Within the context of dissemination and mainstreaming of the CULTISM project, a Conference was organized upon completion of the project (27/11/2007) in Thessaloniki. The Conference attended a great number of participants from local authorities, enterprises, tourism operators, research institutions, cultural organizations etc. During the conference an extended presentation of completed project activities, results and expected impacts took place, giving special emphasis on the presentation of the Master Plans for Cultural Tourism per region. At the end of the Conference the participants had the opportunity to discuss the future of cultural tourism in Europe, to assess the perspectives of developing joint initiatives on the issue and to explore methodologies for influencing policy making. Moreover, it was suggested that the Master Plans are considered as policy papers which can support the formulation of favourable decision making, as well as promote the transferability of CULTISM activities in other areas as well.

During the Conference the profile of each partner was presented, relating mostly with cultural and tourism aspects. As regards Thessaloniki, the area has a rich cultural life (year-round cultural events, concerts, theatrical plays, meetings of dance groups, operas, cinema festivals). The Prefecture has numerous museums which revive the rich and multicultural past of the region, being a crossroad of several civilizations and cultures for 2.320 years (Classical, Roman, Byzantine, Folkloric, Ethnological exhibits). The Prefecture is an open-air museum – Byzantine churches co-existing with Roman monuments, contemporary buildings and modern shops. The nomination of the City of Thessaloniki as the “Cultural Capital of Europe” in 1997 highlighted it as a cultural destination, raised several opportunities for cultural development, the exhibitions, festivals, performances demonstrated the rich cultural heritage of the area. As underlined in the Conference, the participation of NATH in CULTISM was based on the need of the respective Authority to provide concrete tools and to develop efficient methodologies for developing cultural tourism in the area. It is noted that the wider Region of Central Macedonia, like many Greek Regions, is quite rich in cultural monuments and historic sites, which constitutes an important asset than needs further support to maximize benefits

The other partner of the project, the Consortium of Library Systems of Castelli Romani, the plans and educational projects it undertakes (meetings, bibliographical expositions, reading laboratory, workshops and studying days) were thoroughly presented, noting that the Consortium gives to the towns the chance to be the referring point for all the informative and network projects. The name “Castelli Romani” is a real trademark of longstanding tradition. The area has been long known as “the Castles”, owing its name to the many noble Roman families’ villas in the area. The SBCR is promoting several important projects in the field of planning and economic development with the Province of Rome, with the following objectives: Fostering the involvement of local actors in the “Cultural District”, Fostering the creation and strengthening of networks, aiming at coordinating systemic rather than localistic actions, with the guidance of the Province of Rome. A strategic planning process has been initiated. The area of “Castelli Romani” has already been acknowledged by the Regional administration as an integrated programming unit. As stressed in the Conference, the purpose of the participation of SBCR in CULTISM was twofold: to stimulate the growth of Cultural Tourism in the area and to strengthen the local governance structure.

Finally, each partner presented the Master Plan for the Development of Cultural Tourism in its area, that had been elaborated in the context of the project. The specific Plans are considered as Pilot application which can be applied in each area so as to help each authority to improve its efficiency in developing cultural tourism and supporting economic growth at the local level. The purpose of the Plans is to formulate proposed actions and interventions aiming to guideline, propose tools and measures for the development of Cultural Tourism in each participating authority, taking into consideration the results of the benchmarking analysis, the best practices identified, the specific institutional settings where the participating authorities operate and the specific needs / problems they have to face.

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