Join us for the official launch of Preserving the Past, Securing the Future!
09:30-16:00 on Friday 13 June 2025
The PPSF project takes a sustainable approach to cultural and remembrance heritage, to ensure that historic sites remain meaningful, resilient, and are preserved for generations to come. Our Opening Conference event will bring together a variety of stakeholders from the World War Two heritage and cultural heritage tourism sector, including Destination Management Organisations, sustainability experts, heritage site managers, researchers and more. This event will set the stage for the project by addressing the urgent need for sustainable approaches in remembrance and cultural heritage tourism and outlining the key actions planned over the coming years.
Through a series of expert panel discussions and good practice case study presentations, participants will:
- Explore the current level of sustainability in the sector, including challenges & opportunities of economic, socio-cultural and environmental sustainability
- Compare stakeholder experiences, knowledge and lessons learned from efforts so far
- Examine visitor trends in sustainability
- Gain insights from leading experts and real-world case studies
- Discuss the role of marketing for a sustainable attraction/destination
- Discuss the connection between memory and remembrance tourism with sustainability
- Connect with a network of professionals committed to shaping a more responsible future for WWII remembrance and cultural heritage tourism
Our speakers are professionals committed to shaping a more responsible future for WWII remembrance and cultural heritage tourism. Take a look at the full programme via the button below this page.
Panel Discussion: Shaping Sustainable Destinations: Strategies for Managing and Marketing with Purpose
This panel will explore how destination managers and tourism professionals can adopt more sustainable and ethical approaches to shaping and promoting cultural heritage and WWII remembrance sites. Through insights from leading experts, the discussion will focus on balancing promotion of cultural heritage with its preservation, the role of responsible marketing, and how strategic destination management and global sustainable tourism standards can support economic, socio-cultural, and environmental sustainability goals.
Panel Discussion: Memory, Meaning, and Motivation: Engaging Visitors for a Sustainable Future
How can we better understand and influence the behaviour of visitors to heritage and remembrance sites? This panel addresses the intersection of visitor experience, sustainability, and memory. Experts will examine current trends in visitor expectations, motivations, and behaviours, and discuss how to design meaningful, respectful, and sustainable experiences. The conversation will highlight the role of interpretation, education, and emotional engagement in encouraging more responsible tourism practices, while fostering deeper connections with history and place.
We will also present two Case Studies or WW2 remembrance sites and organisations that are actively working to implement sustainable strategies and measures on site.
Following the conference, participants can also join a free historical walking tour about the Berlin Wall, led by On the Front Tours!
The Preserving the Past, Securing the Future project aims to spread awareness of the challenges and needs of sustainability within the sector but also bring to light some of the positive initiatives going on, whilst calling for more action to be taken and encouraging those working in the sector to get involved. We will also present the training programme of the PPSF project for those wanting to know more and become actively involved in making a difference in the sector.