The “HERA” project follows trends on the global and European tourism market and, according to the forecasts of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), cultural tourism is one of the leading branches of tourism until 2020 – Senior Adviser in the Sector for Tourism Danijela Vićentijević said in Belgrade.
At the “HERA” conference – Development of cultural tourism – An opportunity for economic and social progress of the inhabitants of the Adriatic Basin” held in Belgrade, she said that the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications recognized the importance of tangible and intangible heritage by monitoring trends and strategic documents on global and European level. One of the partners from Serbia involved in the “HERA” project is the Museum in Zaječar which ensures protection and manages archaeological site Gamzigrad-Romuliana (which was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007).
Vićentijević said that after recognizing the importance of cultural heritage for the development of tourism, the Ministry funded with subsidized funds promotional activities of the Tourism Organization of Zaječar and Museum in Zaječar in the period 2007-2015 whose aim was to increase the visibility of archaeological site Gamzigrad Romuliana, and added that the total amount of the funds allocated for the promotion of the activities in the stated period amounted to about RSD 19 million whereas the total amount of investment grants in this period amounted to about RSD 43 million.
A representative of the Zadar County and the leader of the project Lovro Jurišić said that the “HERA“ project – Managing sustainable tourism based on the common cultural heritage of the Adriatic Sea region has a total value of EUR 8,842,600 and lasts for 29 months i.e. from the fall of 2013 to the spring of 2016. He said that the project was funded within the First invitation to register strategic projects in the Adriatic CBC Program 2007-2013 and said that the project involves cooperation of 19 partners from 8 countries: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Greece.
Director of the National Museum in Zaječar Bora Dimitrijević said that Gamzigrad Romuliana received 4,800 visitors from 60 countries last year. He said that he hoped that one day the whole Imperial Palace would be presented to the visitors with a holographic projection and in the way it looked in the year 311 when it was built.
For more information about the project, please visit www.heraadriatic.eu