The Saint James Ways Charter of the Network

2017 marks the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the recognition of the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes or Saint James Ways as the main European Cultural Route.

European Cultural Route is a label granted by the Council of Europe to important itineraries with regard to heritage and cultural integration within Europe.

On the occasion of this commemorative year the Tourism Federation of the , one of the founding members of the Fédération Européenne des Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle and its Belgian representative, proposes a «Saint James Ways Charter».

MISSIONS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE NETWORK THEMES COMMITMENTS OF THE MEMBERS TOWARDS THE NETWORK COMMITMENT OF THE NETWORK TOWARDS ITS MEMBERS

By adhering to the Saint James Ways Charter the members form a network By the set-up of the network and its activities, the members participate fully in The network, under the leadership of the FTPN, commits itself to: of motivated and voluntary partners. They commit themselves to sharing their been created, coordinated and brought into play so as to take care of the fol- the cultural layout of the provincial territory and include their district in the In order to fulfil those missions and reach those goals several themes have lowing aspects: common heritage. Structuring and coordinating the network of districts in the Namur Province; of economic, social, cultural and tourist development. efforts in order to turn the Namur Saint James Way into a reference in the field Specific waymarks of the Saint James Ways by means of the European The members will actually try to link up their respective Saint James heritage Networking all the tourist features along the Saint James Ways; From this perspective the network pursues the following goals and missions: Cultural Route waymarks, allowing quality tourism for anyone, whatever their by means of «supra-communal» tourist routes based on culture, sports, local means of transport; identity features, environment and meeting opportunities. Those actions will Organising the promotional events with regard to the Saint James Ways (Saint and promote the material and immaterial Saint James heritage star- James Trail Run, Saint James diner ...); Preserve Quality accommodation and catering that respect the sustainable develop- cultural and tourist activities in relation to those routes. ting with inventory operations; ment standards and promote local produce; benefit the province and allow a large public to bring out its heritage through all the members on the occasion of an annual meeting in one of the Each district commits itself to: Gathering Ameliorate its visibility by spreading knowledge; Highlighting the historical, natural, architectural, cultural and gastronomic districts of the network in order to discuss past and future activities; heritage all along and close to the Saint James Ways; Gathering and leading a local network of players of the tourist industry (tou- Editing a Saint James Ways membership plate that will be distributed to the Launch actions related to the Saint James cultural heritage as a source of so- rist boards, shopkeepers, hosts, etc.) and people involved in the Saint James signatory districts; cial, economic and cultural development; Negotiating partnerships with cultural, artistic, sports organisations, associa- Ways (heritage associations, for instance); tions in support of underprivileged young people, schools and so on, allowing to reinforce the renown and the promotion of the Saint James Ways; Creating a stamp to mark the credentials; Favour heritage and cultural tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development Making available all the human and material means necessary for the of the provincial territory; network to work properly; Promoting the Saint James heritage by all modern means of communication Editing a map of the Namur Province and its Saint James routes. such as technological platforms, websites and social media, with respect for Giving an account of the actions carried out and giving feedback on the Develop common communication and promotion; sustainable tourism. results of those actions such as statistics of the number of tourists, their coun- tries, their departure dates, the purpose of the stay as well as the number of Share experiences and good practices; Theme meetings will be organised periodically within the FTPN. nights spent and the number of accommodation units occupied;

Seize the tourist’s interest thanks to innovative projects and initiatives in Exploiting all the elements likely to enhance the experience of the other members of the network.

the field of cultural tourism and sustainable development; Welcome, inform and guide the pilgrims crossing its territory.

The present Charter will come into effect as soon as the representatives of the parties sign it and will stay in force for an unspecified time. The voluntary resignation or exclusion of a member will not be accepted by the FTPN unless justified grounds are given by means of a two months’ notice. The districts of , , , , , , , Hastière, ,, Namur, , , Vresse-sur-Semois and adhere to the Saint James Ways Charter, to its collective promotional approach and to working in a network.

Namur, 8 May 2017.

Cultural route of the Council of Europe Itinéraire culturel du Conseil de l’Europe