Implementing Multi-Criteria Analysis in the Selection of AUCHS for the Integration of Digital Technologies into the Tourism Offering: The Case of MeDryDive

Abstract

Focusing on both physical and virtual accessibility, this paper presents the methodology developed by MeDryDive for the selection of AUCHS (Accessible Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites) in Greece, Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro. MeDryDive is a project that aims at the promotion of AUCHS in the Mediterranean as distinctive tourism destinations through personalized dry dive experiences. The candidate sites are assessed in order to be included in the transnational thematic tourism product “Dive in the Past” and promoted through Creative and Cultural Industry (CCI) applications, including a Serious Game, Augmented and Virtual Reality applications, and promotional videos, all developed in the context of the project. The main goal of the methodology is to meet the requirements for both the sustainability of the thematic tourism product and the digital applications’ development. The assessment of AUCHS is based on specific criteria that result from setting weighing factors and classifying indicators as either critical or non-critical. The criteria are categorized into core (feasibility) criteria and complementary (appropriateness) criteria for determining the total level of readiness. This set of criteria enables site selection through an elimination method, identifying the suitable pilot and follow-on sites for the integration of digital technologies into the tourism offering.

The WAS Project—Waterscape Archaeology in Sicily at Isola delle Femmine (PA, Italy): Submerged and Emerged Heritage

“…Therefore, before each dive, it will be possible to experience a virtual immersion in a three-dimensional environment, to receive all the useful instructions for a correct visit both from a technical and a scientific point of view, with maximum respect for the environment and the cultural heritage, following the principle of the UNESCO Convention, first "conservation on-site" [42]. Sharing the ideas of the European Blue Growth Strategy, supporting sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors, drawing attention to the operation of Accessible Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites (AUCHS), and promoting sustainable protection, the project will plan new activities in all the MPA with innovative solutions and best practices developed and adopted by local, regional, national, or transnational actors, following their respective regulatory frameworks concerning the protection of UCH, including the ratification of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (see [43][44][45][46][47][48]).…”