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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”, took 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.

The Making of a Masterpiece

An online exhibition curated by the UNESCO Chair (USI) presenting “le vêtement de Don Nicola Mazza”, a richely embroidered Catholic garment from the 19th century. The exhibition highlights its craftsmanship and the social mission behind its production.

Explore the exhibition here!

Our World Heritage Initiative

Nov 16, 2020 | ,

The USI UNESCO Chair is happy and honored to be part of the Our World Heritage initiative, by contributing to the theme of tourism.The initiative was officially launched on November 16th, 2020: https://youtu.be/hTzuxMd86Po! Series of of online webinars 2021: A series...

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UNESCO Chair Team contributes to ENTER21 Conference

Nov 16, 2020 | , ,

USI UNESCO Chair contributed to the ifitt ENTER21 conference (19 - 22 January 2021). As a former ifitt president Prof. Lorenzo Cantoni took part in the "Fireplace Chat with ifitt Presidents" on January 22nd. Furthermore, the full paper on the exploratory study, “Old”...

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Succesfull Ph.D. defence by Dr. Emanuele Mele

Nov 4, 2020 | , ,

Congratulations to Emanuele Mele, who successfully defended his Ph.D. on Friday 30.10.2020! Abstract of the thesis: "Tourism and culture are strictly intertwined. People can experience culture before, during, and after their journey, both in the offline and in the...

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