8th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism: Brief Commentary
Joseph M. Cheer
??Professor at Western Sydney University ??Co Editor-in-Chief of Tourism Geographies ??Co-Chair World Economic Forum GFC on Future of Sustainable Tourism ??Associate Dean International, School of Social Sciences, WSU
On 10-12 October the 8th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism was convened in Thessaloniki, Greece. With delegates from across the Silk Road Tourism landscape, the conference highlighted the enormous opportunities for destination development and the strength of the Silk Road brand for tourism development.
In his keynote, UNWTO Secretary General Mr Zurab Pololikashvili highlighted that while tourism can be a vital tool for prosperity on the Silk Road it requires political will and cooperation. I might also add that goodwill and a spirit of cooperation amongst member countries is fundamental.
Minister for Tourism in the Greek government Ms. Elena Kountoura emphasised the importance of tourism to the Greek economy and that at present, unprecedented tourism sector growth spoke volumes about the importance of tourism to the country. Minister Kountoura highlighted that Silk Road tourism can also pave the way for stronger regional cooperation and economic development.
Mayor of the City of Thessaloniki, Mr Yiannis Boutaris' articaulations where most poignant where in describing the historical importance of Thessalonikki to the country and how the legacy of what was an immensely vital crossroad is central to its contemporary character. Mayor Boutaris stressed that 'you cannot build your future if you don’t know your past'. Indeed, an apt reminder as the task to build Silk Road tourism gathers momentum.
There were many other highlights including Mr Peter De Brine's presentation on World Heritage Journeys of the European Union, Dr Ahmed Eiweida's description of World Bank involvement in Silk Road tourism, Mr Robert Travers in the Maritime Silk Road and Mr Kai Markus Xiong's extraordinary film on his travels by foot in the Silk Road.
And of course there was Day 2 including the joint UNWTO/PATA session: Connecting Asia and Europe through the Silk Road led by PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy and PATA Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ms. Daniela Wagner.
Acknowledgement must go to the UNWTO's Mr Patrick Fritz and Mr Nikolaos Gkolfinopoulos for their efforts at pulling all of this together. Well done!
For more on the 8th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism, please see https://silkroad.unwto.org/event/8th-unwto-international-meeting-silk-road-tourism
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