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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!

Sustainable Universiy Day

May 2, 2022 |

Last Friday 29 of April we took part to the Sustainable Universiy Day organized by USI & SUPSI at Mendrisio in USI & SUPSI campus, the event was supported by the Swiss Academies of Sciences through the U Change initiative. Program of the event here. More...

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Travel, Sustainability & Technology

Apr 12, 2022 | ,

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism as a lifestyle sector faced one of its worst crises up to date. As many countries are relaxing restrictions and international travel seems to be able to return, it is time to critically think about the future of...

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PhD Defence: Rafael Oliveira

Apr 12, 2022 |

Congratulations to, Rafael Oliveira, who finished his PhD journey in March 2022! Rafael worked on the development of a model of cultural sustainability indicators for the management of tangible and intangible heritage, mainly in tourist places enlisted as World...

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Erasmus+ #ICT4STD Summer School in Berlin

Mar 15, 2022 | , ,

The (Spring) Summer School took place in Berlin from March 4th until March 12th, 2022. The purpose of the Summer School was to bring together multinational teams of students from the four partner universities of the Erasmus+ #ICT4STD project in order to study and...

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