The International Congress Heritage Tourism Management in Inland Destinations, Cigestur Cairo, was held on 26 and 28 April in Cairo, Egypt, co-organised by the’Sinai Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, in Egypt, and the’University of Cordoba, in Spain.
The European Federation of Napoleonic Cities – Destination Napoleon, represented by its director, Eleonora Berti, was invited to present its activities and strategies in the field of transnational cultural and tourism cooperation.
The inauguration was attended by senior officials, including the Egyptian Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ghada Shalaby, the Spanish Ambassador to Egypt, Álvaro Iranzo Gutiérrez, the President of the Sinai Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Mostafa Al Zaghl, and the Director of IICAS, Dmitriy Voyakin.
The event featured an exceptional cultural and heritage programme, showcasing Egypt's rich heritage and best practices from the Mediterranean region and beyond. More than 80 research papers were presented, in the presence of representatives from cultural and tourism institutions and organisations and universities from five continents and 13 countries, including representatives from Egyptian universities.
Eleonora Berti gave a speech entitled “Governance of cultural heritage in network. The case of the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities - Destination Napoleon Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” and presented a paper entitled “Promoting common heritage sites in the frame of the Council of Europe cultural routes programme - The case of Destination Napoleon”. Possible synergies between the FECN - Destination Napoleon and the Egyptian authorities and organisations were also discussed.
Two photographic exhibitions were held, one showcasing Cordoba's heritage and the other traditional Egyptian cuisine. Professor Ricardo Hernández led a round table discussion on the management of traditional cuisine in Cordoba and its relevance to Egypt. Professor Ibrahim Elassal, Dr Ona Vileikis and representatives from the University of Cordoba led the conference.
