A new European research and policy network is being developed around sustainable tourism, cultural heritage, digitalisation, skills and governance through the COST Action proposal RESTOUR-ON – “REthinking Sustainable TOURism through Open Networks in Cultural Heritage Sites”.
The initiative is jointly developed and led by the Institute for Sustainable Development, Environment and Tourism (InSET) and the University of Tirana, Albania, with the ambition of establishing a strong, long-term European network connecting researchers, higher education institutions, practitioners, public authorities and other organisations working at the intersection of tourism and cultural heritage.
Interest in RESTOUR-ON has already significantly exceeded the minimum requirements for a COST network. While the standard criterion requires participation from at least seven countries and ten individuals, the emerging RESTOUR-ON network currently brings together 32 active researchers and experts from 16 countries.
The initiative is particularly seeking to involve PhD students, Early-Career and Young Researchers, lecturers, researchers and practitioners, as well as professionals from public and private institutions and international organisations.
RESTOUR-ON is structured around five thematic Working Groups:
Rethinking Sustainable Tourism in cultural heritage contexts;
Measuring Sustainable Tourism, with a focus on data, indicators and sustainability monitoring;
Skills and Capacity Building, including green and digital skills for heritage tourism;
Impact of Digitalisation on Sustainability, including digitisation, VR/AR technologies and visitor management;
Policies and Planning, focusing on governance and sustainable planning frameworks.
Through these interconnected areas, the proposed COST Action aims to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation, promote knowledge exchange and contribute to more sustainable approaches to tourism development and management of cultural heritage sites.
The organisers are currently expanding the network and welcome recommendations of interested researchers and experts, with particular encouragement for PhD candidates and young researchers to become involved.
The RESTOUR-ON partnership network is planned to be finalised by the end of August 2026. Interested individuals are encouraged to express their interest and provide a brief professional introduction to the initiative coordinators.
The initiative is coordinated by Prof. Dr Klodiana Gorica, Department of Marketing and Tourism, Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana.