Since the 2008 global financial crisis, the world has seen slow trade growth, deterioration in global manufacturing and supply of products, economic decline, and overall instability, leaving behind an urgent demand for new growth cycles and an entirely new global economy. Coupled with the recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, current economic and environmental challenges can only be met with innovation, resilience, and technological progress. Only through appropriate infrastructure, inclusive and sustainable industrial development and advancement of international trade will the world stand a chance at economic growth.

The aim of the Conference is to bring together national and international academia, prominent scholars, researchers, community leaders, policy and decision-makers, and industry experts to discuss sustainable tourism development opportunities along the world’s renowned Silk Road, a symbol for centuries of intercultural dialogue between the East and the West, and to raise awareness of the necessity to conserve and protect Silk Roads heritage.

The Silk Roads have existed for thousands of years, passing through many different empires, kingdoms, and societies throughout history, transporting cultures, religions, languages and material goods across Europe, Asia and Africa, uniting them with a common thread of cultural heritage and pluralistic identities. Today many countries along the historic land and maritime Silk Routes, are bearing witness to the impact of these routes on their culture, traditions and customs, enhancing tourism development.

Organized by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), Greece and IEREK - International Experts for Research Enrichment and Knowledge Exchange, the first edition of the Silk Road Sustainable Tourism Development and Cultural Heritage (SRSTDCH) conference will be held online on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2021. In line with the outcomes of efforts exerted by the European Interdisciplinary Silk road Tourism Centre in the AUTh, the conference brings together national and international academia, prominent scholars, researchers, policy and decision-makers, to discuss current research and advancements in sustainable tourism development opportunities along with the world's renowned Silk Road, a symbol for centuries of intercultural dialogue between the East and the West, and to raise awareness of the necessity to conserve and protect Silk Road heritage.

So, how can participating in SRTDCH International Video Conference boost your career, future potentials, and experience?

• ✔ Obtain an internationally accredited certification of participation which could boost your future academic career opportunities.
• ✔ Save costs of travel & accommodation.
• ✔ Discuss your research paper online with professors, stakeholders, and other authors (Online Oral Presentation).
• ✔ Get the chance to publish your paper with Springer in the ASTI Book Series.
• ✔ Be part of IEREK`s loyalty membership Program & get a fair discount applicable to all your future participation in any of the international Conferences organized by IEREK.
• ✔ Make sure that your paper will get the maximum exposure in front of a relevant audience, as we share samples of publications within our weekly newsletter and online platforms.
• ✔ Becoming a part of our weekly newsletter to get tips, previous publications materials, and more.

All of these and much more are benefits of participation in the SRTDCH international video conference.

Conference Program

• 1. Silk Road Economic Geography

  1-1 International economic relations along the Silk Roads

  1-2 Social and geopolitical challenges / Tourism and investment opportunities

  1-3 Cross-border  inter-regional cooperation, current situation and future prospects

  1-4 Tourism and regional/local development

  1-5 Smart, interconnected and inclusive cities on the Silk Road

  1-6 Silk Road Destination Management

  1-7 Travel and leisure on the Silk Road

  1-8 Silk Road Transport networks

  1-9 Silk Road tourism intelligence, tourism education and knowledge banks

  1-10 Information and communication technologies in Silk Road tourism

• 2. Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

  2-1 UNESCO World Natural Heritage, Biosphere Reserves and Geoparks along the Silk Roads

  2-2 Protected areas and National Parks along the Silk Roads

  2-3 Natural heritage routes

  2-4 Sustainable and Responsible Tourism

  2-5 Green tourism and energy sustainability perspectives within New Green Deal

  2-6 Green Corridors of the Silk Road and Sustainable Tourism Development

  2-7 Certification  models and environmental management schemes in Silk Road tourism

  2-8 Challenges of Climate Change in Silk Road

  2-9 Sustainable Silk Road rural, mountainous and remote destinations

  2-10 Sustainability, technological perspectives and social inclusion

• 3. Silk Road tangible cultural heritage conservation and tourism

  3-1 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage along the Silk Roads

  3-2 Historic Silk Routes, ports and passages, sites of transportation and defense facilities

  3-3 Monuments, architectural legacy and archeological sites connected to the Silk Road’s history and prehistory

  3-4 Historic cities along the Silk Roads

  3-5 Silk Road urban footprint, urban sites,  bazaars, galleries

  3-6 Silk Road industrial heritage, industrial archeology and traditional production units

  3-7 Silk Road cultural landscapes

  3-8 Museums and collections along the Silk Roads referring to the Silk Road culture

