"We are now all standing before a very important moment. The trade routes that influenced and changed the course of civilisations, the road which enabled culture, music, and dances to travel from East to West and from West to East, this unimaginable Silk Road Cultural Heritage was before of our eyes and I feel privileged to have witnessed such an outstanding Silk Road Folklore Dancing Show.

I can clearly see the importance of Likion ton Ellinidon Salaminas in being the ambassador of amazing folklore and cultural heritage of Salamina. The United Nations World Tourism Organization is here and supports your incredible work and performances that you have delivered all these days. I speak from the point of knowledge when I say that Salamina has a huge tourism potential and capacity to create special experiences that the contemporary travellers look for nowadays. Festivals like this empower, strengthen, and raise the profile of Salamina Island Internationally.

We must acknowledge that Tourism is the most prosperous industry of Greece and initiatives like this Silk Road Festival should be embraced and supported in order to open the path to sustainable tourism development. This is why the Silk Road Programme of UNWTO is here, to support you."