An Onboard Tourist Experience Over the Sunken City of Epidaurus, Greece

Underwater cultural heritage constitutes an invaluable asset that needs to be conserved, preserved and enhanced. Innovative technologies can facilitate public access to underwater archaeological sites and make them more accessible, thus enhancing positive effects on tourism and the local economy. Focusing on the case of Greece, the paper aims at presenting how an underwater archaeological site, like the Sunken City of Epidaurus, can be transformed into a new tourist destination both accessible and appealing to a wider audience, including Greeks and foreigners, both younger and senior audience. In this paper, we present an autonomous guided and narrated tour designed in the framework of the Periplous Project, combining innovation in the scientific and technological level, emphasizing the following: (1) transparent openings on the bottom of the boat, offering direct view of the underwater remains, (2) an autonomous navigation system, (3) a digital multimedia-enhanced storytelling approach, offered through tablet devices available on-board. The narration is provided in three languages (Greek, English and Chinese) and in Greek Sign Language so as to be accessible to people with hearing impairment. Implications are discussed.