Newspaper Article “Cultural revitalization promotes tourism”

According to the article, in the common challenge that local actors as a whole have to face, for the ways of promoting tourism in the less developed areas, examining how elements of the cultural heritage can be re-integrated in the city with the use of digital technologies, in the areas of Epirus and Puglia responds the project the acronym PALIMPSEST. The kick-off meeting of the project took place at the conference center of the Monastery of Peristera Douroutis. The Dean of the School of Fine Arts, Xenophon Bitsikas, highlithed that the project responds to the common challenge of how tourism can be promoted in less developed areas, regenerate the urban public space and revitalize cultural heritage through participatory processes and artistic interventions. “PALIMPSEST will create an in-situ, local archive of narrative elements, which will result in an interactive, intangible, open-air museum experience in the public space of the city”, noted Mr. Bitsikas. The rector of the university G. Kapsalis referred to the leading role of the institution and especially of the School of Fine Arts in the effort to acquire additional knowledge and to implement actions that will be useful to the local community in the future. The deputy mayor N. Golas stood for the strengthening of the tourist product, as well as for the strengthening of the connection of the city with the university of Ioannina. “This cooperation reflects real benefits for the local community. The connection of the city with the university is necessary in the current conditions, we try to strengthen it in every possible way and we already have results visible to the whole local community “, noted Mr. Golas.