Representatives of the Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT Serbia Chapter) participated in the work of the symposium “Sultan’s Trail: Close Encounters of East and West”, in which dr Miloš Ničić, member of the Supervisory Board, gave a presentation titled “Peace and Culture: Significant Missions for Tourism”.
The symposium was organized by the Academic Council of the “Sultan’s Trail” cultural route on October 25th 2024 in Ilok, Croatia, as the second academic gathering of this organization, which was presented to the academic and professional public at the inaugural symposium in Haarlem (Netherlands), held in 2022.
The aim of the symposium in Ilok was to examine the possibilities of cooperation between different actors from the cultural, historical, tourist, social and political spheres in the region of Southeastern Europe, based on the earlier considerations of the characteristics and peculiarities of this long cultural route. Fourteen participants from the academic community, cultural associations, research and professional organizations presented their work in the inspiring environment of the Museum of the City of Ilok, located in the Odescalchi Palace, part of the Ilok Castle.
During the Ilok symposium, the representatives of the Institute discussed steps related to further activities for the affirmation of this cultural route, and the possibility of cooperation on various development initiatives, mainly in the field of special interest tourism based on the principles of sustainable development.
“Sultan’s trail” is an important European cultural route inspired by the cultural heritage of Southeast Europe. Stretching between Vienna and Istanbul, this route (2500 km) passes through 8 countries – Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey and highlights the special cultural and natural heritage of South-Eastern Europe that visitors can get to know by crossing all 9 of the route’s segments or only some of its parts, depending on individual interests.
The academic council of the “Sultan’s trail” cultural route organizes conferences on topics related to the cultural and historical heritage of Southeast Europe, always in one of the countries located on the route. In 2025, a symposium in Niš (Serbia) is planned, due to the strategic importance of this city for the entire offer of this cultural route – the existence of an organized tourist hike from Niš to Sofia, but also the connections that this city maintains, through its international airport, with European countries. The Institute for Peace through Tourism will actively participate in the preparation of the symposium in Niš in 2025.