Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A IPA Italy Albania Montenegro (South Adriatic)

Date of latest update: 2026-08-03

Description

Description (EN):

WRECKS4ALL 2.0 builds on the opportunity of capitalizing on relevant experiences, outputs, and results of the project “Protecting underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorisation as a novel touristic offer - WRECKS4ALL”. Through the synergy of the Interreg programme, the project will foster innovative cultural and tourism improvement as a strong point towards the local development directed to the economic upgrading of the coastal areas. The project takes advantage of the main outputs of the WRECKS4ALL such are the action plan for destination improvements, and novel approach to public access to underwater cultural heritage through VR showrooms. The main objective is to transfer these and other outputs of the completed project to the new Adriatic territories inspiring the creation of innovative cross boarder tourism offer. The accumulated tacit knowledge and the know-how will be transferred through a process that supports knowledge systematization, and decision-making and facilitates territorial uptake. The main output will be the uptake of the “WRECKS4ALL Action Plan” for the improvement of the dive destinations and digital access to underwater cultural heritage. A number of stakeholders will be trained to explore the benefits and potentials of the scuba diving tourism industry and utilise VR/AR technology for public access. Successful capitalization will enhance the capacity of the stakeholders in the tourism and culture value chain to create an innovative tourism offer in their territory, and promote it as assets of regional economic sustainability. The underwater cultural heritage is telling the story of historical connections of Adriatic regions, therefore project is targeting 3 territories in Italy and Albania aiming to transfer best practices from North to South Adriatic by developing unique integrative tourism offer.

Actual Achievements (EN):

The South Adriatic’s hidden maritime history faces a dual challenge, the rapid degradation of fragile underwater cultural heritage (UCH) and its economic untapped potential in the framework of the sustainable "blue tourism." WRECKS4ALL 2.0 addressed this by proposing transformation of the inaccessible shipwrecks into digital tourism assets, solving the conflict between conservation and accessibility. By suggesting advanced 3D photogrammetry as advanced recording methodlogy and establishment of the Virtual Reality (VR) showrooms for public access, the project promotes creation of "dry-dive" experiences that allow non-divers to explore these submerged sites without physical impact. Cooperation was the backbone of this success. The consortium connecting Montenegro, Albania, and Italy harmonized disparate national regulations into a unified Regional WRECKS4ALL Action Plan. This cross-border strategy, supported by the formal signing of Memoranda of Understanding with national stakeholders, created a regional "WRECKS4ALL" managment model. This institutional uptake ensures the project’s durability, as regional authorities are now using the action plan as the strategic reference for future project development, investments and policy coordination. The project reached a diverse spectrum of over 200 stakeholders, including tourism and culture ministries and institutions, national museums, diving centers, and ICT SMEs. For these target groups, the change is transformative, tourism operators have gained knowladge about new, high-value, tech-driven products, while cultural institutions have adopted a sustainable management framework and digitisation methods. The project effectively matched EUSAIR Pillar 4 (Sustainable Tourism), contributing at a high level by fostering cross-border capacity in scuba diving and digital heritage. While challenges remain in maintaining complex digital infrastructure, the opportunities for transferability are vast. The project’s toolkit of feasible practices is fully prepared for reuse by other Mediterranean regions. By bridging the gap between historical preservation and digital innovation, WRECKS4ALL 2.0 has successfully turned "at-risk" heritage into a sustainable economic resource, ensuring that the Adriatic’s maritime past remains a vibrant, accessible, and protected legacy for future generations.

