The compendium was prepared under MetaHeritage, an EU-funded Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) capacity-building project, and coordinated by the European Clusters Alliance. The practices were collected through the partnership’s networks and an open call held between April and June 2026. They were selected for their relevance, demonstrated results, stakeholder involvement, transferability and contribution to sustainable regional development. The practices are grouped into six chapters: digital heritage solutions, innovation and preservation, cultural routes and tourism development, heritage-based business models, institutional recognition and knowledge, and cross-border cooperation. Each one follows the same template, covering partners, funding, target groups, background, actions, results and transferability.

The examples involve public authorities, universities, clusters, SMEs, foundations, tourism organisations and civil society. They include the Camino de Santiago and Via Francigena cultural routes, the Rota do Românico inter-municipal route in northern Portugal, the Solares de Portugal network of historic houses offering rural accommodation, Emilia-Romagna’s Motor Valley, and extended reality applications tested at Latvia’s Araiši open-air museum. For destinations and heritage organisations, especially in less developed and rural regions, the collection offers tested approaches to creating visitor experiences, diversifying income and building partnerships across borders. The authors describe it as a living document that will be expanded as new initiatives emerge.

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