Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, Chair of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) will be attending the World Conference on Tourism and Culture organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on February 4-6 in Cambodia.
Marking the first such global collaboration between UNWTO and UNESCO, the conference brings together ministers of tourism and culture and stakeholders in the fields from around the world to explore the different roles and mandates to advance sustainable cultural tourism while fostering new partnerships.
Attended by HM Preah Bat Samdech Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia and Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Conference will address a wide range of topics, including governance models, the promotion, protection and safeguarding of culture, innovation, the role of creative industries and urban regeneration as a vehicle for sustainable development in destinations worldwide.
Speakers include King Simeon II (former Prime Minister of Bulgaria), John King (Chairman of the Australian Export Tourism Council), Helena Egan (Director of Industry Relations at TripAdvisor), John Delaney (Senior Vice President of Seabourn) and Elizabeth Becker (award-winning author and former correspondent for the New York Times).
‘The first UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture will provide an unprecedented global platform for policymakers, experts and practitioners in tourism and culture to meet and identify the key challenges and opportunities for stronger cooperation between these highly interlinked areas,’ Shaikha Mai said.
‘Tourism and culture are two sides of the same coin,’ she added. ‘Culture is a vital tool for tourism contributing to economic growth and social development. Only by safeguarding culture can sustainable tourism be developed for the benefit of both local communities and international visitors as well as national economic planning and development policies.’
Also attending the conference alongside Shaikha Mai will be Mounir Bouchenaki, Director of the ARC-WH, who will be speaking about culture and tourism .
The two-day conference fittingly takes place in Siem Reap, home to Angkor Wat, the country’s most famous heritage symbol and popular tourist destination.