The DETOUR project received an award for the development of sustainable cultural tourism at the 15th Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, held in Yerevan, Armenia, from 23 to 25 September 2026.

The recognition was presented as part of the “Inspiring Practices of Cultural Routes” during the closing session of the Forum. This year’s edition, “Routes Through Time and Cultures – Education for Sustainable Heritage”, brought together over 250 representatives of Cultural Routes, national authorities, international organisations, universities and the heritage and tourism sectors.

The award recognises DETOUR’s work to support more sustainable, innovative and resilient tourism along European long-distance routes, with a particular focus on tourism SMEs and local cooperation.

DETOUR was also presented during the Forum by Elena Dubinina, project manager from the European Association of the Via Francigena, through its open-access training programme, available in five languages and covering sustainability, digitalisation, resilience, accessibility and tourism product development.

With education at the centre of this year’s Forum, the DETOUR modules were presented as a practical resource for lifelong learning in the tourism sector. Developed for SMEs and stakeholders along the project’s four routes, they are freely available and can also be used by other Cultural Routes and their local networks.

The Forum was also an opportunity to share DETOUR’s experience with other Cultural Routes and explore ideas for future cooperation across the European network.

[Credits: AEVF]