MUSCAT, Dec 9 - Ahmed bin Nasser al Mehrzi, Minister of Tourism, on Saturday visited the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) to inspect the final preparation works for the Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, to be held on December 11-12.
The conference will be hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, in cooperation with UN’s World Tourism Organization and Unesco.
The event will be attend by 700 participants from over 70 countries and 30 ministers and will be opened on December 11 in the presence of His Highness Fahad bin Mahmoud al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers.
The key includes Eliza Jean Reid, First Lady of Iceland and special ambassador for tourism and the sustainable development goals; Princess Dana Firas, Unesco Goodwill Ambassador, Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed al Khalifa, president of Bahrain Authority for Culture; Francesco Bandarin, Unesco assistant director-general for Culture and Gerald Lawless, chairman Chairman, World Travel and Tourism Council.
The conference, a sequel to the first UNWTO/Unesco World Conference on Tourism and Culture, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia in February 2015, will provide the platform to reflect upon the Siem Reap Declaration that pledged to explore the synergies of the tourism and culture sectors to work
in harmony for sustainable development.
The United Nations has declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, thereby offering a unique opportunity to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to help transform the world into a place of prosperity and wellbeing for all.
In this context, the second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture features prominently as one of the official events on the calendar of activities of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Gathering tourism and culture stakeholders from all world regions in Muscat, Oman, the Conference will address a wide range of topics, including governance models, tourism development and protection of cultural heritage, culture and tourism in urban development and creativity, and exploring cultural landscape in tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development in destinations worldwide.
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