BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
This conference will be dedicated to highlighting the huge potential of the Silk Road region for food
and intangible culture tourism to serve as an important tool of public-private cooperation and
effective marketing. Silk Road destinations are widely recognised for the main sites of built heritage –
but the Silk Road region is home to a rich diversity of food and cultural tradition.
The conference will bring representatives from tourism ministries, national tourism offices, tourism officials, private sector, experts and grass roots practitioners from across the Silk Road countries
together with wider international experience.
Globally there is growing recognition of the importance of food tourism worldwide. As a recent
distinctive trend in tourism, food tourism is being embraced by many tourism planners around the
world as an opportunity to develop the potential of existing attractions without requiring significant
investment in new infrastructure and other facilities.
One of the key objectives of the UNWTO Silk Road programme is the development of sustainable
tourism along the Silk Road, building strong links and collaborative initiatives. This conference will
help to share examples of best practice across the Silk Road and internationally and raise awareness
about food culture as a powerful vehicle for sustainable tourism development. It is meant to be a
catalyst of multi-lateral collaboration and taking forward the unified development of the global
potential of the Silk Road brand. Food is one area that can cross borders and political differences
acting as a driver for collaboration and ultimately, peace.

WEDNESDAY, 5 SEPTEMBER 2012
Arrival day and Welcome dinner
DAY 1 THURSDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2012
08.30 – 09.30: REGISTRATION
09.30 : OFFICIAL OPENING
H.E. Abulfaz Garayev, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan
Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary- General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
10:00-11:30 SESSION 1 – FOOD AND TOURISM: GLOBAL TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Moderated by Nick Easen, Reporter, Producer and Business Travel Correspondent, BBC.com/travel
Presentations
Iñaki Gaztelumendi, UNWTO Food Tourism Consultant
Turkish Airlines
Krista Florin, Director of Worldwide Communications & Brand Marketing, Relais & Chateau
Vittorio Castellani Chef Kumalé, Chef, Food consultant and Journalist, Italy
This session will focus on:
- Findings of the UNWTO Global report on Food tourism
- The growing importance of food experiences in tourism worldwide
- What consumers are hungry for and what leading hotels, restaurants and airlines are serving up
- Global influences on food trends including seasonality, price sensitivity, health and nutrition
- Innovative best practices in authenticity, quality and sustainability
11.30 – 12.00
Networking Coffee break
12.00 – 13.30 SESSION 2 – BUILDING THE SILK ROAD AS A LEADING NETWORK OF CULINARY DESTINATION
Moderated by Valere Tjolle, Publisher & Editor, Vision on Sustainable Tourism, Principal TotemTourism.com and Travelmole’s Vision
Presentations
Peter DeBrine, Programme Specialist Sustainable Tourism, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Kim Sang Ug, Director – Tourism Policy Division, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea
Felix Larrosa, Vice President, Tasting Spain, Spain
Musa Dagdeviren, Manager and Chef, Ciya Kebap restaurants, Turkey
This session will focus on:
- Celebrating and promoting the heritage of the ancient Silk Road through its diverse and unique cuisine
- What it takes to be a leading gastronomic destination
- The significant export potential of food, agriculture, viniculture along the Silk Road, with a particular focus on small medium enterprises
- How food tourism can stimulate investment, infrastructure development and trans boundary cooperation
-Developing food tourism in line with policy and integrated strategies on culture, agriculture and marketing
15.30 – 17.00 SESSION 3 – FOOD FOR DEVELOPMENT
Moderated by Demian Hodari, EHL Professor of Strategic Management, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne
Key presentation
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Discussion panel
Catherine Gazzoli, Chief Executive Officer, Slow Food UK
Gavin Bell, Consultant, Food Nature Culture
Yayo Galiana, Communication Director, Basque Culinary Centre
Ramón Roteta, Michelin-starred chef and Member of the Board of Directors, EUROTOQUES
Kristina Ionitskaya, Deputy Director, Catalonia Tourist Board Eastern Europe Delegations
This session will focus on:
- The case for CSR: how businesses can contribute to positive causes while improving the bottom line
- Enhancing destinations through incentivising CSR in hospitality management
- Inspiring examples from major brands and local businesses contributing to local development
- Responsible supply chain management
17.00 – 17.45 WRAP-UP DISCUSSION
With the participation of Heads of National Tourism Administrations, Key stakeholders
19.30 Gala event celebrating the food and cultural diversity of the Silk Road

DAY 2 FRIDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2012
DAY 2 is a combination of presentations and debates with strong practical approach and strong regional emphasis. It involves keynote presentations by international/regional examples to start with inspiration. Each workshop will formulate guidelines and conclusions to be presented at the closure.
09.30 – 11.00 WORKSHOP 1 – SILK ROAD IN THE GLOBAL TRAVEL MEDIA
Nick Easen, Reporter, Producer and Business Travel Correspondent, BBC.com/travel
John Bell, Travel Reporter and Broadcasting Expert, The Independent (UK), Mail on Sunday (UK), The Age (Australia)
This workshop will focus on:
- What makes good travel stories for Silk Road destinations?
- How can destinations market authenticity to the travel media?
- What is cutting edge travel media looking to cover?
- What are the opportunities and the challenges with the current international media coverage?
With an emphasis on popular travel and tourism pegs:
- Regional and local food
- Celebrity chefs and restaurants
- Unique experiences
- Culture, art and music
- Activities
11.00 – 11.30
Networking
11.30 – 13.00 WORKSHOP 2 – DIGITAL AGE: SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRAVEL
Mark Frary, Travel writer and social media consultant
Steve Keenan, Social and digital media expert
This workshop will focus on: Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media, how new media can help people discover the Silk Road
- The importance of social networks
- The relevance of new media to the Silk Road
- How it can be utilised by Silk Road partners
- How to put together a WordPress blog from scratch
- Opportunities for travel and tourism on the Silk Road
- What is the next big thing in social media
- How to work with food and travel bloggers and get people who love the Silk Road to work on your behalf
13.00 – 13.30
CONCLUSIONS AND CLOSURE

Afternoon
Technical trip/ excursion related to food tourism or community based tourism
Saturday Sunday Departure or optional post-conference tours