Seychelles delegation leave Cambodia satisfied with the 1st. ever UNWTO / UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture

Seychelles delegation leave Cambodia satisfied with the 1st. ever UNWTO / UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture
 

Almasalla, ATP News- Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture accompanied by Benjamine Rose, his PS for Culture left Siem Reap in Cambodia on Saturday afternoon enroute to Seychelles saying that they were both satisfied withe the first ever UNWTO / UNESCO Conference on Tourism and Culture that was held under the theme of ‘Building a New Partnership’.

"We discussed a lot and we heard from each other the need to better integrate culture in the development of our tourism industries. Seychelles has already made this move some three years ago when the island President James Michel amalgamated tourism and culture into the one ministry in his government.

 Today our island’s culture is more seen and it is definitely more appreciated than ever before" said Alain St.Ange of the Seychelles.

Accompanied by Benjamine Rose, his PS for Culture the Seychelles Minister said as he participated in the last round table conference of the event that "Culture is the only USP, the unique selling point each country has that carries their very own and unique DNA. We need therefore to ensure we are all proud of our culture and that we never shy away from showcasing our culture to the world. This is why on behalf of Seychelles I again extend an invitation to countries from the Community of Nations to fly their flag at the annual Carnival of Carnivals that takes place in Seychelles during the last weekend of the month of April.

This cultural event remains the only such event where every country can be seen, can fly their flag and can see their cultural delegation parade together with all the best and most known carnivals of the world inclusive of Brazil. Notting Hill of London, the Dusseldorf Carnival of Germany, those from Italy, Indonesia among many others.

This event has become like the UN General Assembly of Cultural Manifestations" said the Seychelles Minister to his colleague Ministers and press.

The UNWTO / UNESCO World Conference also saw Benjamine Rose, the Seychelles PS for Culture organise one to one meetings with a number of Ministers of Culture who were in Cambodia for the first ever UNWTO / UNESCO World Conference to present to them the annual the Carnival of Carnivals that takes place in Seychelles during the last weekend of April.  

On his part Nelson Alcantara of eTN has already reported that well over 900 participants, including some 46 Ministers and Vice Ministers of Tourism and Culture, international experts, speakers and guests from 100 countries had gathered at the UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to explore and advance new partnership models between tourism and culture.

Tourism is today moving more than one billion people across international borders each year. The conference agreed that this offered immense possibilities for socio-economic development in destinations around the world. Cultural tourism has proven to increase competitiveness, create employment opportunities, curb rural migration, generate income for investment in preservation, and nurture a sense of pride and self-esteem among host communities. Yet, in order to effectively promote and safeguard the very heritage cultural tourism relies on, a sustainable, multi-stakeholder approach is crucial.

“We need cross cutting policies to promote the sustainable development of cultural tourism”, said Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, opening the meeting. “This Conference represents an important contribution to advance the future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the link between tourism and culture,” he added.

“Cultural heritage tells mankind’s story; it tells our story. Carefully managed, tourism can protect and enliven this heritage, generate new opportunities for local communities, and foster tolerance and respect between peoples and nations”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai opening the Conference. “It is up to us to work together to harness the sheer force of one billion tourists, turning it into one billion opportunities to contribute to inclusive economic growth, social development and advancement of the post-2015 sustainability agenda around the world. I trust this Conference will allow us to strengthen our partnerships and work closer together as architects of such a sustainable future”, he added.

“Every tourist must be a custodian of world heritage, an ambassador of intercultural dialogue. This is why safeguarding cultural heritage must move forward with sustainable tourism”, said Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, in her message to the conference. “This vision guides our efforts to promote culture as a driver and as an enabler of sustainable development.This has never been so important at this time of change, when countries are shaping a new global sustainable development agenda to follow 2015.”

In his key note address to the Conference, King Simeon II, former Prime Minster of Bulgaria, said: “As one of the three living heads of state from World War II, I must share with you what first came to my mind when reading about culture coupled with tourism: peace, harmony, mutual understanding. Promoting peace and understanding among people, securing thus a better standard of living, bonds of friendship in a world with far too much aggressiveness, hatred, inequality and prejudice, is vital. We need to ensure that cultural tourism is on the international community’s agenda for sustainable development in view of the new Sustainable Development Goals.”

In his key note address, HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities stressed the efforts of the Saudi Commission in "promoting cultural heritage on various levels including its linkage to tourism, to the national economy and the development of the nation."

In message to the Conference, the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, stressed that “the power of culture diversity has been acknowledged as an integral component for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and will remain an essential element of the post 2015 Sustainable UN Development Agenda. In this context, tourism plays an essential role in helping people of different cultures understand each other and eliminate cultural barriers.”

The Ministerial Dialogue, moderated by Andrew Stevens from CNN International, focused on how tourism and culture administrations can work together to develop a governance framework for sustainable cultural tourism, which contributes to the socio-economic development of host communities, promotes cross-cultural exchanges, and generates resources for heritage conservation. Ministers stressed the importance of creating common institutional structures to plan and manage cultural tourism, ensure community engagement and empowerment and cooperation with the private sector.

The technical sessions focused on cultural preservation, cultural routes, tourism and creative industries, and urban regeneration through cultural tourism.

On the occasion of the Conference, the Agreement on the Establishment of the International ST-EP (Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty) Organization was signed by Cambodia, Ethiopia, Peru, Paraguay and the Republic of Korea in the presence of the UNWTO Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the ST-EP Foundation, Amb. Dho Young-shim.