The international conference “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Tourism: The Case of Venice” will be held at Venice Cruise Port, Terminal 103, on November 22 – 23, 2013. Organized by Venezia Terminal Passeggeri S.p.A., the event – unique within the events at the local level, as well as being a continuation of the previous event organized in October 2010, aims at promoting Venetian nominations for the lists of intangible cultural heritage established under the Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage, concluded in 2003 within the framework of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) . The conference is included in the list of events that are held in Italy to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Convention and will see the participation of the leading national and international experts in the field. The conference will be organized in three sessions: the first will focus on the international and European aspects of the Convention, and the last one on the national intangible cultural heritage. The second session will focus on the richness of the Venetian intangible cultural heritage: from the manufacture of Murano glass and Burano lace to the tradition of fine Venetian fabrics, from the gondola to the Carnival of Venice, from the “Commedia dell'Arte” to the Dove's fight (with its unexpected echo in the Vertical Dance performances), from 'Great Schools', sodality institutions (Scuole Grandi) that still exist today, to the most popular and innovative processes in Venice. They all play the role of 'transmitting' the heritage, in order to include and not to exclude, to support change and not to photograph static situations. The session will focus on the capacity to continue life-styles in harmony with the Venice Lagoon, transmitting them to the heterogeneous and cosmopolitan segment of humanity who reaches every day, even for a few hours, its foundations and banks. The purpose of the Convention is to safeguard the intangible heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned, this being a particularly vulnerable aspect of the cultural identity process. This heritage includes the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. The intangible heritage, which is not less precious than the tangible one, belongs to the world cultural heritage and consequently requires to be protected at both national and world level. The Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage aims at ensuring the protection of this heritage worldwide and at promoting the awareness of its significance. The Convention provides for the establishment of three lists. The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raise awareness about its importance. The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding is composed of intangible heritage elements that the concerned communities and States Parties consider require urgent measures to keep them alive. Inscriptions on this List help to mobilize international cooperation and assistance for stakeholders to undertake appropriate safeguarding measures. The Register of Best Safeguarding Practices includes programs, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and the objectives of the Convention.