Beyond Borders Hackathon: A Digital Revolution in Promoting Sustainable Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Europe

Published on December 19, 2025

The Beyond Borders Hackathon was held on October 25, 2025, in Lugano, Switzerland, and it marked a significant step forward in the promotion of sustainable tourism and digital cultural heritage. Several prestigious institutions co-organised the event, including Europeana, Photoconsortium, the SECreTour project, and the UNESCO Chairs of the Università della Svizzera italiana in ICT and the Università di Genova in Anthropology of Health, Biosphere, and Healing Systems. The hackathon focused on the critical role that open access collections and digital storytelling can play in promoting heritage tourism, with a particular emphasis on both tangible and intangible cultural assets across Europe.

The event highlighted the importance of fostering collaborations between the cultural heritage and tourism sectors, especially as digital transformation continues to influence how tourists interact with and explore cultural sites. The Beyond Borders Hackathon not only demonstrated the creative potential of digital resources, but it also emphasised the importance of sustainability, encouraging forward-thinking, mindful tourism initiatives, particularly in rural and lesser-known regions.

Bridging Cultural Heritage and Technology for Sustainable Tourism

The Beyond Borders Hackathon was primarily focused on using the wealth of open access digital collections available on Europeana to create innovative solutions for promoting heritage tourism. Europeana, a digital platform that hosts millions of cultural heritage items from across Europe, served as the backbone for the event, providing a vast array of digital resources to inspire participants. The theme of the hackathon, ‘Exploring Insubria and Other Cultural Corridors through Digital Heritage Collections’, encouraged students and young digital creators to tap into these digital collections to devise creative projects that could help foster sustainable tourism in these often-overlooked regions.

Insubria, a cross-border region straddling Switzerland and Italy, was chosen as the focal point of the hackathon. The region is home to rich cultural, historical, and natural heritage, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Monte San Giorgio, which served as a source of inspiration for many participants.

During the event, students and young creators had the unique opportunity to work with both 2D and 3D resources to bring to life the cultural heritage of the region. By delving into Europeana’s open cultural datasets, participants were encouraged to develop digital storytelling projects that would engage new tourist audiences. This collaboration between technology and heritage is a forward-thinking model that aims to preserve cultural heritage while also making it more accessible to a global audience.

Empowering the Next Generation of Cultural Promoters

The hackathon invited a diverse group of university students and emerging digital creators who were passionate about digital cultural heritage, social sciences, and sustainable tourism. With guidance from experts in the fields of cultural heritage and digital technologies, participants were tasked with creating proposals that could use the available digital resources to generate tourism interest in rural and remote areas. The hackathon’s focus on the role of creative industries in tourism, such as digital art and storytelling, demonstrated how these fields can bridge the gap between local cultural heritage and modern tourism trends.

Mentors such as Fiona Mowat from the Europeana Foundation and Matevž Straus from Arctur, a company specializing in digital technologies, worked closely with participants to guide them through the process. By using the Europeana API and platform, participants were able to access an entire database of records and curated collections, each chosen to inspire and inform their work. These collections included travel and tourism photography from various European sites, and specific collections focused on the religious Easter processions in Italy and Switzerland, as well as the heritage of Monte San Giorgio.

Sustainable and Creative Tourism Projects

The hackathon culminated in an exciting presentation of the student teams’ projects, where two winning proposals were selected for their innovative approaches to promoting the heritage of Monte San Giorgio. Both teams presented digital solutions that not only showcased the region’s rich cultural heritage but also embraced the principles of sustainable tourism.

One team, consisting of Auréliane, Edoardo, and Filippo, proposed an immersive experience that would bring the heritage of Monte San Giorgio to life for a wider audience. Their idea involved setting up an interactive exhibit in a nearby shopping mall, where visitors could explore the region’s heritage through augmented reality and digital displays. This immersive room would be complemented by partnerships with local businesses, offering a unique opportunity for brand collaborations. They also developed a child-friendly trail that would highlight the natural beauty of Monte San Giorgio. The trail would feature interactive elements, such as touchable rocks and plants, to encourage children to connect with their environment in a hands-on way, blending digital engagement with physical exploration.

The second team, made up of Daniele and Mattia, focused on engaging a younger adult audience through a digital platform. They developed a mobile app prototype that displayed key landmarks of Monte San Giorgio on an interactive map. The app would feature rich metadata, allowing users to learn more about each heritage site, as well as the option to share, comment on, and like the cultural materials. By incorporating social media-like features, the app would appeal to a generation of digital natives who enjoy interacting with content and sharing experiences. The app would also be promoted through transport systems, such as at transport stops and on vehicles, creating an easy and accessible way for tourists to engage with the region’s heritage as they travelled.

Encouraging Sustainable Tourism in Lesser-Known Areas

One of the key takeaways from the Beyond Borders Hackathon was the emphasis on promoting sustainable and mindful tourism, particularly in lesser-known areas such as Insubria. The event illustrated how digital tools can help diversify tourism offerings by making remote and rural areas more accessible and appealing to tourists, while also preserving the cultural and natural heritage of these regions.

Insubria and Monte San Giorgio, as exemplified in the winning projects, represent just a fraction of the potential that digital cultural heritage holds for revitalizing rural tourism. By integrating sustainable tourism practices with digital engagement, these areas can attract a new generation of tourists who are looking for authentic, meaningful experiences. This shift towards digital storytelling and heritage tourism could play a pivotal role in preserving cultural sites and promoting economic growth in areas that are often overshadowed by more popular tourist destinations.

Conclusion

The Beyond Borders Hackathon was more than just an event; it represented the future of tourism, where digital tools, cultural heritage, and sustainability intersect. By leveraging the power of digital resources and creativity, hackathon participants demonstrated how technology can be used to promote heritage tourism in an engaging and responsible manner. As digital transformation continues to have an impact on the tourism industry, the Beyond Borders Hackathon has paved the way for future collaborations between the cultural heritage and tourism sectors, resulting in new opportunities for sustainable travel experiences that benefit both local communities and global tourists.

The event emphasised the growing importance of sustainable tourism practices in preserving our cultural heritage and making it accessible in the digital age. As tourism evolves, projects such as those showcased at the Beyond Borders Hackathon pave the way for a future in which cultural heritage can be celebrated and explored using technology.