Co-existence with tourism and sustainable heritage management and tourism in the areas of valuable cultural and natural heritage with an emphasis on world heritage under the protection of UNESCO will be the main topics of the conference Proceed with Care – Living with Tourism.
In Sibenik, Croatia, the International Scientific Conference – Proceed with Care will take place for the first time from May 2nd to May 5th organized by The National Association for Interdisciplinary Activities in the Field of Heritage and Tourism. In the Croatian National Theatre of Sibenik, world-renowned experts will address the important issue of the growing conflict between excessive tourism and the protection of the cultural environment, historic cities, monuments and sites, especially those listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The conference will bring together relevant local and foreign experts from the scientific fields and will take place under the patronage of the Croatian Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia, and with the partnership of the Croatian National Tourist Board and the City of Sibenik. The main goal of the Proceed with Care conference is to bring together researchers and experts from around the world to find solutions to the sustainable tourism growth of the world’s capital of tourism through shared awareness, knowledge and experience. The conference will present the latest academic and scientific research, field research, strategies, techniques, and tools.
How to organize “co-existence” with tourism in the capitals of culture?
The main idea of the conference Proceed with Care is “co-existence with tourism”. In Sibenik, we will have the opportunity to listen to the world’s leading experts in the field of preservation of cultural heritage. Many keynote speakers will share their knowledge and experience: Yonca Erkan, Michael Turner, Ludwig Thorsten, Antonio Miguel Nogués-Pedregal, Yoel Mansfeld, Benno Albrecht, Juan Manuel Corso Sarmiento, Cristina Jover Fontanals, Mar Santamaria, Dimitri Ioannides, and other regional experts.
Two main thematic units will be covered; first will be the strategies and techniques of comprehensive planning and design of tourism territories and infrastructure as a tool for sustainable management of both; tourism and heritage, especially those listed by UNESCO as World Heritage. The second category refers to communication strategies and techniques for implementation of sustainable planning and design solutions where the strategy of positioning the heritage of tourist destination and defining its brand architecture will be discussed. The aim of the conference is also to inform the representatives of all institutions that make executive decisions on the preservation of spatial and cultural resources, as well as on the development and implementation of sustainable tourism, from state to local administration, local communities to entrepreneurs in culture and tourism.
Why Croatia, why Sibenik?
On UNESCO’s list, Croatia has an important position, a small country with 10 recognizable world’s heritage sites of UNESCO. Croatia largely depends on the tourism economy, and that is also another reason why we all need to make efforts in the field of excessive tourism, and its negative effects on the beauty and uniqueness of natural diversity and inherited cultural identity.
Sibenik is a town with two monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage List, The Cathedral of St. James and Fortress of St. Nicholas. In addition, it has a unique historical core, and an environment rich in natural and cultural heritage, tangible and intangible. It is also a tourist town that is now in a position to maintain a balanced relationship between growing tourism and preserving the identity of the city and its inherited cultural and natural values.
Without sustainability in tourism, experience as a foundation of destination tourism offering will disappear.
Many places from UNESCO’s list, such as Dubrovnik, Hvar, Plitvice Lakes, Venice or Barcelona, are threatened by seemingly insurmountable challenges that could soon be captured by other Croatian coastal towns as well. Many efforts are being made to identify and prevent potential problems in time, and for the existing ones to find adequate management of visitors and destinations.
Therefore, the Proceed with Care – Living with Tourism Conference has a goal to become a permanent gathering of world’s authorities, relevant authors and researchers, and at the same time, has a goal to position Croatia as an initiator in the field of the preservation of material and non-material heritage. During the conference, all participants will be offered free access to the Sibenik City Museum.
Conference Organizers
The National Association for Interdisciplinary Activities in the Field of Heritage and Tourism, ICOMOS Croatia; University of Zagreb, School of Architecture; Università Iuav di Venezia, Doctoral Study (Università Iuav di Venezia, Scuola di dottorato); Department for Architectural Design DPA, Escola Tècnica Superior de Barcelona ETSAB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya UPC; Institute of Art History, Zagreb; Centre for Marketing and Public Relations, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences (Center za marketing in odnose z javnostmi); Fakultet za družbene vede, Univerza v Ljubljani, IRMO; Institute for Development and International Relations, Zagreb; ARIES_JURAČIĆ SKORUP ARHITECTS from Zagreb, MUZE from Zagreb, IMC Agency from Zagreb.
Photos by Damir Fabijanic
