ON THE ROADTO QUÉBEC

ORGANIZED BY WITH THE SUPPORT OF

A S E R I E S O F O N L I N E W O R K S H O P SF O R M E M B E R S O F T H E O W H C

TOURISM ANDECONOMY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ONLINE WORKSHOPS

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context, target audience and objectives

WORKSHOP IN SPANISH

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experts, invited cities, case studies andconclusions

WORKSHOP IN ENGLISH

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experts, invited cities, case studies andconclusions

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“On the Road to Québec” is a series ofonline workshops offered by the OWHC tomembers of its network. The workshopstook place between February 9 and March18, 2021 and were open to electedofficials, experts and site managers workingin a city that is a member in good standingof the organization.

The topics of the workshops were inspiredby the theme chosen for the 16th WorldCongress of the OWHC “EnhancingLivability in World Heritage Cities”, by theglobal COVID-19 crisis as well as by themore general challenges that await cities inthe 21st century.

The workshops were offered in a verydynamic format, starting with anintroduction offered by an expert on thechosen theme, followed by presentations ofcase studies by member cities of thenetwork. The workshop was then dividedinto sub-groups, in order to push thediscussion more in depth and exchangewith colleagues from all over the world.

By sharing their ideas and experiences,participants contribute to the developmentof the next OWHC scientific symposium.

Workshop #2 - Tourism andEconomy

The New Urban Agenda highlights the needfor urban economies “to transitionprogressively to higher productivitythrough high-value-added sectors bypromoting diversification, technologicalupgrading, research and innovation,including the creation of quality, decent andproductive jobs, through the promotion ofcultural and creative industries, sustainabletourism, performing arts and heritageconservation activities”. However, theCOVID-19 pandemic has highlighted theimportance of improving the sustainabilityof the tourism economy. It has also shownthe importance of supporting the localbusinesses in times of crisis.

ONLINEWORKSHOPS

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WORKSHOP #2TOURISM AND

ECONOMY

W o r k s h o p i n S p a n i s h

3 M a r c h 2 0 2 1

BARTOMEU DEYA

Bartomeu Deya is an economist. He was director of the MallorcaTourist Office for 15 years, then for 3 years director of the WorldHeritage Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana. He iscurrently Vice-President of the Committee on Cultural Tourism (ICTC)of ICOMOS.

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RAFAEL PÉREZ DE LA CONCHACAMACHO

Rafael Pérez de la Concha Camacho graduated in Tourism from theUniversity of Cordoba. Since 2001, he has been Head of the Tourismand World Heritage unit of the City of Cordoba and RegionalCoordinator for the Southern Europe and Mediterranean region of theOWHC. He mainly develops projects to raise citizens' awareness tothe importance of heritage, as well as programs to promote thedifferent cultures that have left their heritage in this thousand-year-old city, with an eminently touristic focus. All this supported byvarious municipal networks of national and international scope.

ALFONSO CABRERA CRUZ

EXPERT AND INVITED CITIES

HEAD OF THE TOURISM AND WORLD HERITAGEUNIT, CORDOBA

VICE-PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEEON CULTURAL TOURISM OF ICOMOS

HEAD OF THE HERITAGE DIVISION, INSTITUTE OFHERITAGE AND CULTURE, CARTAGENA

Alonso Cabrera Cruz has a PHD in Art History from the University ofGranada, Spain. He is an architect and has experience in the domainsof art, public administration, civil engineering and technologies. He is aspecialist in conservation and restoration of architectural heritage andcurrently manages the Institute of Heritage and Culture of Cartagena.

Cordoba: Analysis of the situation and keysto reviving tourism in a World Heritage city

Cordoba's economy, like that of most WorldHeritage cities, was heavily dependent ontourism industries. Many historic centershave consequently been transformed intotourist (HISTOURISTICS) centers. With theCOVID-19 pandemic, these tourist centershave been left empty, without tourists,without noise, without disturbances, andwithout economic activity. This weakness isa real and proven threat, which we must tryto transform into strength and opportunity.The recovery will have to be accompaniedby better public-private collaboration, orrather public-private management.

Cartagena: Tourism and economy –Cartagena's heritage in peril

While Cartagena de Indias will celebrate the500th anniversary of its founding in 2033,the city's future remains uncertain. Theclimate crisis and rising sea levels threaten toflood much of the territory and displacemore than 30% of the population.Residential, tourist, economic and heritagefunctions will be threatened.

