6th UNWTO Silk Road Task Force Meeting

22-25 April 2016

Urmia, West Azerbaijan Province, Islamic Republic of Iran

The ancient Silk Road city of Urmia, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran hosted the 6^th UNWTO Silk Road Task Force Meeting. The meeting was jointly organized by UNWTO, the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Association (ICHTO) and the West Azerbaijan Province.

The meeting focused on the three key pillars of the Silk Road Action Plan: i) marketing and promotion ii) destination management and capacity building and iii) travel facilitation. The Task Force agreed that while the Silk Road presents extensive opportunities for development, success will be determined by establishing strategies and objectives that are achievable for all destinations.

Official UNWTO Press Release (29 April 2016)

Official UNWTO flickr page - 6th UNWTO Silk Road Programme meeting photos

News: IRIB News Agency 1 / IRIB News Agency 2

Presentations

Official Opening

• Official Welcoming by Mr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General (via video message)
• UNWTO Silk Road Programme Update by Ms. Alla Peressolova, Head of the UNWTO Silk Road Programme

Workshop: Marketing and Promotion

• Marketing and Promoting the Silk Road: Success Stories and Challenges by Ms. Johanna Devine, Technical Coordinator, UNWTO Silk Road Programme
• Understanding and Engaging New and Traditional Media in Tourism by Mr. John Bell, UNWTO Media and Communications Consultant
• TripAdvisor Travel Trends for the Silk Road 2016

Workshop: Capacity Building and Destination Management

• Planning for Tourism and Heritage Development on the Silk Road by Ms. Muhayyo Makhmudova, Programme Officer in Culture, UNESCO Tashkent Office
• Offering a Quality Visitor Experience through Tourist Guide Training by Mr. Mohsen Hajisaeid, Vice-President of the Iran Federation of Tourist Guides Association

Workshop: Travel Facilitation and Connectivity

• The Silk Road by Air: The Role of Turkish Airlines in Connecting the Silk Road by Mr. Yavuz Akkaynak, General Manager, Turkish Airlines Tabriz Office
• Promotional video: World Expo Astana 2017: Opportunities for the Silk Road
• Promotional video: Silk Road Conference on Nomadic Tourism and Sustainable Cities (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 13-15 October 2016)

Workshop: Standards and Certification on the Silk Road

• Implementing Successful Quality Standards Certification Programs in Tourism by Ms. María Cruz Cádiz Gómez, Technical Manager, Spanish Institute for Quality Tourism

Additional Meeting Information

• Meeting Programme
• Preparatory Notes: English Russian
• Silk Road Countries - International Tourist Arrivals and Tourism Receipts by country of destination
• List of participants 

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