The 4th UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture responds to the calls for action from the past three Declarations on Culture and Tourism, namely:

  • the 2015 Siem Reap Declaration, which recommends closer and targeted partnerships between stakeholders of culture and tourism;
  • the 2017 Muscat Declaration, which encourages the contribution of tourism and culture in national SDG strategies, and
  • the 2018 Istanbul Declaration, which promotes tourism development as a tool for safeguarding culture, contributing to sustainable cities and the use of technology to facilitate access for all.

This Conference will continue the discussion on how the tourism and culture sectors can work more collaboratively together and increase public-private partnerships to ensure the protection of cultural heritage and the promotion of new cultural expressions.

The theme of the 2019 World Conference, 'Investing in future generations' will concentrate on cultural transmission, community and capacity building.

This conference will demonstrate the importance of enabling local stakeholders to have a voice in how tourism is managed both now and in the future. Panelists will share their perspectives on the priority investments that need to be made today to ensure tourism is developed in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

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