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The Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture was held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 11th – 12th December 2017. The first Tourism and Culture Conference was held in Cambodia in 2015, and part of the official events of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism.
Culture is a key tourism asset that inspires billions of tourists to pack a bag and cross international borders each year. It is also an important means to promote inter-cultural dialogue, create employment opportunities, curb rural migration, and nurture a sense of pride among host communities.
Recognizing the potentials and significances, the conference gathered tourism and cultural stakeholders from all world regions to address a wide range of topics, including government models, tourism development and protection of cultural heritage, culture and tourism in urban development and creativity, and exploring cultural landscape in tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development in destinations worldwide.
The Muscat Declaration on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development was signed by representatives of UNESCO, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), delegations, private sector, local communities and NGOs. The declaration serves to reaffirm the commitments to:
- Strengthen the synergies between tourism and culture and advance the contribution of cultural tourism to the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development and the 17 SDGs.
- Enhance the role of tourism and culture in peace building and heritage protection, especially in conflicts affected areas.
- Promote responsible and sustainable tourism management of cultural heritage
- Encourage a creative and innovative approach for sustainable urban development through cultural tourism
- Explore the inter-linkages between culture and nature in sustainable tourism
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More information about the conference click here.
Source: UNESCO, UNWTO