“The Route of Unification” – A challenge to visit Alba Iulia and identify historical facts that led to the Great Unification of Romania. Alba Iulia: 1st December 1918

This volume is the result of the activities developed in the COS-TOUR-2015 DIVERTIMENTO project. The book presents the pilot project for Romania as well as the cultural participative route developed in this project. By interfering the pilot project and the associated tourist route in a single volume, a better understanding of the message sent to the tourism consumer is ensured. The main message is that (re) discovering facts and events from the past can bring benefits to future generations. Secondly, emphasis is placed on the importance of digitization of cultural heritage consumption, which has become the predominant model of the present and the future in cultural services, without replacing the on-site consumption pattern with a virtual one, representing only a better way to combine knowledge with on-site experience. Through this approach, we consider that cultural assets become attractive to new generations, allow the revival of this economic sector and a diversification of local services associated with tourism consumption, boosting the innovation capacity of tourism and associated services entrepreneurs, especially SMEs. In 2018, Romania is celebrating 100 years since the state unification as Modern Romania. The theme of the pilot project highlights the history route of actions, efforts and achievements to develop and recognize the Romanian State, finally stated by Unification Act on the 1st of December 1918 and consolidated by King Ferdinand’s Coronation in November 1922. With this touristic product we try to rediscover and reveal to the audience less known heritage assets and stories related to the main events regarding the process of establishing the modern state of Romania in Alba Iulia citadel and surroundings, in order to promote another face of Alba Iulia as heritage depositary.