Cultural Management and Tourism in European Cultural Routes: Cultour+ Summer School. Book of Abstracts

The International Summer School hold in Cáceres in different scenarios, was the first multiplier event of Cultour+ project, an Erasmus+ Strategic Action involving 9 partners from 6 different European Countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain). This course gathered together experts, researchers and entrepreneurs from seven European countries to share diagnosis and think about applied solutions for European Cultural Routes as motors for sustainable development through tourism and cultural management. Thinking cultural tourism as a growing source of employment opportunities, the course fostered entrepreneurship and networking in this field. Case studies, good practices, business projects, research visits were presented and analysed during this 3 days/30 hours summer school. Special attention was given to European Cultural Routes based on pilgrimage and religious tourism and thermal historic towns. The Via de la Plata will serve as fantastic scenario and fieldwork to illustrate good practices and management models. The Course was developed in the following panels:

 Creativity and innovation for cultural and tourism management in European Routes and Heritage Sites

 Cultural & Tourism Management for Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism

 Cultural & Tourism Management for Thermal Historical Towns and Sites

As main objectives, Cultour+ Summer School aims:

 To gather together expertise and applied knowledge on case studies in cultural tourism and European cultural routes

 To transfer expert knowledge to entrepreneurs with ongoing business projects and other interested stakeholders by promoting good practices and entrepreneurship in the cultural tourism sector

 To disseminate and discuss results of an international comparative research in progress in six different European countries

 To present entrepreneurial projects and entrepreneurs selected by the Cultour+ project.

 To disseminate the project Cultour+, its objectives and its training programme.

The Summer School was disseminated on-line for graduate and postgraduate students, professional and interested stakeholders of the Partners organizations. It was connected with Open Education Europa, transferring directly to and getting feedback from the platform. Universidad de Extremadura granted scholarships for low income students and advertise the course by its communication channels. It gathered 64 participants