The Adriatic Sea holds a wealth of underwater archaeological sites, from ancient shipwrecks to submerged archaeological landscapes. With the increasing interest in maritime cultural heritage, there is a growing need for responsible and sustainable management of these precious resources. 

The conference titled "The Future of the Adriatic Past - Challenges of the Adriatic Underwater Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Tourism Development" will take place on April 23, 2024, at Hotel Cattaro in Kotor.

The WRECKS4ALL 2.0 conference brings together scientists, practitioners, decision-makers, and stakeholders to discuss innovative approaches and best practices for the protection and promotion of the Adriatic underwater cultural heritage. Conference participants are eminent experts from the countries of the Adriatic region, from Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania.

Conference topics include: Case studies and success stories in managing the underwater cultural heritage of the Adriatic, sustainable tourism models and best practices for underwater cultural heritage sites in the Adriatic, conservation and preservation of Adriatic underwater archaeological sites within the framework of tourism valorization, community engagement and stakeholder involvement in managing the Adriatic underwater cultural heritage, policy frameworks and legal aspects of protecting and managing the underwater cultural heritage, innovative technologies for mapping, documenting, interpreting, and promoting submerged cultural landscapes, educational and outreach initiatives to raise awareness about underwater cultural heritage.

The conference "The Future of the Adriatic Past - Challenges of the Adriatic Underwater Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Tourism Development" is part of the project "Capitalization by transferring to new territories the WRECKS4ALL model for the protection of underwater heritage through its digitalization and valorization as a novel touristic offer" WRECKS4ALL 2.0, co-funded by The Interreg IPA South Adriatic, a cross-border cooperation Programme co-funded by the European Union through the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA III). 

The University of Montenegro is the lead partner on the project, and the project is implemented by the Laboratory for Maritime Archaeology, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Kotor. Project partners are University of Salento, Municipality of Campomarino from Italy and Municipality of Vlora from Albania.