The Paphos regional tourism board (Etap) is among tourism and cultural stakeholders from across Europe taking part in the i-DEMO – ‘Improving destination management offer through game-based strategies’ programme in Selinunte, Sicily, from May 26 to 28.

According to an announcement by Etap, the European project focuses on new approaches to destination management, with emphasis on gamification, digital tools, storytelling, accessibility and the visitor experience.

Rather than looking at tourism promotion in the traditional sense, the programme explores how cultural destinations can become more engaging, easier to access and more meaningful for visitors.

As part of the actions in Sicily, participants are taking part in experiential visits, co-design workshops and the testing of specialised tools.

They are also working together on new tourism proposals for cultural destinations, drawing on the experience and know-how of partners from across Europe.

For Paphos, the participation is linked to Etap’s wider strategy to strengthen innovation and smart tourism in the district, while also giving more weight to experience-led forms of travel.

The project aims to improve destination management through interactive and game-based methods, helping destinations develop tourism experiences that are more attractive, accessible and sustainable.