UNESCO : a Tourism platform designed to last

On the occasion of the European Heritage Days, UNESCO launched the first online platform on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism on 15 September. Designed with the support of the European Union, and developed in collaboration with National Geographic, this platform, called World Heritage Journeys, features 34 World Heritage sites in 19 countries of the European Union.

The launch of the platform will take place on 15 September at UNESCO Headquarters, the day on which the Organization will open its doors to the public on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. This initiative is co-financed by the European Union and promotes sustainable tourism in some of Europe’s outstanding World Heritage sites.

It encourages travellers not to limit themselves to highly tourist sites, to stay longer and to explore the region they visit more. This initiative is part of the new alliance formed by UNESCO and National Geographic.

 » Our objective is to change the way people travel by encouraging them to stay longer, explore local culture and its environment and become familiar with World Heritage values« , said Mechtild Rössler (photo), Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

World Heritage Journeys offers four routes that highlight Europe’s heritage and history: Ancient Europe (link is external), Romantic Europe (link is external), Royal Europe (link is external) and Underground Europe (link is external). The site provides practical information and tools to guide travellers in preparing their stay in Europe based on local knowledge of the cultural heritage of the sites.

« We are addressing travellers directly but we also hope that the tourism industry – tour operators, travel agencies and local and national tourism authorities – will use the content we have generated to promote tourism in line with the project’s objectives and that reflects the outstanding universal value of World Heritage, » added Mechtild Rössler.

World Heritage Journeys is also dedicated to attracting Chinese visitors to Europe as part of the European Union-China Tourism Year 2018, an initiative led by the European Commission and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, in collaboration with the European Tourism Commission.

The platform also includes the objectives of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018.

 » This project is an excellent example of how National Geographic stimulates the traveler within us to explore the most remote places on Earth and beyond. It aims to strengthen the economic health of communities in and around World Heritage sites and to provide tourists with unique cultural experiences, based on the recommendation of local experts, » said Frank Biasi, Director of Digital Development and Travel Programs at National Geographic Maps.

«  With this local knowledge, the site encourages travellers from North America, China and other regions to travel differently and more deeply and to use the platform to organize their trips to Europe« .