CIFAL-Jeju Co-organises Workshop on Cultural Tourism for Sustainable Cities in the Asia-Pacific

In September of 2018, UNITAR’s Affiliated International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) organized a 4-day workshop on ‘Cultural Tourism for Sustainable Cities in the Asia-Pacific’ in Surabaya, Indonesia. The workshop was co-organized between CIFAL-Jeju and UCLG ASPAC (United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific), and was held in parallel with the 7th UCLG ASPAC Congress. The event took place from September 12^th to September 15^th and included 32 participants from 15 different countries. The attendees from national and local governments in the Asia-Pacific who wish to improve the cultural tourism in their cities and countries joined the workshop.

Countries represented in the workshop included Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

The workshop has been successfully completed, with the help of six resource persons consisting of academics, experts in cultural tourism who were invited from all around the world. The resource persons were Mr. John Smithies from Cultural Development Network; Dr. Aise Kim from University of South Australia; Mr. Ricardo Favis who was former Cultural Programme Officer at UNESCO Bangkok Office, Dr. Marcelino Pandin who is the current UCLG Policy Advisor; Ms. Nayun Lee and Mr. Junsung Yang, who are writers and artists active in Korea.

The workshop was initiated by opening remarks of Amb. Young-sam Ma of UNITAR CIFAL Jeju, as well as welcoming remarks of Governor Hee-Ryong Kwon of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, and the congratulatory remarks from Deputy Secretary General Baek-Sang Cho of Governor’s Association of Korea.  The lectures focused on key topics such as UN Sustainable Development Goals, Culture 21, cultural heritage management, various case studies of Cultural Tourism around the world as well as ways in which the Cultural Tourism could be utilized as an economic development tool. The workshop also consisted of CityShare methodology via which the participants were able to work in groups and exchange knowledge about their cities’ cultural tourism. During the workshop, the participants gained opportunity to be invited to various events hosted by 7^th UCLG ASPAC Congress such as Welcome Dinner hosted by Surabaya City, Tunjungan Walking Tour, as well as Keputih tree planting ceremony within Surabaya, deepening their understanding of efforts that Surabaya City is putting in in order to preserve and promote its local culture.