Project outputs: Regional WRECKS4ALL action plan(EN)
Created joint approach in development and promotion UCH tourism including representatives of tourism and cultural sector trained in digitalisation of underwater cultural heritage(EN) Website: https://www.ucg.ac.me/pfkotor/wrecks2

Thematic information

Cultural heritage and arts

Priority: (VI-A_SA(I-A-M)_PA 4) A more social South Adriatic programme area

Priority specific objective: RSO4.6. Enhancing the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO4 A more social and inclusive Europe implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights

Type of intervention: 166 Protection, development and promotion of cultural heritage and cultural services

Partners (4)

Lead Partner: Univerzitet Crne Gore

Partner’s ID if not PIC: ME303103951 | n/a | darkok@ucg.ac.me (EN)

Department: Faculty of Maritime Studies - Kotor/ Centre for research, innovation and entrepreneurship / Laboratory of Maritime Archaeology

Address: Cetinjska, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro

Department address: Put Prve Bokeljske Brigade, 85330 Kotor, Montenegro

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.ucg.ac.me/

Total budget: EUR 65 897.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 56 012.45

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 85.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 9 884.55

EURelations - Gruppo Europeo di Interesse Economico

Name: EURelations - Gruppo Europeo di Interesse Economico

Partner’s ID if not PIC: IT01479610709 | n/a | eurelations@pec.eurelations.eu; info@eurelations.eu; mauro.calise@eurelations.eu (EN)

Address: Via Crispi, 86100 Campobasso, Italy

Department address: Via Favorita, 86100 Campobasso, Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: International organisation, EEIG

Website: https://www.eurelations.eu/

Total budget: EUR 42 907.32

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 34 325.85

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 8 581.47

Università del Salento

Name: Università del Salento

Department: University of Salento – Department of Cultural Heritage

Partner’s ID if not PIC: IT 06628860964 | n/a | dip.beni.culturali@cert‐unile.it (EN)

Address: P.za Tancredi, 73100 Lecce, Italy

Department address: P.za Tancredi, 73100 Lecce, Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://international.unisalento.it/

Total budget: EUR 38 319.36

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 30 655.48

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 7 663.88

BASHKIA VLORE

Name: BASHKIA VLORE

Partner’s ID if not PIC: K56703210 | n/a | info@vlora.gov.al (EN)

Address: Square "4 Heronjte", 9400 Vlore, Albania

Department address: Square "4 Heronjte", 9400 Vlore, Albania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: http://www.vlore.gov.al

Total budget: EUR 39 973.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 33 977.05

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 85.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 5 995.95

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

EURelations - European Economic Interest Grouping

Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer

Partners and Projects info

University of Salento

Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer

Partners and Projects info

MUNICIPALITY OF VLORE

Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer

Partners and Projects info

University of Montenegro

Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer

Project acronym: Wrecks4All 2.0

Project ID: SA-0100146

Project start date: 2024-02-01

Project end date: 2025-07-31

Project status: closed

Relevant linked projects:

WRECKS4ALL (EN) | WRECKS4ALL 2.0 will systematize knowledge and experiences accumulated from WRECKS4ALL implementation. These will be communicated through the uptake of the “WRECKS4ALL Action Plan for the improvement of the dive destinations management enriched with digital access to underwater cultural heritage”. Using meetings/interviews with stakeholders, partners will assess the needs and the maturity level of the territories, and perform a SWOT analysis of their tourist destinations. Then, we’ll analyse processes to be undertaken for enhancing the capacity of the South Adriatic territories to implement the WRECKS4ALL concept of innovative cross-border tourism offers. Central to our approach are targeted actions for the activation of synergies and stimulation of cooperation among all regional stakeholders to share the transferred solutions, promoting new coastal tourist destinations as assets of regional sustainability. By underlying benefits at local, regional and national levels the project activities will encourage national and regional stakeholders to mediate at higher policy formulation and decision-making levels. (EN), BlueMED (EN) | Underwater sites present a particular challenge, as they are not readily visible and accessible and so tend to be outside the main tourist routes, and the impact of leisure activities is only now being investigated. The proposed area covered by the WRECK4ALL 2.0 project presents also the possibility to integrate completed heritage projects (e.g., BLUEMED, MED 2014-2020, Report of BLUEMED process scheme developed for replicability purposes) on the theme of coastal heritage supplies, which have shown the importance of networking among cultural institutions. (EN), UnderwaterMuse (EN) | The project aims at applying on sample areas (maritime landscapes of Torre Santa Sabina, Grado, Resnik/Siculi, Caorle) a methodological and technological protocol based on research/ knowledge and development/communication of an underwater archaeological site that is complex and multi-stratified, characterized by strong diversity. The project’s objective is therefore to transform the site into an underwater archaeological park (or eco-museum) through innovative and/or experimental methodologies and techniques to try to reduce the loss of important cultural heritages as well as to guarantee an economic spin-off deriving directly from the creation of a sector linked to the tourist-cultural promotion of the context of reference.
(EN)

