VALUE Plus connects the heritage of the Adriatic and transforms it into new tourist experiences

Through the cooperation of eight Croatian and Italian partners, the project develops a joint model for managing cultural districts, strengthens the knowledge of local stakeholders and launches concrete pilot activities in Dubrovnik, Cres and Medulin.

Cultural heritage is one of the most valuable development potentials of Adriatic destinations, but its full value is not achieved by preservation alone. It needs to be brought closer to people, interpreted with quality, connected to the local economy and transformed into authentic content that will be interesting to residents and visitors throughout the year.

It is precisely on this idea that the project is based. VALUE Plus, which is carried out within the framework of Interreg Italy - Croatia Program 2021 - 2027 and connects the experiences, knowledge and cultural resources of the two shores of the Adriatic.

The project builds on the results of the previous VALUE project and transfers and improves the cultural districts model in new areas. The aim is to strengthen the integrated cross-border tourism offer, improve heritage management and increase the attractiveness of the destinations involved, especially outside the main tourist season. The focus is not only on sites and infrastructure, but also on the people who preserve, interpret and integrate heritage into the daily life of the community.

VALUE Plus brings together eight partners. The lead partner is the City of Ravenna, and the project includes the Po Delta Veneto Regional Park, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Delta Applied Ecology Institute, and the City of Patù, while on the Croatian side the project partners are Town of Cres, Municipality of Medulin i Dubrovnik development agency DURA.

The project started on 1 February 2024, will run until 31 October 2026, and its total value is 2.749.570 euros. The Croatian and Italian regions differ in history and identity, but share similar challenges: the need for diversification of tourist flows, a stronger offer in the hinterland, better accessibility of cultural content, and a stronger connection of heritage with local development.

Meta-cultural district: collaboration without new bureaucracy

One of the central innovations of the project is the development of the Meta-District strategy and cross-border action plan.

A meta-cultural district is conceived as a network of areas that retain their own identity and management, but jointly plan development, exchange knowledge and shape tourism products. Such a model does not require the establishment of a new administrative structure: it relies on existing institutions and connects the public sector, cultural institutions, universities, associations, tourism operators, entrepreneurs, young people and local residents.

The value of this approach is that it does not view cultural heritage as a series of isolated points on a map. Sites, stories, landscapes and traditions are connected into a broader experience of the Adriatic as a shared cultural space. Partners can tailor solutions to local needs, while at the same time using the shared tools, promotion and experience of the entire network. In this way, individual activities gain greater visibility and destinations gain a stronger foundation for developing a sustainable offer.

Local stakeholder participation is an important part of the governance model

Through participatory workshops and meetings, 252 organizations from Croatia and Italy were involved, including representatives of local and regional governments, tourist boards, development agencies, cultural and educational institutions, associations, craftsmen, agricultural farms and tourist guides. Their knowledge helps ensure that new content meets the real needs of the area and that the project results remain applicable even after funding ends.

This is why the project connects several levels of action that are often developed separately in practice. A common strategy sets the direction, pilot activities test solutions in specific locations, training strengthens the competencies of current and future tourism workers, and digital mapping connects cultural resources into a clear offer. Special attention is paid to the accessibility of cultural districts and the development of content that can respond to the needs of different groups of visitors.

Thus, success is measured not only by the number of new contents, but also by the ability of local systems to manage them in the long term, upgrade them and include them in the broader development plans of the destination.

DURA valorizes Dubrovnik's Renaissance waterworks

A special place in the Croatian part of the project has Dubrovnik development agency DURA, which, in cooperation with the City of Dubrovnik, is working on the valorization of the route of the Dubrovnik Renaissance water system.

The system, built in the 15th century, is one of the most valuable engineering and cultural-historical achievements of the Dubrovnik Republic. Its historical route connects the city with the area outside the old city core and opens up the possibility of content that combines heritage, landscape, movement and the story of water as the foundation of Dubrovnik's life and development.

As part of the pilot activity, the necessary project and technical documentation is being prepared for the future renovation and development of the route as an interpretive walking trail. This creates the prerequisites for making the valuable architectural and cultural-historical elements of the protection system more accessible and presented through modern interpretive content. The planned promenade is not intended as just another tourist route, but as a new link between the urban area and its hinterland, adapted to a healthy, pedestrian and content-rich way of getting to know the destination.

For Dubrovnik, such an activity is also important in a broader development context. Directing some of the interest towards less visited sites can contribute to the dispersion of visitors outside the most congested parts of the historic core, while a quality interpretation of the waterworks enriches the image of the city with a story about knowledge, organization and everyday life of the Republic.