On the other hand, if humanity manages tofight successfully against the harmfuleffects of climate change, we will insteadsee a city that has applied the parametersof 4C (Cartagena de Indias Competitiveand Compatible with the Climate). The citywill have mobilized all its inhabitants andwill continue to offer the internationalcommunity a unique urban heritage thatrefuses to disappear.

For a safe reactivation

Participants stressed the importance ofensuring a safe tourism reactivation forvisitors, local communities, and businesses.While the pandemic will continue to affecttourism activities for several months,strategies must be explored to restorevisitors' confidence and allow a return tonormalcy.

Seals such as the World Travel andTourism Council's Safe Travel Stamp werecreated to allow travelers to recognizedestinations and businesses worldwidethat have adopted health and hygieneprotocols based on global authorities'recommendations.

CASE STUDIES ANDCONCLUSIONS

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Participants also mentioned thatimplementing a vaccination passport willneed to be carefully considered and couldpotentially facilitate travel and allow therecovery of tourism and economic activitiesover the next year.

The importance of supporting the local andregional economy

While many large companies andmultinationals will weather the crisis, thesituation is more complex for smallbusinesses and independent entrepreneurs.The participants underlined the importanceof supporting these important actors of thelocal and regional economy.

For example, we must ensure that financialaids deployed by municipal administrationsand governments are used locally, ratherthan being redistributed within largecompanies or multinationals whose decision-making and head offices are mostly locatedin other regions or countries.

Better integrated tourism strategies at theregional level is another solution to ensure amore robust recovery and more resilienttourism in cities. Each city must work closelywith their rural communities to generatemore diversified tourism revenues andgenerate new regional economic benefits.

Post-pandemic tourism: an opportunity toinnovate and do better

Many participants supported the idea thatthe pandemic and the current tourismcrisis must be an opportunity to innovateto ensure a truly sustainable tourismrecovery. Among the recommendationsmentioned, tourism that is more inclusive,adapted, and open to different lifestylesand cultures should become the norm.Actors in the tourist industry (guides,hoteliers, restaurateurs, etc.) must bebetter trained on the various categories ofvisitor needs and expectations.

Participants also mentioned that return tonormal does not have to be a return to theold model. For example, cities shoulddetermine a carrying capacity to avoid pastproblems related to overtourism. Mostparticipants agreed that it is not a matterof reducing the number of visitors, butrather of finding ways to allow them tobenefit from diversified activities that aremore dispersed in space and time.

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WORKSHOP #2TOURISM AND

ECONOMY

W o r k s h o p i n E n g l i s h

4 M a r c h 2 0 2 1

FERGUS T. MACLAREN

Mr. Maclaren is a sustainable tourism and cultural heritagemanagement professional with 25 years of experience inCanada and internationally. Much of his current professionalfocus involves tourism recovery, rejuvenation and resiliency atcultural and natural World Heritage sites and theimplementation of the 2030 UN Sustainable DevelopmentGoals. His background includes a broad range of tourismplanning, destination management, and community andcultural heritage development expertise, and he serves in anExpert capacity for UNESCO, UNWTO, OWHC, EconomicInnovation Institute for Africa, and Heritage & Cultural Societyof Africa (HACSA).

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DIANA BÜTTNER

Diana Büttner is a trained architect and heritage conservator.She oversees the developments of Bamberg’s MarketGardeners’ District and provides support to the WorldHeritage Visitor Centre of Bamberg. She held the Presidencyof the Soroptimist International Club Bamberg Kunigundefrom 2015 to 2017. Since 2019, she has also been a boardmember of the Bamberg Gardeners’ and Vintners’ MuseumAssociation.

HYEONJI OH

EXPERT AND INVITED CITIES

HyeonJi Oh is the Regional Coordinator of Organization ofWorld Heritage Cities Asia-Pacific Regional Secretariat andCity Official of Gyeongju, Republic of Korea. Specialized inCommunication and Public Relations, she is experienced in abroad range of organizing international-level events, managingYouth, Publication and PR Programs for World Heritage Citiesof Asia-Pacific region.

