Funded by: European Regional Development Fund
Funding Programme: INTERREG – Ελλάδα -Κύπρος
Programming Period: 2014 -2020
Project Title: Promotion of Cultural Heritage as a Local Development
Project Acronym: Attractive Destinations
Duration: 2017 – 2019
Total Budget: € 1.650.000

Partnership:

1. Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works –Department of antiquities
2. Ministry of Culture and Sports – General Directorate of Archives and cultural Heritage – Ephorate of Antiquities of Lesbos
3. Nicosia Development Agency- ANEL

The cross-border intervention area of the Program is rich in both cultural and natural resources. The cultural elements that characterize the historical path in the course of time, combined with the features of the geostrategic position, the geographical discontinuity of the island region, the isolation, the regionality and the uniqueness of the cultural identity make the island space a very important tourist destination that needs to be promoted jointly and methodically for development in a number of areas.

​The project “Promotion of Cultural Heritage as a Local Development Instrument: “ATTRACTIVE DESTINATIONS” deals with the area of ​​protection, management and promotion of archaeological sites, which constitute an important cultural heritage of the cross-border arc of Greece and Cyprus and promote them as attractive destinations for increasing the number of visitors tourism. The main objective of the project is the creation and establishment of an attractive and off-peak sustainable tourism product through the protection, promotion, exploitation and promotion of rich natural and cultural heritage and the creation of a cross-border network of areas of natural and cultural interest that will also contribute to the development of alternative forms tourism based on rich local resources. The main outputs of the project are: designing and developing a common methodology of action in the aforementioned field and the completion of mature projects in two areas (the archaeological sites of ancient Hephaestus in Limnos and the ancient Idalion in the Municipality of Idalion) which will be used for pilot application of the common and innovative methodology. The actions of the project will end with the creation of suggestions for improvement of national procedures and policies in the field of promotion and tourism development of the cultural heritage, which adds value to the products of the action.

For more information: www.elkystikoiproorismoi.eu