Jointly organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Tourism of Greece and the Region of Central Macedonia, 16 countries from the Silk Road region convened to discuss the overarching role and relevance of the Silk Road within a globalized tourism framework.

Also attended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and many representatives from the private tourism sector and academia, the two-day event featured a Silk Road ministerial roundtable, moderated by CNN Greece, specialized panel sessions, a networking breakfast and a joint UNWTO / PATA session focused on digitalization and tourism storytelling. During the first day of the event, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between UNWTO and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki aimed at fomenting cooperation and tourism research, especially about Silk Road heritage available throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region.

All meeting information, including official photos and event presentations, can be found here.

UNWTO’s Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department would like to thank all participants and partners of the event. Special gratitude is due to Aegean Airlines, the official air carrier sponsor. Additional event partners include the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau, the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Travel Weekly, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the Port of Thessaloniki and the Professional’s Chamber of Thessaloniki.