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.

Additional information:

As part of the research project, the lead researcher, Mr. Robert Travers, made two field trips to Indonesia and China, and presented the project at several conferences, including the International Mayors Forum on Tourism in Zhengzhou, China; the 3rd Maritime Silk Road International Tourism Festival in Fuzhou, China; the 8th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers Meeting at ITB Berlin 2018; and the 7th UNWTO Silk Road Tourism Operators Forum 2018, also at the ITB fair. The promotional 21st Century Martime Silk Road brochure can be downloaded here.