Cultural tourism is an important aspect of sustainable development. The OLKAS (www.olkas.net) and LIMEN (www.limenproject.net) projects, co-financed by the EU Joint Operational Program “Black Sea 2007-2013” and from national sources, have contributed significantly in the past five years to continuous dialogue on this issue involving dozens of organizations from almost all countries of the Aegean and the Black Sea.

The Branch of the HFC in Odessa was a partner in the OLKAS Project, and the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Odessa City Council is now a partner in the LIMEN Project.

The Director of the Branch, Mr. Sofronis Paradeisopoulos will participate in the International Symposium of the LIMEN Project and at the 7th session “Cultural and Tourism Projects on the Black Sea» he will make a presentation entitled «OLKAS», an international contribution to the development of cultural tourism in the Black Sea region”.
The LIMEN Project aimed at familiarization with the cultural role of the port cities of the Black Sea proposes to establish a new institution, “Cultural Port of the Black Sea”, which will contribute to harmonious relations and friendly cooperation in the Black Sea region and, of course, provide new opportunities for the regional development.
The LIMEN Project is concluded with a series of activities, of which the major event is the International Symposium “The port cities of the Aegean and the Black Sea. Medieval – Modern networks”.
The symposium will be defining and focusing on the broad concept of cultural heritage, with a particular emphasis on the archaeological findings and the development cultural tourism in the region. The objective of the symposium is to determine the basis for sustainable tourism and best practices in different regions to make an assessment of the economic benefits that cultural tourism can offer to regional communities.
The organizers are willing to bring together experts in cultural heritage, cultural tourism, cultural routes, environmental and historical heritage of the region.

The symposium will be held on a cruise ship from August 22 to 29, 2015. The voyage will go from the port of Piraeus to Volos and the Island of Chios in Greece and then pass across the Aegean and the Black Sea to visit Constanta in Romania, Nessebar in Bulgaria and finally arrive at the final destination, Istanbul.
The symposium will be closed in Istanbul with the opening of the photographic exhibition “Three Seas and Seven Ports: Cultural routes from the Aegean to the Black Sea”.

We invite you to join this unique voyage, organized for partners and friends of the “LIMEN Project. This possibility is still there.