Press Release
1st Working Meeting of the European project HERIT ADAPT in Ancient Olympia
The Region of Western Greece, as the Lead partner of the European project “HERIT ADAPT – HERItage and territory resilience through sustainable Tourism, climate change ADAPtation and ciTizen engagement,”. In the context of the Interreg Euro–MED Programme and within the framework of the operational mission ‘’Sustainable Tourism’’, held the 1st meeting of the working group with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia, which is one of the project’s ASSOCIATED PARTNER, on May 20, 2024, at 11:30 a.m., in the Lecture Hall of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia.
The meeting began with a greeting by the Deputy governor of Tourism, of the Region of Western Greece, Mr. Panagiotis Sakellaropoulos, who emphasized “the importance of the project for the Region of Western Greece and his satisfaction with the effective collaboration between project’s partners from Greece and abroad.” In the meeting participated the Project manager of Lead partner & Head of Education, Culture, Tourism, and Employment Department of the Region of Western Greece, Dr. Lavrentios Vasileiadis, the Project’s Communication Manager & Officer of the Tourism Strategy Planning Department, Ms. Vicky Karapanou, the Technical Manager of the Project, Mr. Konstantinos Tzamaloukas, the Research and Deputy Director of the Research and Innovation Centre in Information, Communication and Knowledge Technologies, Industrial Systems Institute – ATHENA, Mr. Athanasios Kalogeras, the Project Manager of the European Public Law Organization, Mr. Ioannis Mardikis, and the officers of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia, Ms. Athanasia Ralli, Deputy Director, and Mr. Konstantinos Papadopoulos, Deputy Director of the Department of Archaeological Works & Studies.
During the meeting, the project’s objectives and results were presented, with the aim of promoting collaboration among key stakeholders through the activation of interdisciplinary Territorial Working Groups (TWGs).
The goal is to develop Sustainable Tourism Models that recognize the resilience needs of cultural heritage monuments in the face of climate change. The model will be implemented in 8 selected pilot areas across the Euro-MED Region, including UNESCO sites as well as lesser-known monuments, coastal, and mountainous areas, among which will be the Temple of Epicurean Apollo.
The Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia, as the responsible authority for the preservation, conservation, promotion, and safeguarding of the archaeological site of the Temple of Epicurean Apollo, plays a supportive role in the implementation of the project as an Associated Partner by providing all necessary facilitation and acting with an advisory role in the implementation of the pilot action where technical activities will take place:
• 3D modeling of a section of the monument using photogrammetry techniques.
• Exploring possibilities for enhancing the protection of the monument area from wildfires through the installation of cameras and the use of Machine Learning algorithms for detecting smoke or flames and generating alerts.
The content of the program was presented by Dr. Lavrentios Vasileiadis, the Project Manager, and Ms. Vicky Karapanou, the project Communication Manager, from the Region of Western Greece, while Mr. Athanasios Kalogeras, the Head of “ATHENA,” presented the technical activities that are to be carried out.
