The Route of the Romanesque was awarded the third prize of the "Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2018" awards, in the "Cultural Landscapes" category, awarded by the European Cultural Tourism Network.

The ceremony of announcement of the winners was held on October 25th in the city of Paphos, Cyprus, at the 11th International Conference on Cultural Tourism in Europe, under the theme "Cultural heritage as an asset for responsible and sustainable tourism".

The Route of the Romanesque was represented by Rosa Cortez of the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), the partner entity of our project since its inception.

The prestigious "Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism" awards have been organised since 2014 by the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN), based in Brussels, Belgium.

This international association, which stands out as the only pan-European network for the development and promotion of cultural tourism, currently consists of 29 members from 19 countries, including 13 from the European Union.

In this European Year of Cultural Heritage, the special edition of the awards was also supported by Europa Nostra and the European Travel Commission.

These prizes aim to recognise the excellence of cultural tourism destinations that stand out for the experiences provided to visitors, respecting traditions, engaging local communities and developing sustainable and responsible cultural tourism initiatives.

The awards focus on seven categories associated with cultural heritage: Religion and Pilgrimages; Maritime and Coastal; Cultural Landscapes; Industrial and Military; Historic Houses, Villages and Cities; Transnational Thematic Products; Contributions of Cultural and Creative Industries.

In the "Cultural Landscapes" category, the first prize was awarded to the "Colonies of Benevolence of Wortel and Merksplas", promoted by Kempens Landschap in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and the second prize was awarded to "A train for the Casilini Ecomuseum", promoted by Ecomuseum Casilino ad Duas Lauros, Italy.