Thematic Roads and Cultural Tourism

The intercultural Roads of Dialogue projects, and in particular the "Silk Road" Project, were launched in the framework of the World Decade for Cultural Development (1988-1997). All of these projects highlight interactions illustrating actual dialogue in multi-ethnic societies. 

By analyzing the global transformations generated by encounters between peoples and continents, the "roads" provide not only a history and a geography of intercultural dialogue through the centuries, but they also enrich the debate on the future of intercultural dialogue in modern societies. The activities related to cultural tourism provide concrete opportunities to encourage genuine dialogue between visitors and hosts, to promote new types of cooperation, to become more familiar with the heritages of different territories, and to contribute to economic and human development.

Some examples of Roads of Dialogue:

• The Silk Roads
• The Slave Route
• The Iron Roads in Africa
• The Routes of al-Andalus