Background

Origin of the project

The project capitalises on and extends the results of an ARCHIMED project – I-TRACE, where the Lead Partner, the Province of Benevento, experimented strategies for the promotion and quality management of rural itineraries, together with REMTH. The project revealed the potential for cultural and creative hubs in rural areas with striking cultural values and heritage, and the need for innovative management strategies. The aims of the Lead Partner are shared by the other partners – in line with the European Commission Communications “Agenda for a Sustainable and Competitive European Tourism” (2007) – in particular, the increasing need to diversify rural economies by creating new cultural poles, seeking new market segments of the markets and exploiting the attractiveness of their natural and cultural heritage. All these common needs and constraints have provided the driving force for the partnership in drawing up the project. The partners have all expressed interest in finding common solutions and models for a experimental cluster approach. Furthermore, the experience of the Cultural Heritage Industrial Cluster (PACA) in creating a unique cultural heritage enterprise cluster will provide the basis for benefiting from peer experience. All partners also identified the networks they will use to disseminate the impact and results of the project and the mainstreaming possibilities at regional level.

State of the art

Rural MED areas have highly-valued cultural and natural resources but a lack of integrated strategies for their preservation and sustainable promotion mean they often lag behind the development trajectories of the urban & coastal areas, leading to migration and threatening the unique heritage conservation. Fragmentation, lack of accessibility and limits to clustering capacities hampers their potential as engines for rural growth and territorial balance. With new technologies, exploiting tourism opportunities, through clustering and cooperation, the culture industry can have a vibrant role in sustainable development strategies, encouraging private investment and providing an engine for growth.

In rural Southern Italy (Benevento and San Severino in Pollino National Park), the potential for the economic valorisation of cultural resources is immense, but the heritage poles are little known and exploited and events fragmented and little promoted.

Both areas suffer from the competition of seasonal beach tourism in neighbouring area and benefit from mostly local fruition, while the lack of governance of economic and tourist systems linked to cultural/natural heritage is a further obstacle (Interreg IIIB I-TRACE, OP Campania & Basilicata, ISTAT, APT Benevento & Potenza).

In Spain, inland areas in Murcia and Valencia preserve a unique cultural heritage but do not yet represent a significant economic value compared to the coasts; they are unable to their cultural heritage sustainably or internationally. Investment in cultural activities has proved unsuccessful in creating cultural clusters or increasing cultural tourism fruition, as the market demand remains local or one-off. Integrated, quality governance, clustering cultural services and promotion is needed to increase attractiveness and economic value.

In the Aegean, the challenge is to harness cultural and natural heritage for sustainable economic and tourism development, extending the season and providing a model for balanced island growth based on natural and cultural assets, stimulating cultural enterprise and services and reducing migratory phenomenon (OP Crete & Aegean).

In REMTH, rural areas suffer from low development trajectories compared to the coast and major routes while offering potential for heritage clustering which needs effective governance. Supply needs to be enhanced and effective promotion developed ( Interreg IIIB I-TRACE).

In France, the unique model of the cultural enterprise hub created in 2006 has already shown the potential for a cultural cluster, bringing together over 100 culture and heritage public and private actors in PACA. This experience needs to be consolidated by involving new stakeholders, enlarging the network and contributing to the creation of a long-term sustainable cluster model, increasing economic value by international cluster cooperation with other cluster initiatives.