Archaeological Tourism: UNESCO Site Hosts Mediterranean Exchange

The 23rd edition of the Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism will be held inside the ancient city of Paestum (Salerno, Italy), a UNESCO site since 1998. Once again, the Exhibition Center Savoy Hotel, the Archaeological Park, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Basilica Paleocristiana will be the locations for the Exchange from April 8-11, 2021.

The Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism confirms itself as a unique international event that will take place in the home of the only exhibition hall in the world dedicated to archaeological heritage and to ArchaeoVirtual. It is the first international event dedicated to multimedia, interactive, and virtual technologies. Here is a place for the study and debate on cultural heritage and tourism issues; a meeting place for professional business, touristic, and cultural operators, and travelers; and a business opportunity with a workshop between foreign buyers, national buyers, and cultural and archaeological tourism offers.

There are several special sections of the Exchange:

• ArchaeoExperience, laboratories, and Historical Reenactments of Experimental Archaeology to reproduce the techniques used in the past to create daily use artifacts
• ArchaeoIncoming exhibition space and a workshop where tour operators that promote Italian tourist-archaeological destinations are protagonists
• ArchaeoMeetings for press conferences and presentations of cultural and territorial development projects
• ArchaeoWorking, after-graduation and after-degree orientation with introduction of the educational offer by the universities participating in the Exhibition Hall
• ArchaeoStartUp, where new cultural enterprises and innovative projects in archaeological activities are introduced
• Meetings with the Protagonists where the audience meets famous TV hosts
• The “Antonella Fiammenghi” Award for the best thesis on archaeological tourism
• The “Paestum Mario Napoli” Award assigned to those who contribute to the valorization of archaeological heritage
• The program of Guided Tours and educationals for journalists and visitors

Since 2015, the International Archaeological Discovery Award “Khaled al-Asaad” has been added for the most valuable discovery of the year, named after the archaeologist of Palmyra who paid with his life for the protection of cultural heritage. Since 2020, the “Sebastiano Tusa” Award goes to the archaeological discovery of the year or as a career recognition, to the best exhibition in an international scientific context, to the most innovative project by institutions, to archaeological parks and museums, and to the best educational journalistic contributions.