Now available – the Western Silk Road Roadmap!

The UNWTO Silk Road Programme is pleased to announce the official publication of the Western Silk Road Roadmap.

Of practical nature, and based on common interests and needs, the Roadmap opens up immense opportunities for transnational cooperation by bringing together Western Silk Road destinations and stakeholders from the tourism sector and beyond.

Inspired by shared heritage ranging back centuries and present among us today in the shape of monuments, gastronomy, ideas, scriptures, architectural designs, clothing, music and many aspects more, the Roadmap outlines a common course of action and details short-, medium- and long-term objectives that are to ensure the flourishment of the Western Silk Road as a sustainable and internationally competitive transnational tourism route.

Initiated barely a year and a half ago, the interest and expectations raised by the Western Silk Road Tourism Development initiative has been startling. With research contributions arriving from partner universities across the region and with great attendance achieved at the two Western Silk Road workshops in Greece (April 2017) and Bulgaria (June 2017), the project partners are now in a position to implement practical initiatives with the help of the two main management structures created for this project, the Western Silk Road Working Group and the Western Silk Road Tourism Academic Network.

In the Foreword, UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, declares: “In connecting East and West through inclusive discourses, internalizing sustainable tourism practices within and between regions, safeguarding natural and cultural heritage through local engagement and participation, and seeking to strengthen tourism innovation and good practices, important steps are being made towards establishing the Silk Road as an internationally renowned, seamless travel experience”.

His words are seconded by Ms. Alla Peressolova, Head of the UNWTO Silk Road Programme, who praises the Roadmap for it foments “cooperation across borders and symbolizes the potential benefits to be derived from sustainable public-private partnerships. Confident of the immense opportunities for peace, prosperity and long-term sustainability, I sincerely hope that all readers find the Roadmap both stimulating and rewarding”.

The Western Silk Road Roadmap can be freely downloaded here.

The UNWTO Silk Road Programme would like to express its gratitude to all Silk Road destinations and partners for their ongoing support and dedication. We look forward to continuing our work with you in the future.

Additional information:

Enhancing the Understanding of European Tourism’ Project 

‘Enhancing the Understanding of European Tourism’ is a joint project by UNWTO and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (DG GROW). The project aims to improve the socio-economic knowledge of the tourism sector: enhance the understanding of European tourism and contribute towards economic growth, job creation, and thus improving the competitiveness of the sector in Europe. The project includes three components: 1) increased cooperation and capacity building in tourism statistics; 2) assessment of tourism market trends; 3) promotion of cultural tourism through the Western Silk Road and; 4) promoting sustainable, responsible, accessible and ethical tourism. The project is co-financed with the European Union’s COSME Programme (2014-2020) funds and will run until February 2018.