The Promotion of Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites in the Digital Era: The Case of Peristera Classical Shipwreck in Alonissos

The legal establishment of Accessible Underwater Cultural Heritage sites and Diving Parks in Greece brought to the surface the need for a synchronous protection and promotion plan in the context of sustainable tourism development. Particularly for underwater environments, which are accessible to divers only, non-divers' accessibility can be achieved through the development of new technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality. This paper examines the valorization of the Underwater Cultural Heritage through innovative digital applications for the promotion of diving destinations. The work involves a twofolded comparative analysis: one for the selection of diving destinations in different Northeast Mediterranean countries and a second one for the evaluation of existing digital applications. The paper focuses on the case of the classical shipwreck of Peristera in regard to the management plan of the underwater museum and the destination of Alonissos.