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UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France
© EQRoy / Shutterstock

About the Project

The objective of the project is to inspire people to experience Europe's unique cultural heritage through thematic trans-European itineraries.

Enhancing what European tourism has to offer

The World Heritage Journeys of the European Union project is made possible by a Preparatory Action grant to UNESCO from the European Commission, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SME (DG GROW).


By including iconic as well as lesser-known World Heritage sites, the project aims to encourage people to travel more regionally, and enjoy the 'hidden gems' that these destinations have to offer, all year round. In turn, it aims to alleviate the pressure on the World Heritage sites that are currently experiencing high volumes of visitors at peak seasons and locations.

This UNESCO project is being implemented in cooperation with DG GROW. It has been developed in line with the European Commission's tourism objectives to maintain Europe's position as a leading tourist destination through improved tourism services, promoting links between EU countries, and local tourism networks.


This website was launched in 2018 in celebration of EU-China Tourism Year and the European Year of Cultural Heritage.


Sustainable Tourism at World Heritage Sites

This project is being led by the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme, which works to protect heritage through sustainable tourism and economic development.
UNESCO World heritage Centre logo

The Sustainable Tourism Programme works on a range of areas impacting tourism and World Heritage, from visitor management, to policy and strategy development, to climate change, guides training and public awareness, amongst others.

The Programme supports UNESCO's overall mandate to strengthen ties between nations, so that we may live in a cultural environment rich in diversity and dialogue, where heritage serves as a bridge between generations and peoples.

UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme is pleased to be working with a number of partners in the implementation of this project.