DEPUTY HEAD OF WORLD HERITAGEOFFICE, BAMBERG

CITY OFFICIAL AND OWHC COORDINATORFOR ASIA-PACIFIC, GYEONGJU

PRINCIPAL, MAC-DUFF TOURISM | HERITAGE |PLANNING | PRESIDENT OF ICOMOS-ICTC

Zabeth Teelucksingh is passionate about raising Philadelphia’s global profile. A seasoned, award-winning international executive, Zabeth has spent her global career educating organizations andcommunities on the infinite rewards of thinking globally. Since 2011, Zabeth has been the ExecutiveDirector for the non-profit Global Philadelphia Association (GPA).

Dr. Melissa Stevens is the World Heritage Program Manager for the non-profit Global PhiladelphiaAssociation. She is a cultural anthropologist with expertise in heritage education and community-basedtourism and has worked on heritage projects in the United States, Tanzania, and Vietnam.

Jabari K. Jones is an economic development professional who specializes in the development ofecosystems that support small businesses. Jabari is the founding President of West Philadelphia’slargest business association – encompassing over 2,000 members and 12 commercial districts.

ZABETH TEELUCKSINGH

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INVITED CITIES (CONTINUED)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR GLOBAL PHILADELPHIA ASSOCIATION,PHILADELPHIA

MELISSA STEVENS

JABARI K. JONES

WORLD HERITAGE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR GLOBAL PHILADELPHIAASSOCIATION, PHILADELPHIA

FOUNDING CHIEF-EXECUTIVE OF THE WEST PHILADELPHIACORRIDOR COLLABORATIVE, PHILADELPHIA

Bamberg: Tourism and economy –Bamberg‘s perspective in light of the Covid-19 pandemic

Bamberg is adapting to recent developmentsand seizing this opportunity to improveaccessibility to its heritage. Among theprojects presented are objects for peoplewith visual impairments such as books inBraille and 3D models on the city'sarchitectural heritage, new flat and levelpaving stones for people with reducedmobility, guided tours in sign language forpeople with hearing disabilities. Also, newtools have been developed to makeBamberg a Smart City. For example,monitoring tools were installed at strategicplaces on the site, making it possible tocount in real-time the number of visitors on-site and to suggest alternative itineraries toother visitors who wish to avoid crowdedplaces.

Philadelphia: Pandemic Pivot – Newopportunities for heritage tourism inPhiladelphia

The recovery of Philadelphia's tourism andhospitality industry is essential toeconomic reconstruction, and the currentcrisis is an opportunity to correct long-standing shortcomings. For this recoveryto be more equitable, the city must ensurethat its African American population, itssites and histories, are included in theseefforts in a meaningful and substantialway. This strategy must also include newinitiatives and investments at theneighborhood level.

Gyeongju: Challenges and Perspectives ofTourism in times of COVID-19

Like many World Heritage cities, Gyeongjuhas not been spared by the pandemic. Asignificant drop in the number of touristsand significant economic losses forced thecity to develop creative and ambitiousfinancial support measures for thecommunity.

CASE STUDIES ANDCONCLUSIONS

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In addition to deferring payments and taxbreaks, a credit card with discounts has beenoffered to citizens to encourage them toconsume in local businesses. The city alsotook advantage of the crisis to implementinfrastructure and improvement projects inthe historic center, allowing a moresustainable and efficient tourism recovery.

Mindsets are changing, and visitors areready to hear the truth. But to acceleratethis change – a change that takes time andevolves from one generation to another –it is essential to act now. The pandemicmust be a time to act.

A more diversified tourism

Diversification is a concept that will helpcities cope with the crisis in a moreresilient way. It means in particular to varythe types of tours and activities offered.For example, cities must expand the offerof activities in nature and the countrysidenearby.

Besides, the visitors' origins must also bemore diversified. The current crisis showsthat depending solely on internationaltourism is problematic in several ways. Weneed a tourism strategy that includes localand regional tourists.

To better diversify the local tourismeconomy, it is also necessary to develop agenuinely interdisciplinary approach andinvolve all the local economic actors. Forexample, in some places, internet providersmust be involved in that strategy sincethey can set up technologicalinfrastructures to accommodate "digitalnomads". These professionals can workremotely in the long term.

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An inclusive tourism to reduce disparities

Several participants highlighted theimportance of continuing and acceleratingthe establishment of a more inclusivecultural tourism. The story told to visitors inmuseums and on sightseeing tours must beaccurate and complete. Every nation hasknown difficult times, and some culturalcommunities still experience difficultiesrelated to this turbulent history. The firststep towards better inclusion is to tell thestory as it happened, highlighting its positiveaspects and the more difficult ones.