Study visit, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece

The SacredTravels4Growth project continued its programme of international study visits in Piraeus, Greece, from 7–11 September 2026, hosted by the University of Piraeus Research Center and Department of Tourism Studies. The five-day programme brought together academic exchange, stakeholder engagement, field-based learning, and collaborative discussions focused on higher education, religious tourism, cultural heritage, innovation, and sustainable growth. The visit opened with academic sessions examining religious tourism in Greece, pilgrimage routes and religious heritage as drivers of regional development, and the use of tourism analytics and decision-support systems in religious destinations. These sessions were complemented by discussions on policy gaps, governance, and higher education, as well as sessions on developing religious tourism products, pilgrimage experiences, and visitor experience design. The programme also provided opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange among participating project partners.

A key feature of the study visit was the exploration of the relationship between religious heritage, ancient sacred landscapes, destination identity, and tourism experiences through field visits to Aegina and Cape Sounion. On Aegina, participants visited the Cathedral/Monastery of Saint Nektarios, an important pilgrimage destination, the ancient Temple of Aphaia, and the historic Old Town, while exploring local gastronomy and the island’s distinctive pistachio heritage. At Cape Sounion, the Temple of Poseidon and the sacred coastal landscape of Attica provided an opportunity to examine heritage interpretation, destination storytelling, and the relationship between ancient sanctuaries and contemporary cultural tourism. The programme concluded with sessions on destination marketing and branding, digital transformation, smart religious destinations, and AI and digital technologies in pilgrimage tourism, alongside a roundtable on innovative religious tourism and smart pilgrimage experiences. Partner presentations further facilitated the sharing of good practices from participating countries.

The Piraeus study visit made an important contribution to the broader impact of the SacredTravels4Growth project by connecting academic knowledge with practical destination experiences and stakeholder perspectives. It strengthened the capacity of participating institutions to understand, research, teach, and develop religious tourism within contemporary tourism environments, while demonstrating the value of combining heritage conservation, destination management, digital innovation, data-informed decision-making, and sustainable development. The exchange of good practices across participating countries also reinforced the project’s commitment to international knowledge transfer and locally relevant solutions, rather than the simple replication of established tourism models. In this way, the Piraeus visit contributed to the project’s longer-term goal of strengthening higher education capacity and fostering new approaches to religious tourism that can generate meaningful benefits for destinations, communities, heritage stakeholders, and tourism practitioners.