UNWTO: Silk Road and cross-country tourism projects on the rise

The 8^th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers’ Meeting, held during the ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show, focused on the long-term tourism vision for the historic Silk Road routes and how to establish the Silk Road as the most important transnational tourism route of the 21st century.

With the theme “2025 Silk Road Tourism Agenda”; the Ministers and Heads of the National Tourism Administrations shared their main ideas and strategies, which bring together 34 countries, Malaysia having become the latest member to join this initiative spearheaded by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

“Our joint work on placing the Silk Road as an internationally renowned and seamless cultural tourism route is proving to be very positive. In countries all along the Silk Road, there is growing awareness of tourism’s contribution to cultural preservation, regional cohesion, and intercultural understanding”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pollikashvili during the meeting. “Cross-country tourism projects are growing, and the interest of trade and consumers in the Silk Road continues to rise,” he added.

Primarily associated with inland routes, the historic trade route also comprised an extensive network of maritime itineraries linking various cultures. Against this backdrop, UNWTO has assessed the tourism potential of Maritime Silk Road thematic routes across Asia and took the occasion of this year’s meeting to present the research study “Tourism Impact of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road,” jointly developed with Sunny International.

UNWTO’s work around the project aims to maximize the benefits of tourism development for local communities, while stimulating investment and promoting the conservation of the route’s natural and cultural heritage.

While destinations stand to benefit from the persistent strong growth of international tourism, putting sustainability and trans-border cooperation first will be key to fully develop its benefits. The conclusions of the Silk Road Ministers Meeting will be further specified during the 8^th UNWTO Silk Road Task Force Meeting in Turkey in April, and during the 8^th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism in Greece in October 2018.