Silk Road Ministers Meeting at ITB Berlin 2019

All Regions
6 Mar 19

Organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and supported by ITB Berlin, the 9th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers Meeting successfully took place on Wednesday, 6 March 2019 from 14:00 - 16:00 at the 'Berlin Room', Hall 7.3a.

The meeting focused on collaborative opportunities and tourism projects aimed at strengthening regional cohesion.

Mr. Patrick Fritz, Technical Coordinator of the Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department at UNWTO presented current activities being developed by UNWTO and future cooperation opportunities across the region.

Mr. Jens Thraenhart, Founder & CEO of Chameleon Strategies presented a proposal for Silk Road countries aimed at increasing their online marketing presence through a novel Silk Road website and platform.

Ms. Maria Founta, Head of Marketing in CEE of Google, presented on how digital tools and strategies can help diversify the product offering of Silk Road destinations.

Mr. Steven Small, Brand Director, and Ms. Sasha Woodward, Senior Account Manager, of Routes presented on air connectivity and the future of air travel, with a specific focus on Silk Road countries.

Ms. Sakina Asgarova from the Azerbaijan Tourism Board presented on Azerbaijan's Silk Road heritage. A key node along the historic Silk Road routes, Azerbaijan will be hosting two important Silk Road events in 2020: the Silk Road Task Force Meeting and the 9th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism.

During the Open Debate, which counted upon the input of 20 Silk Road countries, in addition to contributions by UNESCO and UNWTO Affiliate Members, important strategies were discussed that will allow UNWTO to plan activities for the 2019-2020 period. All of sustainable nature, the proposed initiatives will allow us to further advance and work towards our main vision: to make the historic Silk Road routes the most important transnational tourism route of the 21st century.

Programme

For more information on the above, please write to silkroad@unwto.org