December 2018
Intrepid DMC General Manager for Turkey, Çağlar Gökgün, shares his key learnings from the recent UNWTO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, held in Istanbul.
By Çağlar Gökgün
Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the 3rd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, held in Istanbul. The motto of the conference was “for the benefit of all” - regarding how cultural tourism can and should act as a driver for safeguarding living heritage, catalysing creativity in cities and spreading socioeconomic benefits.
The event was opened by the President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca [pictured below] who set the tone for the following sessions in her keynote speech about the importance of ‘tourism diplomacy’ – the idea that tourism fosters understanding between people. I couldn’t agree more – the best part of my job is working with people from all over the world and learning about their cultures.
With over 30 Tourism Ministers from around the world in attendance, it was a wonderful opportunity to hear about the challenges faced by other destinations and how those challenges are being addressed. With that in mind, I thought I’d share my top three learnings which are relevant to all tour operators.
1. Up to 30 per cent of travellers choose a holiday destination based on their cultural interests.
Cultural tourism has been defined by the UNWTO as:
“A type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/products relate to a set of distinctive material, intellectual, spiritual and emotional features of a society that encompasses arts and architecture, historical and cultural heritage, culinary heritage, literature, music, creative industries and the living cultures with their lifestyles, value systems, beliefs and traditions.”
2. The protection of culture is essential for the continuation of tourism, as it is culture that feeds interest in a destination.
When a city has too many tourists, the culture of that city will change. The industry needs to be vigilant in protecting culture – particularly intangible culture - as an asset. However, tourism can also play a significant positive role in the promotion and conservation of culture – so it’s a balancing act.
3. Overtourism is just one aspect of a broad category of issues that might be classified as “mismanaged” tourism.
Mismanaged tourism is an issue for all destinations no matter how many visitors they receive. Ensuring tourism is sustainable requires a collaborative approach between all stakeholders, which can be easier said than done!
Çağlar Gökgün is Intrepid DMC General Manager for Turkey. Connect with Çağlar on LinkedIn here.