A new UNESCO project 'European World Heritage Routes' should increase tourists' interest in cultural sites - and not only in Slovakia - by the end of 2017, TASR learnt from the Slovak Commission for UNESCO (SC UNESCO) on Thursday. The project, with an estimated budget of €1.5 million, is the result of joint efforts between UNESCO and the European Commission and it envisages, apart from the shared cultural knowledge of countries, bringing economic growth to underdeveloped regions, according to SC UNESCO. Newly-created historical routes will link cultural, natural as well as intangible heritage on the UNESCO list. Visitors will be able to experience new forms of audiovisual devices and mobile apps with tourist information as well as maps indicating sites worth seeing. Moreover, the project aims to draw the attention of potential entrepreneurs and investors to opportunities around UNESCO's monuments. Last but not least, Routes will bring new job opportunities and economic growth to remote regions with high unemployment. According to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, the 'European World Heritage Routes' project represents a source of economic and social development for communities and regions. Bokova is set to travel to Slovakia on May 5-8 to meet constitutional officials and visit some UNESCO sites in central and eastern Slovakia.
