Bordering Russia, Narva is an Estonian city of some 50,000 inhabitants in the extreme northeast of the country. Lying halfway between Tallinn and Saint Petersburg, it historically relied on strong ties with Russia. Yet, since the annexation of Crimea and especially the invasion of Ukraine, Russians have snubbed it, thus dealing a severe blow to the city's economy. Recently stressed by a conference on cultural management, targeting Western visitors and increasing the attractiveness of its region are now the main priorities to revive Narva’s tourist sector.

This special issue of TExTOUR's newsletter is dedicated to the project's methodology and all the associated resources available for free on our website. Feel free to watch our videos, PageFlow, and webinars. To read our articles and scientific papers, and to download our templates and documents. Let's rethink cultural tourism together!

TExTOUR, the European project dedicated to co-designing pioneering and sustainable cultural tourism strategies to improve deprived areas, will host a webinar on the 11th of July to present the final results of its activities.

Direct involvement of the local community is fundamental for an adequate sustainable tourism strategy. The Textour project has developed a methodology for the effective engagement of all stakeholders, essential for implementing a proper tourism promotion plan.

Places that have been part of history now come alive through a tour that allows us to rediscover their significance over time, continuing to give importance to these locations. They become incubators of their history, ready to continue playing a role and writing new chapters, thus avoiding abandonment.

Quasi-abandoned villages come back to life and become success stories, easily accessible from wherever you are. This is the story of the village of Fikardou, one of the 8 pilots of the European project TExTOUR, an EU-funded initiative aimed at promoting sustainable tourism development in remote areas.