Ottoman Heritage in Europe as an Оpportunity for a Cultural Route Development: An International Study of Students' Perceptions

Cultural routes as a contemporary approach in the presentation and preservation of cultural heritage while envisioning the sustainable tourism development principles has recently obtained considerable popularity. The establishment of cultural routes is widely seen as a successful tool for bridging distant places and people in recognizing their joint interests in preserving and utilizing cultural heritage while enhancing tourism offer. Ottoman heritage in Europe is considered somewhat a contested heritage, as it still represents a materialized manifestation of the complex social, ideological, and political contexts of national identities and contemporary societies. Thus, it is significant to explore perceptions of tangible and intangible heritage in different countries networked within the cultural route and their common goal in raising locals’ awareness, outlining the importance and capitalizing on their shared heritage through tourism. This work presents partial results of wider research aimed at the identification of overall perceptions regarding Ottoman heritage in different European countries and examination of general attitudes towards the development of the Sultans Trail cultural route stretching from Vienna to Istanbul. In the pilot stage of the research, we were addressing youth, in particular university students, examining their knowledge, attitudes and opinions concerning Ottoman heritage in their country and Europe. The online survey was directed to students at different Universities in participating countries - Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Turkey. Non-probability sampling was applied using a combination of purposive, quota and snowball techniques. Questions related to Ottoman heritage in Europe and a cultural route development perspective, meanings, preservation levels, attractiveness, problems and potentials were included. Preliminary results indicate differences in perception of Ottoman heritage among different countries, outlining the potential difficulties in the cultural route development process and strong resistance among some student groups in recognizing Ottoman heritage as a common heritage within national space