UNWTO Silk Road Ministers' Meeting at ITB Berlin 2012

The Silk Road is one of the world’s most recognised and celebrated travel and trade routes of all time. At this second Silk Road Ministers’ Meeting at ITB Berlin, UNWTO will present its new Silk Road Action Plan 2012/2013 and will highlight the importance of tourism route development in facilitating connectivity and collaboration between the mosaic of destinations that make up the Silk Road.

10.00-10.45
Registration Open

11.00-11.10
Opening Remarks
Martin Buck, Vice President Travel&Logistics, Messe Berlin GmbH
Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of UNWTO
Mode rated by Zoltan Somogyi, Execut ive Director of UNWTO

11.10-11.20
Tourism on the Silk Road 2012/2013
UNWTO Silk Road Programme Update
Alla Peressolova, UNWTO Silk Road Programme Manager

In July 2010, UNWTO launched its first Silk Road Action Plan 2010/2011, designed as a collaborative framework for marketing and capacity building that would work towards raising the profile of the Silk Road and drive sustainable development. In this presentation, UNWTO will highlight key achievements to date and introduce the new initiatives and focus for its next edition for 2012/2013.

11.20-11.30
Keynote Speech
Cultural routes as a vehicle for sustainable tourism development
Pedro Ortun, Director European Commission, General Directorate Enterprise and Industry

Europe has one of the most comprehensive networks of cultural routes in the world, with 29 certified by the Council and many additional routes in the process. The European Commission and Council of Europe intervention will highlight the benefits of investing in cultural route development, specifically focusing on enhancing competitiveness and innovation for local small to medium enterprises.

Conservation, dialogue and development: UNESCO and the Silk Road
Peter DeBrine, Programme Specialist Sustainable Tourism, UNESCO

In recognition of the significance of the Silk Road in the spreading of ideas, values, cultures and knowledge that contributed to the flourishing and development of civilizations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been promoting the Silk Road as a vehicle for intercultural dialogue and education for over fifty years. This presentation will present activities planned for 2012/2013, including an update on the World Heritage Centre Silk Road serial nomination process and UNESCO’s plans to develop a new online resource centre for its extensive Silk Road publications, archives, images and footage.

Young minds, new ideas: UNWTO/EHL Silk Road strategy challenge
Demian Hodari, Professor of Strategic Management, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne

In 2012, leading hospitality management school Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland) will work on a Silk Road strategy development initiative with UNWTO and Member States focussing on destination marketing, hospitality management and product development. This initiative will involve 200 top international students coming up with new and creative strategies on how to maximise the tourism potential of Silk Road destinations. With a joint UNWTO/EHL Think Tank planned for June 2012, this presentation will explain the objectives and benefits of being involved.

11.45-11.55
Practical approaches to Tourism Route Development

The Silk Road boasts an extensive network of overland and maritime routes which can play an important role in connecting destinations and promoting complimentary products. Yet many routes lack adequate infrastructure, interpretation or marketing to support or encourage visitation. This session will provide two examples on how investing in cultural tourism routes can create opportunities and benefits for destination marketing, public-private partnerships, job creation, and safeguarding of natural and cultural heritage.

Building Australia’s Great Southern Touring Route
Gaby Robinson - Executive Officer, Great Southern Touring Route

The Australian Great Southern Touring Route (GSTR) is a product of a partnership between four Regional Tourism Boards pooling marketing resources to grow visitation and maximise yield across the state of Victoria. This presentation will outline the challenges and triumphs of the GSTR’s 20 years of experience in developing one of Australia’s most successful tourism routes.

Connecting the Dots of the Silk Road online
Helena Egan, Head of Destination Marketing Sales, EMEA & Asia TripAdvisor

UNWTO has been continuing its work with the world’s largest travel website TripAdvisor to develop an online custom solution for the Silk Road. This presentation will demonstrate how the proposed solution would enable Silk Route to gain presence in front of the targeted travellers and offer destinations to promote their tourism routes, products and heritage sites through one comprehensive online platform. Additionally individual destinations will have the opportunity to enrich their destination content on TripAdvisor without an investment.

11.55-12.25
Discussion

12.25-12.30
Conclusions
Valere Tjolle, Publisher and Editor - Vision on Sustainable Tourism & Principal - TotemTourism.com

12.30-13.30 - following the Ministers' Meeting
Flavours of the Silk Road – VIP Walk at ITB Berlin

Food was a major innovation of the ancient Silk Road and this VIP Walk with the UNWTO Secretary-General and ITB management across 10 stands at ITB will highlight some of the Silk Road’s most celebrated cuisine. This event will serve as an entrée to the major ‘Flavours of the Silk Road: International Conference on Food, Culture and Tourism’ organized by UNWTO and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6-7 September 2012.