Service Description

The Cultural Routes programme was launched by the Council of Europe in 1987, aiming to discover the rich and diverse European heritage by bringing people and places together in networks of shared history and heritage. To date, 38 Cultural Routes have been identified and certified, but only a few of them are known and regularly visited, highlighting a certain discrepancy among Routes. Unfortunately, despite the efforts, most of the Cultural Routes haven’t achieved the expected results in terms of enhancement of memory, history and European heritage and promotion of cultural tourism and sustainable cultural development. The main causes are linked to (a) the lack of some crucial professional skills of Cultural Route staff, who have a hybrid education background, well prepared from the artistic and cultural point of view but in need to acquire innovative and transversal competences, on cultural management and audience development above all, (b) the limited economic resources of the Cultural Route coordinators organisations, (c) the lack of funds at European level dedicated to supporting innovative training methodologies focused on Cultural Route professions; (d) the high standards required to maintain the label of CR of the Council of Europe, (e) the absence of efficient, tested and shared educational modules for Cultural Route staff training; (F) the lack of a strong and strategic alliance among the Routes and private/public sectors involved in local CR. tourism and cultural services development. Starting from these difficulties, the objective of FAB ROUTE project is to contribute to the enhancement of Cultural Routes by designing (1) a new innovative educational module to allow Cultural Routes’ members and their networks to improve skills and knowledge on several topics such as Cultural Heritage Management; Project Management focused on sustainability; Audience analysis and development; Cultural marketing and branding; Public engagement; Capacity buildin, Models of governance; Promotion of citizens’ participation etc, (2) a new development model aimed at promoting & including Cultural Routes activities in the system of cultural and tourism services.