Cultural tourism:
The future of sustainable development within Europe's regions

Gathering regional politicians and officers from across wider Europe, the Assembly of European Regions' (AER) Committee 3 today concluded three days of seminars and meetings in Ustron (Silesia, PL).

An AER seminar entitled "Setting out for new horizons – European Regions develop cultural tourism' kicked off the gathering. "Europe's attractiveness for tourists is derived from its cultural diversity', said Klaus Klipp, AER Secretary General in his opening statement. "In this sense, regions find in cultural tourism a sector which has tremendous potential for interregional cooperation and economic development.' The presentations given by the host Region of Silesia on the „Industrial Monuments Route' were a perfect example for possibile achievements in this sector.

Guest speakers at the seminar highlighted the growing importance of cultural tourism and its particular relevance for preserving regional heritage and making it accessable to the public. "Developing cultural tourism not only creates a sense of knowledge and pride regarding local history and identity, but also helps to conserve cultural heritage, foster economic growth and create new employment opportunities,' said Alan Clarke, an expert from the University of Pannonia.
 
Following the seminar on Cultural Tourism, Committee 3 convened over two days to discuss the latest developments and projects in the fields of culture, education and international cooperation. The anouncement to launch the AER Youth Regional Network received a particularly warm response - the network will provide a multi-stakeholder platform for young people from the regions and reinforce AER's role in Europe as an actor for innovative regional cooperation.

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The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe. Bringing together more than 260 regions from 33 countries and 13 interregional organisations, AER is the political voice of its members and a forum for interregional co-operation.

AER Contacts:
Richard Medić, Spokesperson / Director of Press and Communications, r.medic@aer.eu -
Tel (mob) +33 678 695 235
Francine Huhardeaux, Press and Communications Officer, f.huhardeaux@aer.eu - Tel. +33 3 88 22 74 49