UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites |

UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites

Our Mission

Established in September 2013, USI UNESCO Chair is committed to perform research and teaching on how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and digital media in general, can be effectively used to develop and promote sustainable tourism at World Heritage Sites (WHSs).

More information here.

Winter School 2026

The 2026 edition of USI UNESCO Chair Winter School, titled “Taste the past. Digital media for Byzantine heritage and authentic experiences in Northern Greece”, will take place from 7 to 14 February 2026 in Thessaloniki and Kastoria (Greece).

More information here.

Master in International Tourism

Università della Svizzera italiana offers a Master in International Tourism (MIT), run by the Faculty of Economics in collaboration with the Faculty of Communication Sciences. The USI UNESCO Chair is deeply involved in this Master, through teaching, research, internships and theses opportunities.

Open Access Chapters

We are happy to announce the publication of the Handbook on Heritage, Sustainable Tourism and Digital Media, edited by Silvia De Ascaniis and Lorenzo Cantoni, published by Edward Elgar: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788970082.

More information here.

Maestros: Healers of Peru

An online exhibition curated by the UNESCO Chair (USI) showcasing the ancestral healing practices of Peruvian maestros. Through Heinz Plenge’s evocative photography, the journey reveals rituals, sacred landscapes, and spiritual connections with nature.

Explore the exhibition here!

Prof. Cantoni @ European IFITT Masterclass on eTourism (02. – 06.09.2019)

Sep 5, 2019 | Events, Home

Chairholder, Prof. Cantoni was a speaker at this year's International Federation for Information Technologies and Tourism (IFITT) Masterclass on eTourism at MODUL University in Vienna (Austria), talking about sustainable tourism and tourism for SDGs. "Tourism and...

Prof. Cantoni @ Fête de Vignerons (18.07 – 11.08.2019)

Jul 31, 2019 | Events, Home

In July, Prof. Cantoni visited the Fête des Vignerons in Vevey (CH) to present Ticino’s nomination to the list of Swiss intangible heritage at an official press conference. “Mendrisio’s Holy Week Processions have been put forward for Intangible Cultural Heritage of...

Dr. Ruoss @ International Conference Between Overtourism and Undertourism: Implications and Crisis Management Strategies (Lecce, June 26 – 29)

Jun 30, 2019 | Events, Home

Associate expert, Dr. Engelbert Ruoss was a speaker at the International Conference Between Overtourism and Undertourism: Implications and Crisis Management Strategies (June 26 - 29) in Lecce (Italy) While a growing number of tourist destinations are...

UNESCO Chair @ 70th anniversary of the Swiss UNESCO Comission

Jun 27, 2019 | Events, Home

Chair coordinator, Silvia de Ascaniis and research assistant, Lea Hasenzahl, joined Day 2 of the conference in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Swiss UNESCO Comission! The Chair presented itself and highlighted its upcoming projects, the UNESCO Summer School and...

UNESCO Chair @ Fête des Vignerons

May 27, 2019 | Events, Home

On Sunday, July 28th 2019, chair holder Prof. Lorenzo Cantoni, held a conference at 5:30 p.m. in the "Maison Ticino". The event was organized by "Sapori Ticino" and represented "an opportunity to explore the concept of intangible cultural heritage, retrace the history...

Official launch of “DESy”

May 9, 2019 | DESy, Home, News

<<DESy>> (short for: Digital Destination Evolution System) is a project between the border areas of Switzerland and Italy and was created to collect and analyze tourist information using AI. This will benefit the tourism experience of the visitor to both...

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