Please find more information on the conference website.

The United Nations has declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, providing a unique opportunity to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to help transform our world into a place of prosperity and well-being for all.

Culture that encompasses heritage and traditions as well as art, languages, gastronomy, music, handicrafts, museums and literature is of immeasurable value to communities, shaping their identities and fostering respect and tolerance among people. Currently culture is being used increasingly to promote destinations and enhance their competitiveness and attractiveness.

With the significant contribution cultural tourism can make to the socio-economic development, its popularity is increasing at a faster pace than most of the other segments, even faster than the growth rate of tourism worldwide.

The Conference will explore ways to build and strengthen partnerships between the Tourism and Culture sectors and enhancing their role in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, reflecting upon the outcomes of the First World Conference, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia in February 2015.

It will provide a platform for presenting and sharing good practice examples of sustainable cultural tourism management. It will also feature practical experiences on:

  1. Development of cultural tourism itineraries involving public-private partnerships and community initiatives.
  2. Sustainable management of cultural tourism and creating long-term entrepreneurial opportunities and benefits.
  3. Marketing and promotion of cultural tourism destinations and products in a responsible manner. 

Furthermore, it will focus on how tourism and culture work hand in hand to create truly unique and long lasting experiences for tourists. It will explore how sensation-rich, world-view altering, cultural tourism experiences that are participatory are crafted to engage all senses and create a memorable and authentic trip in a more creative and innovative manner.

To register for the conference please contact Nina Jo at oftc@unwto.org

The program is available online