Institutions and Freedoms, Council of Europe, Irena Guidikova.
The programme features a series of discussions, a welcoming ceremony for the new members of the enlarged partial agreement, a certification ceremony for the Cultural Routes receiving certification in 2025, and awards recognising inspiring practices in heritage protection.
The forum is co-organised through a partnership between the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, the European Institute of Cultural Routes, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, and the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, with the support of local authorities of the Cappadocia Region.
The forum will continue until 24 October.
Read the Deputy Secretary General's speech in full
