UNWTO International Conference on Heritage Tourism | Japan

Entitled "How do we foster, present and preserve world treasures", the International Conference on Heritage Tourism organised by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) will be held at the Todaiji Temple Cultural Center, Nara, Japan, between 24 and 26 February 2016. The event aims to provide a forum for the tourism industry, governments, academia, representatives of local communities, and international organizations to present global best practices to foster, present and preserve the world’s treasures. Specific objectives of the event are as follows:

• Ensure that heritage tourism development is responsible, inclusive and sustainable and that it contributes to the socio-economic development of host communities and improves their well-being.
• Seek best practices to keep the balance between safeguarding the cultural identity and developing heritage tourism.
• Develop tourism products based on heritage assets.
• Present ways of empowering host communities to protect, conserve, present and express their distinct heritage in the context of tourism.
• Seek a more sustainable model for the development of diverse cultural tourism products that assesses vulnerabilities and limitations.
• Explore new and innovative approaches to the management of tourism flows in heritage sites taking into account the integrity of the sites and an effective communication of its values, as well as the engagement of the whole tourism supply chain.

The programme of the UNWTO International Conference on Heritage Tourism includes the following sessions:

• Session 1: Compatibility of Preservation and Utilization.The current challenge, in the context of a rapidly changing and globalized world, remains in upholding the values of heritage sites while providing an authentic experience to the visitors.
• Session 2: Refinement of Tourism Resources. Through tourism, heritage, which may seem to be commonplace to the local community, can become high-valued tourism attractions. This session will discuss roles of stakeholders and the potential for partnerships between host communities and the industry, government and academia to identify, develop, and promote diverse tourism resources.
• Session 3: Sustainable Utilization. The final session will showcase innovative approaches in sustainable destination management to ensure long-term utilization of heritage, such as methods in the management of visitor flows, the engagement of the entire tourism supply chain, and solutions to maintain the competiveness of a destination.

For additional information and registration, please visit http://www.icht2016.com/