Community-based models for the sustainable valorisation of cultural heritage crafts to enhance economic and tourism performance of remote areas of the Danube Region - COMMHERITOUR

Cultural heritage is a crucial contributor to economic growth, balanced employment, community revival and territorial cohesion in the Danube Region (DR). COMMHERITOUR attends living heritage crafts as a source of socio-economic integration for rural/remote DR areas. Partner regions involved own and care for the tradition of heritage-based crafts with specific ‘flagship crafts’ with tourism potential. As local ecosystems support valorisation with varied efficiency, they all face the challenge of crafts unevenly promoting economy, tourism performance and community cohesion. COMMHERITOUR aims to maximise the contribution of cultural heritage crafts to economic productivity, tourism performance and community cohesion, in a sustainable way. The project enhances awareness of crafts heritage’s inherent growth potentials and improves valorisation capacities of communities by using inclusive models and transnationally applicable solutions strengthening cohesion. COMMHERITOUR’s transnational end-product is the HeriCraft Market, a digital platform of cross-cultural networking, showcasing crafts-related tourism attractions, sharing methods, inventions, and skill development curricula. 3 knowledge providers with relevant know-how in specific thematic areas support crafts heritage valorisation activities of 8 heritage regions (9PPs), while 13 ASPs of varied thematic competences will accompany the realisation of objectives and join the partnership for the cultural heritage-focused, community-based integrated tourism project. The project contributes to the deeper understanding of rural heritage crafts’ potentials in local economic development (esp. tourism) and its role in meeting social and community challenges typical for rural areas. Valorising the cultural heritage of living crafts with a new tourism market concept and treating the issue with a multi-sectoral ecosystem-based approach helps to improve the overall socio-economic situation in remote, rural areas of the DR.

The COMMHERITOUR project contributes to scientific advancement by exploring crafts as a source of sustainable development, social cohesion, and economic empowerment in remote areas. It focuses on community-based approaches that interweave heritage, identity, and local development, building on existing knowledge in anthropology, ethnology, cultural tourism, and social innovation. Theoretically, the project expands the understanding of heritage as a living process that actively co-shapes the future of communities. Methodologically, it introduces participatory and transdisciplinary approaches, such as community mapping, the development of local action plans, and the HeriCraft Market digital platform, which facilitates knowledge transfer and cross-cultural cooperation.

The project encourages citizen participation, the strengthening of local identities, and the development of digital tools for the presentation of heritage, aligning with the strategic goals of the country in the areas of sustainable tourism, digital transformation, and cultural heritage preservation. The project’s results will be useful for policymakers, local communities, craft centres, and stakeholders in the cultural and tourism sectors.