3rd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: for the Benefit of All

3-5 December 2018

The 3rd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, to be hosted by the Government of Turkey in Istanbul on 3-5 December 2018, will build on the outcomes of the two previous editions of this event and their respective Declarations: the 2015 Siem Reap Declaration, which recommended closer and targeted partnerships between stakeholders of culture and of tourism; and the 2017 Muscat Declaration, which committed its endorsees to enhancing the contribution of tourism and culture in national SDG strategies. Both declarations make clear that we must embrace the idea of not just creating tourism and culture partnerships, but also harness their potential to positively impact communities, and improve the overall visitor experience.

The theme of the 2018 World Conference, ‘for the Benefit of All’, puts forward two priorities:

1) creating more inclusive partnerships between tourism and culture stakeholders that contribute to SDG implementation; and
2) promoting tourism development that encourages cultural interaction and ensures the benefits are shared by all communities involved.

This year’s edition will concentrate on technology, visitor management models and the approaches that bring the widest possible range of benefits to both visitors and locals, while safeguarding cultural values and heritage in line with responsible tourism principles and the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

The Conference will address different approaches of creative and sustainable cities in supporting cultural tourism, building capacity of culture and tourism stakeholders to preserve cultural diversity, engaging host communities, promoting social inclusion and accessibility in tourism development.

The Conference will further highlight how cultural tourism can make an important contribution to the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of poverty reduction, fighting inequality and promoting inclusive growth.

The conference is designed for all tourism and culture practitioners, stakeholders and representatives from related sectors: ministries of tourism and ministries of culture, national tourism organizations, destination management organizations, cultural heritage managers, tourism and culture associations, private sector, culture and conservation experts and practitioners, local communities and businesses, NGOs and media.