This year's conference in Novi Sad (Serbia) attracted experts and advocates of waterways from 16 countries in addition to the host country (USA, Canada, China and South Korea, Benin, UK, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, England, France, Sweden, Croatia and Hungary). The aim of the conference, as at past events, was to study the situation and problems of waterways in the host country and to share experiences in promoting and developing canals for tourism and inland water transport.
Speakers presented plans for modern waterways such as the Seine-Nord Europe Canal in France and the Gyeong-in Canal in South Korea, the latter under construction between the Han River (which runs through Seoul) and the Yellow Sea, and examples of successful development of tourism and urban regeneration projects based on the revival of historic industrial canals, as in the UK and Canada.
Field visits were organised by the Serbian hosts to discover different facets of the Serbian waterway network: the Danube and its tributaries, and the hydro system Danube-Tisa-Danube. The purpose of the visits was to examine the conditions for development of waterway tourism on these waterways with their rich cultural and technical heritage. One of the ideas discussed during the conference sessions was the integration of the Serbian network into a European 'blue belt' connecting all waterways, with a view to developing cruise ship products and recreational boating.
Canal restoration projects and developing the potential of inland waterways are primary objectives for the defenders of waterways around the world: Serbia has a lot to gain by building on the dynamic started by this conference.
The conference, promoted by Inland Waterways International (IWI), was organised by Vode Vojvodine (Water Agency of the Serbian Province of Vojvodina) with Danube Propeller. Euromapping was facilitator and event agency for the conference, and thus managed international registrations. We thank all delegates who trusted us with their on-line registrations.
