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UNWTO Backs Silk Road for Central Asia Tourism Co-operation Development
Saturday, 11 May, 2010
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Cross-Border co-operations throughout region to bring tourism and economic development
Meeting with the President of Tajikistan, H.E: Emomali Rahmon, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, underlined the importance of regional cooperation in the growth and development of national economies.
Referring to the UNWTO Silk Road Project, a long-term initiative to harness the tourism potential of the ancient Silk Road, Mr. Rifai called for the continued collaboration of all participating countries.
“Regional cooperation is key to harnessing the tourism potential of Central Asia. The Silk Road is a concept that requires cooperation beyond individual borders and is an excellent example of such cooperation”, said the UNWTO Secretary-General. “Tajikistan is an important stop along the Silk Road and is working with other countries to convert this resource into an integrated tourism product.”
The UNWTO Secretary General’s official visit also focuses on providing assistance to Tajikistan in the creation of a tourism development plan that would draw attention to and develop Tajikistan’s unique mountain nature and cultural assets.
Mr. Rifai met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E: Hamrokhon Zarifi and the Minister of Finance, H.E: Safarali Najmiddinov, to direct efforts towards developing a modern and competitive tourism sector in Tajikistan.
Established in 2003, the initiative currently involves China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. As the Initiative develops, there are plans to expand the participation to other Silk Road countries. The overarching goal of the Initiative is to help the region meet the Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty and promoting growth and equality.
UN Silk Road Cities demonstrate their historic ties to the Silk Road and how a city’s traditions and culture have influenced its modernisation and development. Cities also adopt a range of additional criteria to assess their commitment to sustainable tourism, cultural preservation and environmental protection, existing facilities and services and community awareness.
The scheme plays a key role in highlighting the cultural wealth and diversity of the Silk Road and its tourism attractions and help raise greater awareness of the region internationally, and strengthen dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders at all levels.
There are currently 24 countries participating in the Silk Road Project: Armenia, Azerbaijan, People’s Republic of China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Shiraz Municipality is preparing to host the Fifth Forum of Silk Road Mayors from May 19-21. The meeting of Silk Road mayors is sponsored by UNWTO, UNGDN and World Customs Organization (WCO), as well as Shiraz Municipality. The event will be attended by 300 guests from 50 cities from 30 countries.
Habib Shahbaz, the deputy head of Shiraz Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department, an- nounced that a large handicraft exhibition will be held on the sidelines of the event with the participation of foreign and domestic producers.
Shiraz is more than 4,000 years old and known as the city of poets and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, due to the many gardens and fruit trees there. The handicrafts of Shiraz consist of inlaid tiles, silverware, carpet weaving and weaving of kilims and jajims. metalwork and carpet industries dominate. Shiraz is home to Iran’s first solar power plant.
Valere Tjolle
Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite, special offer at: www.travelmole.com/stories/1142003.php
Valere
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