The second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: (Fostering Sustainable Development) will be held in the Omani capital Muscat within the framework of International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
The Conference takes place on December 11-12 and explores ways to build and strengthen partnerships between the Tourism and Culture sectors and enhancing their role in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, reflecting upon the outcomes of the First World Conference, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia in February 2015, according to UAE News Agency (WAM). 

UNESCO said the United Nations has declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, providing a unique opportunity to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to help transform our world into a place of prosperity and well-being for all.

Culture that encompasses heritage and traditions as well as art, languages, gastronomy, music, handicrafts, museums and literature is of immeasurable value to communities, shaping their identities and fostering respect and tolerance among people. Currently culture is being used increasingly to promote destinations and enhance their competitiveness and attractiveness.

With the significant contribution cultural tourism can make to the socio-economic development, its popularity is increasing at a faster pace than most of the other segments, even faster than the growth rate of tourism worldwide