A cross-border network of digital cultural and tourist routes, connecting Cyprus, Crete and the North Aegean, aspires to create the DigitalCultureRoutes project, in which the Cyprus University of Technology participates.
With a budget of around €2.5 million and a duration of two years, until July 2028, the project aims to harness digital technologies to showcase cultural resources and connect them with tourism.
The project is implemented under the Interreg VI-A Greece-Cyprus 2021–2027 programme, with 80% European co-funding and 20% national participation. The aim is to develop digital tools, network local actors and create cultural experiences that will contribute to the sustainable development of the participating regions.
The goals and actions of DigitalCultureRoutes were presented at an event in Limassol on October 16, in the context of the two-day kick-off meeting of the partners, which took place on October 15 and 16.
DigitalCultureRoutes is in the early stages of implementation, with the completion of the project scheduled for July 2028.
Technology at the service of cultural heritage
During the presentation of the project, Associate Professor of CUT Athos Agapiou referred to the main objectives, the planned actions and the expected results, focusing on the possibilities offered by modern digital technologies for the creation of integrated cultural and tourist experiences.
CUT professor Dimitris Skarlatos presented, for his part, the contribution of three-dimensional technologies to the documentation, protection and promotion of cultural goods.
The use of such technologies can be a tool for the digital recording and presentation of monuments and other elements of cultural interest, while the interconnection of cultural resources of different regions seeks to expand the possibilities of access and navigation for visitors.
Cross-border cooperation
The kick-off event was attended by representatives of institutional bodies, universities and collaborating organizations from Cyprus and Greece. Greetings were addressed, among others, by the Vice-Rector of Economic Planning and Development of the CUT, Evangelos Akilas, the President of the Chamber of Chania, Antonis Rokakis, and representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Department of Antiquities and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus.
The project is attended by, among others, the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), through the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, the Region of Crete and the North Aegean Regional Development Fund. The project is co-financed by the EU, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by national resources of Greece and Cyprus.
During the two-day meeting, the individual work packages, the coordination of actions and the next stages of implementation were examined. The program also included a visit to the archaeological site of Kourion.
