Held At: Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Edition: 2nd
Organized by: United Nations World Tourism Organization and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Leading Delegation from India: Dr Mahesh Sharma, the Minister of State for Culture and Environment, Forest & Climate Change
Inaugurated by: H.H. Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers of Oman
No. of Delegates: Over 500 from all around the world
Objective: To build and strengthen the cooperation between tourism and culture sectors and improve their role in the United Nation's 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.
What are tourism and culture?
Tourism is an essential drive to develop and safeguard tangible and intangible heritage which rely on creativity, talents, skills, handicrafts and many other artistic activities.Brief introduction to UNTWO/UNESCO
What is UNTWO?
- The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations organization accountable for the development of effective, reliable, sustainable and globally convenient tourism.
- It promotes tourism as an indicator of economic growth,
- As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, whole development and environmental sustainability and inclusive development and environmental sustainability and contributes guidance and assistance in policies.
- It also promotes the global code of ethics for tourism, tourism’s socio-economic participation and confined to develop tourism as a tool to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
What is UNESCO?
- UNESCO is an organization which aims to contribute peace and security by fostering international collaboration in educational, scientific, and cultural reforms to build universal respect.
- It arranges programs on education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information which includes literacy training, technical programmes, science programs, advancement of cultural diversity, secure world heritage sites and protect human rights,
- I aim to eliminate poverty, sustainable growth, and intercultural conversation through education, science, culture, communication and information".
Important facts about tourism and culture globally
- Globally, over 1.2 billion people toured internationally for tourism purposes in 2016 and it will lead to 1.8 billion in 2030.
- At present, tourism contributes almost 10% of global gross domestic product and 30% of world's export services.
- Total of 40% of foreign visitors is cultural tourists.
- Cultural and tourism bring diversity which includes innovation and reform and variation.
2nd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture
- The United Nations has announced 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, a novel chance to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to transform the world
- This conference will give a platform to follow upon the Siem Reap Declaration that pledged to traverse the synergies of the tourism and culture sectors to work in unanimity for sustainable development.
- It offers a rare chance to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to transform the world's prosperity and well-being.
- The conference focused and covered a wide range of matters on governance models, tourism growth and safeguard of cultural, heritage, culture and tourism in the urban and rural area.
- It explores the cultural aspect of tourism as a medium for sustainable development in the universe.
- Tourism will bring job opening and business opportunity which will eventually lead to improving living standards.
- More than 500 delegates all over the world participated which includes Ministers of Tourism and Ministers of Culture, policymakers of tourism and culture from the national, regional and local government, experts from World Heritage Sites and intangible cultural heritage, NGOs and many other private sector institutions.
Commitment reaffirms at the Muscat conference
- To strengthen synergy between tourism and culture and to advance the participation of cultural tourism to the 2030 agenda on culture and tourism and 17 strategical development goals.
- To increase the role of tourism and culture to bring cooperation and assurance to heritage sites.
- To manage efficient and sustainable management of tourism and cultural by the inventive approach.
- Establish interlink all over the world through tourism and culture.
Important attendees at the conference
- H.E. Ms Eliza Jean Reid(First Lady of Iceland and Special Ambassador for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals), H.R.H. Princess Dana Firas (President of the Petra National Trust (PNT) & UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador), Francesco Bandarin (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture) and many presidents, ambassadors and ministers from the Cambodia, Libya, Somalia, Iraq, Bahrain, Peru, USA and Vietnam.
Agenda of India
- To save and maintain Indian nature and cultural heritage
- To bring unity and welfare to tourism and culture
- To endure bilateral talks between India and Oman and expand tourism exchanges.
- To invite communities all over the globe to participate in the campaign named “A NEW INDIA 2022".
