The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department is pleased to announce the release of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Tourism Opportunities and Impacts", a publication developed by UNWTO with the kind support of Beijing Sunny International Communications.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is a key component of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a major development plan that aims to connect China with the rest of Asia, Africa and Europe. The publication looks into the overall impact of the Maritime Silk Road on tourism and furthermore assesses the tourism potential of Maritime Silk Road thematic routes across Asia and beyond. The study shows that cruise tourism, targeted investments in decayed maritime infrastructure and the reutilization of ancient port cities can reinvigorate available maritime tourism heritage, support local communities and help diversify the tourism sector of Maritime Silk Road countries.

The electronic version of the report can be downloaded for free here.

UNWTO would like to express its gratitude to all the people who contributed to the publication, especially the lead author, Mr. Robert Travers.