Silk Road Seminar at WTM London 2014:What has been achieved and what’s in store for the future? Wednesday 5 November 2014, 10.30-11.45, WTM London, South Gallery 13-14. Organized by UNWTO, Travel Perspective and WTM
Acclaimed as the ‘greatest route in the history of mankind’, the ancient Silk Road formed the first bridge between the East and the West, and was an important vehicle for trade between ancient empires of China, Central and Western Asia, the Indian sub-continent and Rome.
2014 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Samarkand Declaration on Silk Road Tourism, a historic declaration that called for the ‘fruitful re-birth of these legendary routes as one of the world’s richest cultural tourism destinations’.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will commemorate this important milestone at this year’s WTM London by discussing the achievements and challenges for developing tourism along this internationally acclaimed route. The seminar will look at the relevance of today’s Silk Road, why it is attracting increasing global attention and what is in store for the future.
For more information, contact silkroad@unwto.org
To register for this seminar click here
10:15-10.30
Registration Open 10:30-10:50 Celebrating 20 years of Silk Road Tourism and Heritage
Alla Peressolova
Presentation 1: Progress on the Silk Road and Key Opportunities for the Future
Ms. Alla Peressolova, Head of UNWTO Silk Road Programme
This presentation will show how UNWTO is working with 31 countries to foster sustainable development of tourism along the Silk Road, while reviewing what has been achieved over the last 20 years. As the Silk Road increasingly continues to attract global attention, the presentation will look at what is in store for the future with regards to brand positioning, transnational route development and local tourism growth.
Presentation 2: The Silk Road’s journey to the World Heritage List
Mr Tim Williams, Institute of Archaeology, University College London and Director, Ancient Merv Project
In June 2014, following many years of extensive work carried out by UNESCO, ICOMOS and UCL in collaboration with 15 countries, the first Silk Road Heritage Corridor was inscribed on the World Heritage List. It is intended this will be the first of many corridors to be inscribed on the List, in an effort to safeguard the region’s outstanding heritage while opening up the doors for sustainable tourism growth. Having played an important role in the process, Mr William’s will share insight into how partners overcame the challenges to get the Silk Road World Heritage listed and what the inscription will mean for the region in the long term.Tim Williams
10:50 -11:20 Silk Road Panel Debate: Is the guidebook dead?
Moderator:Mark Frary,Travel Perspective
Panellists:
Helena Egan, TripAdvisor
Adrian Phillips, Bradt
Mariana Badias, Minube
Whilst there is significant potential for tourism growth along the Silk Road, the region faces a number of challenges, particularly with regard to marketing and promotion. There is a need for greater consistency in branding and promotion, and consumer awareness about the Silk Road is still relatively low. Readily available, up-to-date travel information for the Silk Road is also limited.
In an ever-changing environment where booking trends and marketing approaches continue to evolve, it is increasingly difficult for destinations to predict what will bring them the best return on investment for the marketing budgets.
The panellists on this session come from a broad range of companies, specialising in traditional guide books to marketing and promotional websites. Based on their extensive experience in dealing with both destinations and consumers, the panellists will debate on what they see as the future for successful tourism promotion of the Silk Road.
Moderator:
Mr. Mark Frary, Co-Founder, Travel Perspective
Panellists:
Ms. Helena Egan, Director, Industry Relations, TripAdvisor
Mr. Adrian Phillips, Managing Director, Bradt Travel Guides
Ms. Mariana Badias, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Minube
11.20-11.40
Questions and Answers
11:40-11:45
Conclusions & Closing remarks
*Please note that admission to World Travel Market is for registered industry representatives with valid accreditation to enter the WTM. For information on how to register for WTM London, please visit: http://www.wtmlondon.com/Content/WTM-2014-Registration