UNWTO Tour Operators’ Forum on the Silk Road - Creating a Stronger Business Environment for Growth

With its richly diverse cultural heritage and its wealth of natural tourism attractions spanning across 12,000 kilometres of ancient routes, the Silk Road as a unique network of tourism destinations has significant potential for growth. Commercial interest across the region has grown considerably in recent years, with ancient connections between the Middle East and Asia being revitalized in a surge of trade and investment in energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing. Stronger economies, improved infrastructure and connectivity, advances in information technology and enhanced mobility are creating new opportunities for tourism.

Yet a number of barriers are hindering tourism development in the Silk Road countries. Visa and border crossing formalities, transport infrastructure, corporate governance and quality assurance are just some of the issues that require the attention of stakeholders to ensure positive growth in the regions.

This seminar will bring tour operators together to discuss the role they can play in overcoming the challenges for doing business on the Silk Road. Conclusions and recommendations from this session will be included in the UNWTO Silk Road Action Plan 2012/2013.

Click here to register or send an email to silkroad@unwto.org.