For the third consecutive year, we had the honor to be invited by the Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture to present our work on Andros at the 6th Summer School, held once again in Dimitsana, Arcadia!

This year’s theme focused on the relationship between tourism and intangible cultural heritage, with a rich program including presentations by academics and representatives of institutions from across Greece, such as Zagori, Paros, Mykonos, and Sochos.

In our presentation, titled “The dialogical relationship between tourism and heritage on the island of Andros: Synergies, concerns and experiences through the work of the Andros Research Center”, we highlighted:

• the work of the past 16 years on Andros, and specifically the achievements and challenges of the 15-year Andros Routes initiative,
• participatory heritage actions in collaboration with local cultural associations,
• the establishment and operation of the Andros Oral History Group,
• actions supporting local producers,
• detailed mapping and documentation of the island’s rural landscape along the 240 km hiking network maintained through Andros Routes,
• initiatives related to Andros’ surface and underground waters (since 2023),
• our recent actions on Andros lemons,
• as well as dry stone wall restoration efforts.

This was also a wonderful opportunity to learn about inspiring initiatives from other communities safeguarding intangible heritage across Greece, to exchange ideas and concerns, and to participate in the meeting of the Coordinating Team of the National Intangible Heritage Network, of which we have recently become a member.

We feel deep gratitude and admiration for the wonderful team of the Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture—for their remarkable work, integrity, spirit of collaboration, and inclusivity in everything they do. Warm thanks as well for their kind hospitality during this year’s Summer School on Intangible Cultural Heritage!