  3-9 Movable Heritage and Artefacts along the Silk Roads

  3-10 Underwater Heritage along the Silk Routes

• 4. Intangible Cultural Heritage along the Silk Roads

  4-1 Cultural events and festivals along the Silk Roads

  4-2 Trade fairs

  4-3 Myths and oral traditions

  4-4 Creative industries

  4-5 Traditional Craftsmanship and historical production methods along the Silk Routes

  4-6 Documentary/ storytelling heritage along the Silk Roads

  4-7 Silk Road cultural identities and Cross-cultural relationships

  4-8 Communication and Diversity on the Silk Road

  4-9 Silk Road intercultural bridges through the arts

  4-10 Silk Road cultural heritage digitalization

• 5. Sacred places and religious tourism on the Silk Routes

  5-1 Sacred places and belief systems along the Silk routes and passages

  5-2 Religious Symbols of Power and Identity

  5-3 Monuments, world heritage, museums of religious art and life along the Silk Routes

  5-4 Churches and Monasteries as Prerequisites for Religious Tourism Development

  5-5 The Silk Routes as passages of Peace: Interreligious and intercultural dialogues with and through tourism development

  5-6 Religious, spiritual or self -exploration tourism? Traditional and new forms of tourism along the Silk Routes

  5-7 Myths, Stories, narratives: The intangible dynamics of religious tourism along the Silk Routes

  5-8 From pilgrimage to e-tourism: New trends and challenges along the Silk Routes

  5-9 Sustainability, Inclusion and risk: The socio-political perspectives of Religious Tourism along the Silk Routes

  5-10 The image and attractiveness of Silk Road religious and pilgrimage routes

• 6. Other special forms of tourism on the Silk Roads

  6-1 Nature-Based tourism

  6-2 Agro-tourism / Women Entrepreneurs

  6-3 Ecotourism

  6-4 Adventure tourism - Mountaineering Tourism

  6-5 Sports event tourism

  6-6 Gastronomy and Wine Tourism

  6-7 Cruise and Marine Tourism

  6-8 Health - Wellness tourism

  6-9 MICE Tourism

  6-10 Educational Tourism

Authors must refer to, and abide by, the following instructions in submitting their abstracts/ papers:

Step 1: Abstract Submission Process

- The author should prepare and submit an Abstract (250 300 words) through the website and before the abstract submission deadline.

- The abstract should clearly state the purpose, results, and conclusions of the work to be described in the final paper.

- The author should select the most relevant topic for the paper from the corresponding conference topics.

- The author can use/download an abstract writing template to submit the abstract file accordingly.

To download the Abstract Writing Template, Click Here

Step 2: Abstract Review

- Upon submission, an abstract will undergo a preliminary evaluation process by members of our scientific committee.

-A relevant topic of the conference should be proposed with clear writing, aims, and objectives of the study clearly presented and sound literature and methodology of the work.

- The author will receive a notification by email, within 2 weeks, of:

• Approval, after which they will be requested to prepare and submit their full/short paper submissions.
• Rejection, if the topic proposed does not fit the theme of the conference.

Step 3: Paper Submission & Preliminary Review

There are 2 types of paper submission at this conference:

• Short Paper 
• Full/Long Paper 

Short Paper:

- A short paper submission consists of 4–5 pages and suits researches that make significant contributions, but still in progress or can be reported briefly.

- The structure of a short paper should contain its abstract, keywords, introduction, problem statements, and the hypothetical solution along with further studies that they will go through when they want to extend their paper to be published online.

- A short paper is only included in the conference Abstracts book and will not have a chance to be published online by Springer or by IEREK’s Journals unless the author extends their work to a full-length paper and pay the corresponding fee.

Full-Length Paper:

- The Full/ Long paper submission is 8 – 12+ pages in length.

- The full paper should state the major issue(s) addressed, the potential significance of the work, the theoretical and methodological approach(es) pursued, major findings, conclusions, implications, and relevant scholarly references.

- A full/long paper will be included in the conference abstracts book as well as get published online by Springer or by IEREK PRESS Journals.

- The author should submit the full/short paper written on the writing template, through our online system before the paper submission deadline.

- The full/short paper should be written in English as it's the official language of the conference.

Step 4: Similarity Check/ Plagiarism Detection

All Chapters will be screened for similarity using iThenticate; a Turnitin Plagiarism detection software, used for academic publishers. Springer Similarity guidelines are as follows:

• Max. % from all sources: 10-15%
• Max. % from one source: 3-5%
• Higher than 30% (all sources): Reject completely
• Lower than 30% (all sources): Ask for revision to decrease the similarities  

To download Paper Writing Template,   Click Here

Step 5: Payment Completion & Confirmation

Once Preliminary approval for presentation at the conference and/or consideration for publication is granted, authors will be expected to complete payment in reference to the Conference Fees.