Relevant mentions and prizes:

UNESCO REPORT 389771 UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE 15 STAB Secretariat’s Report UCH/24/15.STAB/3 21 May 2024 page 4 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000389771.locale=en (EN)
UNESCO REPORT 48223 Report of the Secretariat
Conference:
Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, 10th, Paris, 2025 [80]
Document code:
UCH/25/10.MSP/5 Rev.
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000393681.locale=en(EN)
Darko Kovačević, Mijana Matošević Radić
Extended Reality in Culture and Creative Industries, Chapter 11: Using XR Technologies to Present Underwater Cultural Heritage: The Case Study of the Wrecks4All Project, 2025
Emerald Publishing Limited
ISBN: 978-1-83662-342-7(EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 187 096.68

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 154 970.83

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 82.83%

Co-financing sources:

IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 154 970.83. Co-financing rate, 82.83%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Training in digitisation of underwater cultural heritage in Montenegro
Established network between toursim service providers, dive operatoors and ITC, VR companies in AL
B2B meeting for interaction between tourism providers, dive operators and ITC VR companies in MNE
B2B meeting in Puglia IT for interaction between tourism, diving, ITC VR sector.
B2B meeting in Molise for interaction between various tourism service providers and ITC VR companies
WRECKS4ALL Action plan
Conference on destination managment and dive tourism in Montenegro
Conference on digital innovations for promotion of underwater culural heritage in Montenegro
Conference on dive destination development and innovative approaches in presentation of UCH
Conference: Digital innovations towards the development of dive tourism destination in Molise

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EUStrategyAdriaticIonianRegion The project will contribute to the implementation of following EUSAIR topics and indicative actions: 1. Diversified tourism offer (products & services): - Brand-building of the Adriatic Ionian tourist products/services. Gradual establishment of an Adriatic-Ionian brand which would posit the Region as one destination in the eyes of visitors, residents and stakeholders. - Initiative to improve quality for sustainable tourism offer. - Fostering Adriatic-Ionian cultural heritage. To diversify the Region's profile and to extend the tourism inflows beyond the summer season, the rich cultural background and assets should be further exploited. - Sustainable and thematic tourist routes. This action focuses on development and branding of macro-regional tourism routes, through mapping and further promoting existing routes, (i.e. cruise, motor bike, walking/hiking, cycling, sailing). - Upgrade of Adriatic-Ionian tourism products. 2. Sustainable & responsible tourism management (innovation & quality): - Promoting the Region in world markets: Improving the promotion of destinations in international key markets is needed for increased tourist flows - Adriatic-Ionian action for more sustainable and responsible tourism, - Expanding the tourist season to all year-round: - Training in vocational and entrepreneurial skills in tourism. Also, the project is targeting the EUSAIR Blue Growth Action Plan.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:
RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:

Delivered output indicator(s):

(RCO83) Strategies and action plans jointly developed: 1.0
(RCO116) Jointly developed solutions: 1.0

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Delivered result indicator(s):

(RCR79) Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations: 1.0

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSAIR

EUSAIR Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSAIR Degree of compliance:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-A IPA Italy Albania Montenegro (South Adriatic)

Latest month of project-partner-call data publication

2026-08

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

86 / 86 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

407 / 412 (98.79%)

Notes on the data

There are discrepancies in this programme's financial data in keep.eu. Namely, in one or more cases, the sum of the project partners' budgets exceeds the total budget of the respective project. Interact is working with the Programme to correct those figures.

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Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer

Description

Thematic information

Partners (4)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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