Unlocking the Potential of Tourism and Culture for Development

Author

UNESCO

Release Date

Monday, December 4, 2017

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Paris, 4 December-- Strengthening cooperation between the tourism and culture sectors to boost prosperity and enhance heritage protection is the topic of the 2nd Global Conference on Tourism and Culture, which will be held in Muscat, Oman 11-12 December.

Jointly organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Education Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO), it will bring together around 500 participants to explore how these sectors can drive progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda.

The Conference will open with a high-level panel with some 30 ministers of tourism and ministers of culture who will address policy and governance frameworks. They will also address the issue of Cultural Tourism as a Factor of Peace and Prosperity.

This panel will be followed by three round-table discussions with professionals from World Heritage Sites and intangible cultural heritage, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and private sector stakeholders. Topics include: tourism development and protection of cultural heritage; culture and tourism in urban development and creativity; and exploring cultural landscapes in tourism.

The Conference will take place in the framework of the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, a unique opportunity to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to help transform our world into a place of prosperity and wellbeing for all. This Conference will build on the interagency partnership formed between UNWTO and UNESCO at the first World Conference on Tourism and Culture held in 2015, in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

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