Within the framework of the UNESCO project - “Cultural Heritage - a Bridge towards a Shared Future”, the Mioritics Association is in charge with implementing the projects activities  for Romania, with the objec tive of enhancing the conser vation, promotion and valorisation of for tified churches in the Transylvanian region.

Mioritics Association has started to implement projects in 2002, but it was legally registered in June 2004. The main aim of Mioritics Association is the development and the promotion of active cultural tourism, as a means of regional development. The association has carried out a series of projects targeted at highlighting or restating the value of lesser-known tourist attractions.

Mioritics has previously developed projects concerning heritage-rich areas as tourist attractions, combining both cultural and tourism abilities with a solid experience in choosing and using the most suitable new technology developments for maximizing the impact of its actions. He has expertise in the development of the World Heritage Sites in the Romanian region of Transylvania and Bucovina.

Projects implemented by Mioritics Association:

a) Fortified churches of Transylvania (2004-2007)
The project aimed to restate and regain the outstanding cultural and tourist value of Transylvania's fortified churches.

The first step was a photo journey in Sibiu County. The photo caravan (7 photographers) visited 67 medieval villages (7 of them being on UNESCO World's Heritage List). Following the photo journey, 31 photo exhibitions were organized (in London, Venice, Nurnberg, Dijon, Wismar, Straslund, Bucharest etc) in order to promote the area of the fortified churches, and thus enticing the exhibition visitors to come and visit Transylvania.

The next step of the project will be divided in 3 phases containing the following activities:
- workshops aimed at raising the  private and public stakeholders' awareness of the impor tance of preser ving local cultural heritage as well as its  potential  to ac t as an instrument of human and economic development;
- training courses targeted at the young generation from villages, providing them with basic sk ills and k nowledge for ac ting as tourist guides;
- collecting and centralizing information on local cultural heritage and events, as well as on existing tourist ser vices/facilities;
- designing promotional materials to be made available free of charge for visitors/tourists;
- launching 2 tourist info centres;
- organising cultural events during the year 2007.

Partners: UNESCO Venice / Cooperazioni Italiana, Deutsch Stiftung Welterbe, European Institute for Cultural Routes

b) Romanian cultural travel events agenda (2003-present)
The project was aimed at developing on active cultural tourism in Romania by filling in the gap between the wide varieties of cultural and tourism events and their promotion to the public, providing the link between the event organizers and potential visitors.

The portal was launched in 2002 and in the same year, it was awarded the prize for the Best website - civil society in the Internetics Festival.

Partners: USAID/CHF and National Authority of Tourism

http://dordeduca.ro/

c) HERITAGE ALIVE! (2006 - 2008)
This project, founded by EU CADSES Programme, will establish a trans-regional partnership to better utilize the regions’ World Heritage (WH) to stimulate economic prosperity, strengthen social cohesion and promote regional identity through the use of new media and technologies.

Partners: Salzburg Institute Research (Austria), Province of Salzburg (Austria), Administrative District of Gorlice (Poland), Municipality of Urbino (Italy), Municipality of Hollókõ (Hungary), the Region of Ionian Islands (Greece), South-central Planning Region (Bulgaria)

http://www.heritagealive.eu/