DURA's activities also include stakeholder education and the involvement of the local community in the development of content that can permanently improve Dubrovnik's cultural and tourist offer.

Cres and Medulin: heritage presented to new generations of visitors

Croatian partners demonstrate how different types of heritage can be brought closer to the audience through the use of multimedia, virtual reality and experiential content.

City of Cres has developed a multimedia guide "Renaissance Cres", which takes visitors through eleven important sites of Renaissance heritage. The famous Cres philosopher and humanist Frane Petrić appears as the narrator, and digital interpretation and virtual reality elements give additional context to historical sites and enable independent, interactive exploration of the city.

Municipality of Medulin is developing the "Museum under the Sea", an underwater interpretation trail in Bijeca Bay. With a mask and snorkel, visitors can explore five archaeological sites at shallow depths, including the remains of a Roman road, millstones, an ancient saltworks, salt warehouses and the canal of the former saltworks.

This opens the underwater archaeological heritage to a wider audience without the need for complex diving equipment, and the stay by the sea acquires an educational and cultural dimension. The project also includes further improvement of the interpretation center of the Vižula Archaeological Park.

Dubrovnik, Cres and Medulin start from different themes, but follow the same principle: they transform local uniqueness into an experience that respects the authenticity of the place. Such products can motivate guests to stay longer, encourage exploration beyond the usual points and create additional reasons to come in the pre- and post-season.

The interpreter's knowledge remains in the destination

The development of infrastructure and digital tools is accompanied by investment in people. Croatian partners organized the Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) program, an internationally recognized education of the Interpret Europe association, in Dubrovnik, Medulin and Cres.

The program brought together tourist guides, employees of cultural institutions and tourist boards, representatives of local governments, development agencies, associations and other persons involved in the preservation and presentation of cultural and natural heritage.

Through theoretical and practical work, participants develop skills in site analysis, storytelling, and active audience involvement. The emphasis is not only on conveying facts, but also on creating a connection between the visitor, the place, and its meaning. In Dubrovnik, the five-day training included practical interpretation tasks and a written and oral exam for certification. The knowledge gained through the program remains in the destination and enhances the quality of future tours, programs, and content, regardless of the individual project activity.

The project involves students and future operators in educational and exchange activities, while developing approaches with economic stakeholders aimed at a more accessible offer, including the needs of people with disabilities. This builds sustainable cultural tourism in the long term: through more professional service providers, aware new generations and products that are more open to different user groups.

Digital connectivity and cultural routes across the Adriatic

An important result of VALUE Plus is the further development of a common digital environment for mapping and presenting cultural resources. The Diomede platform brings together the sites, stories and thematic content of the involved areas and enables visitors to plan their trips more easily. For partners, it is a joint promotional and management tool, and for users, a place where they can discover the connections between the cultural heritage of Italy and Croatia.

Project contents are connected through 22 thematic cultural itineraries.

Routes such as "Roman Presence", "Mosaics" and "Medieval Spirituality" do not follow administrative borders, but rather share common historical themes. Thus, the Roman heritage, sacred sites, art and architecture of the two coasts are presented as parts of a broader story that the Adriatic has shaped over centuries through trade, travel and the exchange of ideas.

Digital accessibility does not replace a physical visit, but rather complements it. A high-quality overview of content makes it easier to choose lesser-known locations, connects individual attractions into a comprehensible whole, and gives smaller destinations space for visibility in a common international offer.

Lasting value for sustainable tourism

VALUE Plus connects strategy, education, digital tools and eight pilot activities into a model that activates cultural heritage responsibly and in cooperation with the community. Its main results - an integrated offer of sustainable tourism, pilot actions, a Meta-District strategy with an action plan and training programs should enable the partners to continue their cooperation even after the end of the project.

For Croatian destinations, the concrete value is visible in the preparation of the future Dubrovnik Waterworks promenade, a new way of experiencing Renaissance Cres, the underwater interpretation of archaeology in Medulin, and the knowledge of the people who will convey these stories to the audience.

The common denominator of all activities is the desire to tourist flows are distributed more evenly, strengthen the offer outside the main season i open up development opportunities for local stakeholders.

The VALUE Plus project thus confirms that heritage is not just a legacy to be preserved, but also a living resource that can connect places, generations and economies. When authenticity is combined with quality interpretation, accessibility and international cooperation, the Adriatic is not seen as a border, but as a shared cultural space and a starting point for more sustainable tourism products with lasting value for residents and visitors.

*The VALUE Plus project is co-financed by the European Union through the program Interreg Italy - Croatia 2021 - 2027, confirming the importance of cross-border cooperation in the preservation of common cultural heritage and the development of innovative tourist products that connect the two shores of the Adriatic.