Historic centres are highly regarded destinations for watching and even participating in diverse and unique forms of cultural expression. Cultural tourism, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is an important and consolidated tourism sector and its strong growth is expected to continue over the coming years. Tourism, the much dreamt of redeemer for historic centres, also represents one of the main threats to heritage conservation: visitors can dynamize an economy, yet the rapid growth of tourism often has negative effects on both built heritage and the lives of local inhabitants. Knowledge of occupancy levels and flows of visiting tourists is key to the efficient management of tourism; the new technologies—the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and geographic information systems (GIS)—when combined in interconnected networks represent a qualitative leap forward, compared to traditional methods of estimating locations and flows. A methodology is described in this paper for the management of tourism flows that is designed to promote sustainable tourism in historic centres through intelligent support mechanisms. As part of the Smart Heritage City (SHCITY) project, a collection system for visitors is developed. Following data collection via monitoring equipment, the analysis of a set of quantitative indicators yields information that can then be used to analyse visitor flows; enabling city managers to make management decisions when the tourism-carrying capacity is exceeded and gives way to overtourism.

This paper presents the result of the analysis of the data gathered from 20 Role Models (RM) case studies regarding their successful heritage-led rural regeneration models. For the study and comparison of the narratives of these Role Models two tools were used: the Community Capitals Framework, which studied the transference of capitals in each process and the identification of six Systemic Innovation Areas that allow this capital transference. A multilevel repository of best practices has been developed allowing the identification of common features, mechanisms for mobilisation of capitals and required resources that will facilitate the replication in other rural areas. The results of this work support the acknowledgement of the contribution of culture, together with cultural and natural heritage, to economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability in rural areas reinforcing the role of culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development.

Effective decision-making in tourism destinations relies significantly on employing suitable indicators for policy design and impact evaluation. However, the adoption of sustainability-focused indicators remains constrained in the field of cultural tourism. The purpose of this research is to provide decision-makers with an extensive array of criteria and indicators, enabling informed decision-making, policy formulation, and impact assessment tailored to the distinctive attributes encountered in European destinations. Based on the synthesis of existing approaches, and in co-creation with 21 European tourism destinations, an indicator-based framework is proposed, structured around the environmental, economic, social, cultural, resilience, and characterization domains. The results are particularly novel in the resilience and cultural domains, related to the recovery from crisis impacts, but also to the enhancement of digital approaches, as well as the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage towards a more hospitable destination. Moreover, the involvement of stakeholders incorporating real-case scenarios allows this research to bridge the gap between theoretical constructs and practical application. The indicator-based framework resulting from this research will provide stakeholders with assistance in assessing and comparing the impacts of cultural tourism on their destinations and, thence, help them acquire knowledge on cultural resource management, contributing to a more sustainable, responsible, and balanced impact.

Cultural tourism (CT) has emerged as a critical driver of destination competitiveness; however, stakeholders struggle to balance heritage preservation, sustainable growth, and visitor management. Current decision making often lacks the practical information required to assess the multi-dimensional impacts of CT and to align strategies with sustainability goals. This paper presents a user-centred digital decision support system (DSS) developed under the European project IMPACTOUR. The methodological contribution is a procedure that uncovers links among strategies, actions, and performance indicators, conditioned on destination characteristics, by leveraging hierarchical multi-criteria analysis to weight sustainability domains. Co-designed with stakeholders, it integrates social and technological components and uses triangulated data to prioritise strategies and evaluate impacts. The visual interface offers a smart dashboard that supports strategic decision making and displays related key performance indicators, enabling stakeholders to monitor outcomes against predefined sustainability objectives. Pilot implementations in several European regions demonstrate the tool’s efficacy in fostering data-driven planning to achieve a balanced approach between tourism and liveability. While the system is scalable, its current limits include regional specificity and data availability. Future work will incorporate AI-driven predictive analytics and adapt the DSS for application in non-European contexts, providing a replicable framework for advancing sustainable tourism policies in culturally rich destinations.

The paper discusses the intersection of Cultural Tourism and topics that emerged during the IMPACTOUR project's lifespan. It showcases innovative approaches to managing Cultural Tourism and emphasizes essential trends related to tools and data. The paper also introduces the IMPACTOUR methodology and tool, which enhances the crucial role of Cultural Tourism stakeholders and offers a forward-looking perspective.

A Neighbourhood Regeneration Office (NRO) is one of the core approaches developed in REGEN project (REGENeration of neighbourhoods towards a low-carbon, inclusive and affordable built environment) co-financed by the Horizon Europe programme (Built4People Partnership). It is being deployed in four demonstration sites: Beckerich (Luxembourg), Dublin (Ireland), Milan (Italy) and Laredo (Spain). The NROs are meant to be the cornerstone of REGEN’s enactment of lasting behavioural change, but what exactly are they? The main objective of this brief report is to summarize an attempt to conceptualise NRO as an innovative type of physical urban space dedicated to urban regeneration. The has involved extensive research of both literature and practices of related models of One-Stop Shops and ‘third places’. It was followed by collaborative discussions between technical and scientific partners. The resulting insights were subsequently reviewed and refined in consultation with the four demo sites. These sessions allowed to propose the key activities of the NROs, ultimately leading to a practical and tailored operational framework for their implementation within and beyond the REGEN project. Our preliminary results suggest that Neighbourhood Regeneration Offices combine two key functions: 1) support to boost rehabilitation and 2) community-building. By merging these two concepts, NROs aim to provide both practical tools and social interaction opportunities, creating a unique model for urban regeneration. They serve as a bridge between technical support and community engagement, making neighbourhood transformation a shared, accessible, and sustainable in the long-term. The proposed definition of an NRO proposed in this brief report is complemented by the description of NRO’s value proposition and key activities. Presentation of NRO’s clear alignment with the New European Bauhaus principles further contributes to proposing NRO as an attractive and replicable model for urban regeneration in Europe.