The birth of the cooperation network of Pilgrimage Routes in Europe: A step toward sustainable cultural tourism

On June 27, the NTNU Gjøvik University in Norway hosted a press conference to present the new European Cooperation Network along the Pilgrimage Routes. The Romea Strata team also took part in the latest meeting between the partners of the H2020 project rurAllure. (“Promotion of rural museums and heritage sites in the vicinity of European pilgrimage routes “), promoter of the Network. This Memorandum is certainly among the most significant outputs of the rurAllure project, which for three years worked on 6 European Pilgrimage Routes.

The Network was established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the three pilgrimage routes partners, Via Romea Strata, Via Francigena and the Ways of Mary. The Network aims at acting as a facilitator for pan-European, national and international cooperation between the different players involved in the management and promotion of pilgrimage routes.From the very beginning, Romea Strata has advocated for raising a common voice and sharing best practices on cultural tourism development, recognizing new opportunities to promote rural heritage and slow travel.

For the special occasion, the presidents of the three routes made a video of the signing of the memorandum of understanding. In particular, Don Raimondo Sinibaldi, president of AERS – the Romea Strata European Association – shared a message wishing for the new Network: “I am very happy today to sign this cooperation agreement: it represents a great opportunity to work together in synergy. I hope that this agreement can be the beginning of a positive experience and a contribution to building Europe by pursuing the great goals ahead of us”.

A new piece is being added to the many actions Romea Strata is implementing to enhance the opportunities for national and European development, including the Jubilee of 2025).