1. Project overview

BlueCulTour aims to enhance cross-border cooperation among Calabria, Puglia and Western Greece for the development of sustainable tourism models focused on maritime and underwater cultural assets as evidence of the common cultural roots of the territories facing the Ionian Sea.

Its long-term vision is to open the way to a macro-regional tourism brand linked to Blue Cultural Tourism in the Ionian area, capable of attracting snorkellers, divers and cultural visitors through the valorisation of unique underwater natural and cultural heritage.

To reach this goal, the partnership is jointly developing and demonstrating a common action plan for the creation and sustainable management of underwater cultural diving and snorkelling parks, while also defining actions that engage tourists, local communities and relevant stakeholders. Demonstration activities also include Blue Heritage Centres in each pilot site, where visitors can learn about local underwater heritage and the wider macro-regional context through digital technologies.

2. Why Kyllini is important in BlueCulTour

For Western Greece, the project highlights the submerged harbour of ancient Kyllene, dated to the 5th-3rd century BC, and later medieval Glarentza, dated to the 13th-15th century AD, located in the north-west Peloponnese. The communication strategy presents the site as one of the harbours that served the sanctuary of Olympia during the Olympic Games.

Within BlueCulTour, Kyllini is not treated only as an archaeological point of interest. It is framed as part of a wider transnational route of underwater cultural destinations in the Ionian Sea. This positioning is especially important for the local area because it links heritage interpretation with sustainable tourism development, destination branding, and stronger visibility for cultural and coastal assets that are still not fully promoted to wider audiences.

The strategy also underlines the expected benefits for tourism-related SMEs, diving and snorkelling services, cultural and creative actors, and institutions involved in heritage interpretation and destination promotion.

3. Full partnership and official websites