Note: 
In this phase of revision, the research paper will be evaluated based on its originality, structure, and relativity to the conference theme. If the paper gets acceptance by one reviewer, a paper preliminary acceptance notification will be sent to the author accordingly.

- As soon as payment is confirmed and done successfully, corresponding official documents can be issued from our end such as:

• A signed/stamped preliminary acceptance letter
• Receipt of Payment
• Visa Invitation Letter

Step 6: Rigorous Peer Review Process (Full-length papers only)

Only after payment is confirmed,

- and the full paper submission deadline is reached, a submitted full-length paper is assigned to an Editor from the Editorial Board, in alignment with IEREK’s revision SOP (double-blind process).

- Each paper/ chapter is evaluated by a minimum of two reviewers, after which a final decision by the responsible Editor is made. There is no maximum to the number of times a paper can be reviewed, depending on the quality of the submission.

- Once a decision is made by the Editors, IEREK Editors will communicate one of the following three final decisions:

• Accepted without comments
• Revise and Resubmit – Minor or Major revision
• Final Rejection

- If modifications are in order, authors will be sent the relevant instructions and a deadline will be set. Missed deadlines may result in complete exclusion from the final publication/ final rejection.

- A back and forth process, modifications will be sent back to the responsible Editor/ Series Editor and another round of evaluation conducted.

Publishing in ASTI by Springer (Scopus indexed)                  

After the conference, the submitted manuscripts of authors interested in publishing in the ASTI book series will undergo a rigorous peer review process resulting in a final decision made by the editors. Only accepted research will be published as a chapter in the Book Series entitled “Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation” (ASTI) by Springer. The ASTI Book Series is by managed highly professional members of an International Editorial Board to ensure high-quality material for online publication.

The ASTI Book Series is fully indexed in Scopus. Some titles have been successfully indexed or submitted for indexation in Web of Science (ISI).

About the ASTI series

Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation (ASTI) is a series of peer-reviewed books based on important emerging research that redefines the current disciplinary boundaries in science, technology and innovation (STI) in order to develop integrated concepts for sustainable development. It not only discusses the progress made towards securing more resources, allocating smarter solutions, and rebalancing the relationship between nature and people, but also provides in-depth insights from comprehensive research that addresses the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) as set out by the UN for 2030.

The series draws on the best research papers from various IEREK and other international conferences to promote the creation and development of viable solutions for a sustainable future and a positive societal transformation with the help of integrated and innovative science-based approaches. Including interdisciplinary contributions, it presents innovative approaches and highlights how they can best support both economic and sustainable development, through better use of data, more effective institutions, and global, local and individual action, for the welfare of all societies.

The series particularly features conceptual and empirical contributions from various interrelated fields of science, technology and innovation, with an emphasis on digital transformation, that focus on providing practical solutions to ensure food, water and energy security to achieve the SDGs. It also presents new case studies offering concrete examples of how to resolve sustainable urbanization and environmental issues in different regions of the world.

The series is intended for professionals in research and teaching, consultancies and industry, and government and international organizations. Published in collaboration with IEREK, the Springer ASTI series will acquaint readers with essential new studies in STI for sustainable development.

About Springer:

Springer is a leading global scientific, technical and medical portfolio, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R&D departments with quality content through innovative information, products and services. Springer has one of the strongest STM and HSS eBook collections and archives, as well as a comprehensive range of hybrid and open access journals. Springer is part of Springer Nature, a global publisher that serves and supports the research community. Springer Nature aims to advance discovery by publishing robust and insightful science, supporting the development of new areas of research and making ideas and knowledge accessible around the world. As part of Springer Nature, Springer sits alongside other trusted brands like Nature Research, BioMed Central, and Palgrave Macmillan.

Click on the below image to learn more about the editors

Publishing in ARChive by IEREK Press                                  

ARChive is an open access journal that publishes conference proceedings in a wide range of topics and across all scientific disciplines, from Sciences, Engineering and Technology to Environment, Energy and Earth Sciences. Consequently, it accepts original research papers in a wide spectrum of subjects. ARChive is a journal published on behalf of researchers that perpetually make an effort to contribute to their fields and provides them with a high visibility of research submitted. The series publishes, both, theoretical and experimental high quality papers of current and perpetual interest. It serves to cultivate, propagate, and essentially archive academic research that has been authored and submitted for academic conferences.

ARChive welcomes diverse approaches to innovative ideas that could potentially be a breakthrough in a particular field of study. To provide permanent archiving, ARChive is archived in the collaborative digital preservation archiving systems in LOCKSS, as they provide access to permanent and authorized digital content for electronic scholarly journals.

In accordance with the definition of open access journal provided by BOAI, ARChive is a model of the fully open journal that allows global open access to its content which is freely available without charge to users and institutions. They are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose for non-commercial use, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.