10 March 2008

Heritage Site Tourism Conference for China

The World Tourism Organization and UNESCO are jointly organising a Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management at Heritage Sites in Huangshan, China, on 24-27 March 2008.

The Conference is being organised to tackle specific issues related to heritage areas in site management with a view to advocating sustainability principles. It will focus on the following key policy issues, through presentations from a range of countries and sites, interactive debates and field exercises through the Huangshan case:

Maximising economic benefits of heritage site tourism:

1. Generating benefits for local communities and for site conservation (employment, businesses, linking with local products and services, site financing through tourism)
2. Presentation of heritage values for a quality tourist experience (information, communication, interpretation, programmes)

Reducing negative impacts of tourism:

3. Congestion management (management of high volume of tourist flows, seasonality, infrastructure and transport, etc.)
4. Environmental management (conserving quality of build structures, landscapes and natural areas, waste, water and energy management)

Said the UNWTO: Ã¢â¬ÅâœWorld Heritage Sites include many of the worldÃ¢â¬â¢s grandest monuments and natural wonders, such as Huangshan Mountains; and these constitute a great attraction for cultural and nature-oriented tourists. They require management that preserves them for future generations and at the same time makes them accessible to the public for purposes of education and enjoyment.Ã¢â¬~

Conference documents and registration form are available at:
http://www.unwto.org/sustainable/

Valere Tjolle