Abstract
This paper presents a roadmap to enable the adoption of the BLUEMED model; an integrated plan developed within the BLUEMED project that promotes underwater cultural heritage (UCH) to both divers and non-divers and aims at sustainable tourism development in coastal areas and islands. Through augmented and virtual reality technologies, one can experience wet and dry diving to accessible underwater cultural heritage site(s) (AUCHS), through a physical dive at the sites or a virtual tour at Knowledge Awareness Centers (KACs). The roadmap provides guidelines, so that relevant stakeholders and competent authorities can implement the BLUEMED model and consider the various environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors of the area (locality), to ensure viability in the long-term. The roadmap focuses on the policy and technical parameters, including the cultural and environmental features of the site, the legislative framework, funding issues, the integration of technologies, the prospects for sustainable tourism development in the area, the stakeholder engagement, and the cooperation framework within a top-down or a bottom-up initiative, as well as the establishment and operation of the KACs.
Highlights
To encourage and assist the relevant stakeholders to join the dynamic ations for the protection of thenetwork, marinea environment or culture; thethe management bodies of on roadmap was developed within project that provides a guide how to adopt thediving model, and this is presented in detail in Section marine protected areas, accessible underwater cultural heritage site(s) (AUCHS), parks, land museums, diving centers, tour operators, travel agencies etc
The BLUEMED project proposed a model for the operation of AUCHS in Greece, as until recently there was no possibility of diving at underwater archaeological sites within Greek waters
This paper has presented a roadmap that was developed within the BLUEMED project for the adoption of the BLUEMED model, an innovative approach for the sustainable management and protection of accessible underwater cultural and natural heritage sites, through their responsible promotion and raising public awareness
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The accommodation, food services, and other activities that visitors engage in during their stay in the area offer significant indirect income for local businesses These profits enhance sustainable tourism development, given that cultural tourists and divers are considered high spenders [11,12]. This paper discusses how the operation of accessible underwater cultural heritage sites (AUCHS) contributes to the protection of UCH and enhances sustainable tourism development in the area around the site. In this context, the BLUEMED model is introduced, which aims at raising awareness about underwater cultural and natural heritage in both divers and non-divers, and at enhancing sustainable local tourism development on islands and coastal areas in the Mediterranean. The second site is deeper at about 20 m, where one can see among the colorful marine flora intact amphoras and scattered fragments of a great stone stock of a wooden anchor of the Archaic period (7th–6th century BC)
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