How can members of the Be.CULTOUR community better support each other and also share their experience with a wider audience?
Based on the principles of peer learning, replicability of practices and co-creation methodology, this webinar series aims to accompany the participants towards a comprehensive understanding of circular and sustainable cultural tourism practices.
A mix of on-ground experience and expertise will guide participants into these innovative practices and show how to apply them context-specifically.
Nine editions throughout the year will touch on different but interrelated topics.
Keep reading for more information on each webinar.
Scientific Committee:
Antonia Gravagnuolo, CNR (coordinator)
Cristina Garzillo, ICLEI Europe
Malgorzata Cwikla, ICLEI Europe
Technical and organising committee:
Sophia Silverton, ICLEI Europe
Gioele Racca, ICLEI Europe

Webinar 6 - 15 September 2023 - 14:00 - 15:30
Creative tourism and the role of arts, interpretation and storytelling
The webinar will address creative tourism initiatives where the community, artists, and other stakeholders are involved in co-creation strategies to implement a cultural-led change in a destination. Among the creative tourism experiences, the innovative and collective storytelling, art-based practices, and the contemporary interpretation of cultural heritage through community engagement can represent a powerful driver for sustainable development, especially of less-know places. By sharing projects which, in different ways, challenged tourism issues with creative solutions, we will discuss the role of arts in regeneration processes, placemaking, and shaping new promotion concepts.
Agenda:
14.00-14.05 Antonia Gravagnuolo, Valentina Apicerni, Martina Bosone | CNR Institute of Heritage Science
Welcome and introduction
14:05-14.20 Julia Calver | Course Director in the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management at the Leeds Beckett University and former Chair of 'Saltaire Inspired’
14:20-14:35 Tiago Vinagre de Castro | Cultural Manager and co-coordinator of the CREATOUR Observatory
14:35-14:50 Sofia Marasca | Communication Manager at Sineglossa and coordinator of Nonturismo project
14:50-15:05 Mariana Calaça Baptista | Executive Director of Art&Tur – International Film Festival
Panel discussion
15:05-15:20 Fabrizio Panozzo | Professor of Cultural Management at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice and Scientific Director of AIKU
15:20-15:30 Q&A and concluding remarks

Webinar 7 - October 2023
Circular economy implementation in the tourism sector
Webinar 8 - November 2023
Innovative finance for circular cultural tourism
Webinar 9 - December 2023
Smart data management for circular cultural tourism assessment and monitoring


Webinar 1: Circular cultural tourism
The role of Heritage Innovation Networks for co-creation and communities empowerment
24 February 2023 - 14:00-15:30 CET
The webinar will address methodologies and tools for stakeholders’ engagement, serious gaming and co-creation, explaining how to bring together expert and local knowledge to let “hidden” cultural resources emerge and being recognized and fully exploited as a driver of local development, communities’ empowerment and innovative entrepreneurship through circular cultural tourism.
Agenda:
14:00-14:05 Sophia Silverton, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability: Welcome
14:05-14:15 Antonia Gravagnuolo, CNR ISPC: Horizon 2020 Be.CULTOUR project: Heritage Innovation Networks for circular and human-centred cultural tourism
14:15-14:25 Luigi Fusco Girard, CNR and University of Naples Federico II: Cultural heritage as driver of circular innovation
14:25-14.35 Małgorzata Ćwikła, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability: Co-creation of Action Plans for circular and sustainable cultural tourism in less-known heritage sites: the experience of Be.CULTOUR pilots
14:35-14:45 Break
14.45-14:55 Francesca Pozzebon, ERRIN: The guide for sustainable explorers: a step-by-step toolkit to engage your community and build your action plan for circular cultural tourism
14:55-15.15 Contributes from Pilots and Mirror Regions: On-the-ground experience
15:15-15:30 Q&A
24 March 2023 - 14:00-15:30 CET
Understanding the European value of cultural heritage: Power of networks
The webinar will address the concept of Europeanisation based on the intertwine of cultural networks operating in Europe. We will discuss the added value of being a member of a network and reflect on the opportunities and challenges faced by network operators. In addition, examples on the benefit from formal and informal networks will be presented, as well as guidelines on how to use the networks to develop innovative solutions towards circular cultural tourism. This approach reflects the ambitions of Be.CULTOUR and constitutes an important part of the concept ideation and development of Action Plans in its pilot heritage sites.
Agenda:
14.00 -14.10 Welcome Dr. Cristina Garzillo Leemhuis, Senior Coordinator, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability
14.10 – 14.20 Jordi Mallarach, Executive Officer, Future for Religious Heritage
14.20 – 14.30 Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General Europa Nostra and European Chair Climate Heritage Network
14.30 – 14.40 Gerald Wagenhofer, Coordinator of the European Heritage Label@Network
Discussant: 14.40 – 14.50 Dr. Jermina Stanojev, Research and Policy Expert on Cultural Heritage, Culture and International Cultural Relations
14.50 - 15.00 Break
15.00 - 15.10 Dr. Antonio Nicoletti, Director General, Regional Agency for the Territorial Promotion of Basilicata, Italy
15.10 - 15.20 Pauline Alexopoulou, member of Larnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency, Cyprus
15.20 -15.30 Q&A and concluding remarks
21 April 2023 - 14:00-15:30 CET
Innovative solutions for circular cultural tourism
This webinar gives voice to prominent guests from academia, policy, business and practice to exchange views and showcase their own experience/experimentation in circular cultural tourism. It will define what is meant by innovative solutions for circular cultural tourism, what possible tools could be used to activate the process and involve the local community in the co-design, co-development and co-implementation of the solutions. Moreover, concrete examples from different continents will be presented and challenges will be thoroughly discussed.
Agenda:
- 11:00-11:05 dr. Ruba Saleh, ICHEC Brussels Management School: Welcome
- 11:05-11:15 Philippe Drouillon, Senior expert in sustainable, agile and impactful business & catalyst of agile & participatory positive impact Teams, Organizations & Territories | B Leader. ICHEC Brussels Management School: Re-orient cultural tourism design, incubation and acceleration towards strong circularity and sustainability
- 11:17-11:27 Prof. dr.Daniela Angelina Jelincic, Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Department for Culture and Communication, Croatia: Re-visiting the Essence of Tourism: Challenges in Innovative Circular Tourism
- 11:29-11:39 Hilke Arijs, Cultural Heritage policy coordinator, Zender, Belgium: Co-creation and heritage preservation through Wikipedia
- 11:41-11:51 Larissa Almeida, facilitator of learning processes, researcher and consultant in business management of creative tourism, Recife, Brazil: The power of networking: connecting civil society and public policies for creative tourism
- 12:03-12:13 dr. Tokie Laotan-Brown, heritage Architect, developer and cultural economist, Nigeria: Rammed Clay & Dance in Benin Communities
- 12:13-12:25 Q&A
- 12:25-12:30 dr. Ruba Saleh, ICHEC Brussels Management School: Conclusions and reminder of the next webinar