NECSTouR is a network that brings together European regions active in sustainable and competitive tourism.

Several events are organised every year to create a debate and exchange of practices on themes linked to sustainability, while opening reflection on more specific subjects.

During the first meetings, in Marseille and Gréoux-les-Bains, the 30th and 31st October 2008, the founding members established the elements of governance of the network and strategies. On this occasion 5 workgroups were created on the following themes:

• Social and environmental responsibility
• Quality of life of residents
• LDeseasonalisation
• Protection of heritage and identities
• Transport and mobility

The European Institute of Cultural Routes contributed notably in the "Protection of heritage and identities" theme.

The European Commission, in the Communication of the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and to the Committee of Regions - Europe, first tourist destination to the world - a new political framework for European tourism - Brussels, 30/06/2010, COM (2010) 352, underlines the role of NECSTouR in terms of the development of a system of indicators for sustainable management of destinations.

Balance of cooperation and perspectives

In November 2010, a conference was organised in Switzerland, in the region of Västra Götland, Gothenburg, on the theme of liaison between landscape and tourism, in collaboration with the European network RECEP-ENELC, which involves local and regional authorities for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention. At this meeting, the European Institute of Cultural Routes participated in presenting the liaison between the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, landscape and tourism and the possibility of using the routes as places for implementing good practices on this theme.

In 2010 the 8th edition of the Euromeeting had as its main theme tourism and European identity, research and innovation and Euro Mediterranean cooperation in the domain of tourism. The session dedicated to relations between tourism and European identity’s theme was the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The European Institute of Cultural Routes and 8 cultural routes presented their activities and the tight liaison between development of the routes and involvement of the Regions.

On the 7th April 2011, a first meeting of the Taskforce on Cultural Routes, created within NECSTouR, took place in Brussels, at the headquarters of the network, to continue and give structure to this study.

The Taskforce was created with the purpose of understanding the political, economic and strategic involvement of European regions in the governance of the cultural routes, in particular in the implementation and signposting phase, in the creation of specific policies for the management of the routes themselves, up to the creation of a tourist image.

To this end, a primary questionnaire to be distributed around the NECSTouR Regions has already been prepared in collaboration with the European Institute of Cultural Routes, in order to gather together the data necessary to make a primary report on the importance at regional level and the application of NECSTouR principles in the management and tourist policies of the cultural routes.