Green Growth and Pilgrimage INTERREG project 2017-2021

From 2017 to 2021, the “Green Growth and Pilgrimage” INTERREG project aims to bring together partners from 5 countries: Italy, Norway, Romania, Sweden and United Kingdom. Partners started to exchange the European best practice in how pilgrimage can help conserve and enhance natural and cultural heritage whilst developing jobs and growth along pilgrim routes.

The continued fragility of Europe’s economy means that growth and development policies often take precedence over environmental policies, threatening our cultural and natural heritage assets. The Green Pilgrimage project will show how growth and development policies can economically develop and protect natural and cultural heritage. Key to this is our focus on the power of pilgrimage- recognized today as one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry (UNWTO, 2015). The project will principally benefit local communities and businesses on Europe’s main pilgrim routes, management groups safeguarding our natural and cultural assets.

The project’s advisory partner, The European Green Pilgrimage Network, will ensure that the indirect beneficiaries of the project are the major pilgrimage routes and destinations of Europe. The support of the European Institute of Cultural Routes will ensure that the project’s findings will also benefit the existing 33 certified Cultural Routes of Europe.

Project web page: https://www.interregeurope.eu/greenpilgrimage/