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Preliminary programme

2 nd International Congress on World Civilizations and Historic Routes Sofia Hotel Balkan, Bulgaria, 15-16 November 2018 Preliminary Programme Wednesday, 14 November 08:30 – 19:00 Hotel check-in and badge collection at the Sofia Hotel Balkan 19:00 - 22:00 Opening dinner (Upon invitation only) Thursday, 15 November 08:00 - 09:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee 09:00 - 09:30 Opening Ceremony  Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO  H.E. Mrs. Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism, Bulgaria  Mrs. Yordanka Asenova Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia, Bulgaria 09:30 - 09:45 Group photo for the Heads of delegation 09:45 - 10:30 Press Conference (Upon invitation only) 10:30 - 12:30 High Level Meeting: Exploring the role of governments and regional policies in the development of historic routes Governments play an important role in the enhancement of cultural heritage and in particular in the development of historic routes, which often require a strong political will and effective transnational cooperation if spread over different regions. This Panel will bring together High level representatives to discuss ways to fully harness the potential that cultural heritage offer for the development of tourism, while ensuring it contributes to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs´). Moderator: TBC Participants:  H.E. Mrs. Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism, Bulgaria  Ambassador Michael Christidis, Secretary General, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)  H.E. Mr. Omer Arısoy, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey 2 nd International Congress on World Civilizations and Historic Routes World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) - A Specialized Agency of the United Nations Poeta Joan Maragall 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain. Tel: (34) 91 567 81 00 – info@unwto.org / unwto.org 2  H.E. Mr. Khaidr Beshir Malek, President of the General Authority for Tourism, Libya  H.E. Ms. Salma Elloumi Rekik, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Tunisia  H.E. Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia  H.E. Mrs. Sayeda Mojgan Mostafavi, Deputy Minister of Administration, Finance and Tourism Affairs, Afganistan  H.E. Ms. Sofía Montiel de Afara, Minister of Tourism of Paraguay  H.E. Mr. George Tziallas, Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development, Greece 12:30 - 14:30 Lunch 14:30 - 16:30 Session 1: Creating Signature Cultural Tourism Experiences along the Historic Routes and World Civilizations Iconic historic routes have inspired the travels and discovery of new territories of countless generations. Praised through literature, arts, and cinema, they have contributed to reveal the unique history, culture and natural assets of territories along them, becoming powerful promotional tools. This panel session will gather some of the most famous routes of all to see what it is that makes them so special. Panellists will discuss ways to effectively develop a tourism product around them, with a particular focus on the enhancement of the visitor´s experience and safeguarding the identity and authenticity of the destination.  St. James´ Route, Ms. Mª Nava Castro Domínguez, Director of Tourism, Xunta de Galicia, Spain  Route 66, Mr. Aaron Mahr, Superintendent, National Trails Intermountain Region, US National Park Services  The Jesuits Route, H.E. Ms. Sofía Montiel de Afara, Minister of Tourism, Paraguay 20:00 - 22:00 Gala Dinner Friday, 16 November 08:45 – 09:30 Welcome coffee 09:30 – 09:50 Presentation: “Successful promotion and branding of a historic route” Promotion plays a major role in correctly enhancing the value of a historic route. This presentation will introduce key aspects related to the successful branding and promotion of a historic route, shedding the light on the effective use of new technologies and ways to engage with new audiences.  Mr. Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director - Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) 09:50 – 10:30 Keynote: “A traveller´s story: I´ve travelled the route” Mr. Kai Markus Xiong will be sharing his inspiring trip along the historic Silk Road routes, and reflect on the many adventures, encounters, and challenges he met along the way.  Mr. Kai Markus, Extreme Athlete and Activist. Founder of the “Run My Silk Road” initiative Sofia, Bulgaria, 15-16 November 2018 World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) - A Specialized Agency of the United Nations Poeta Joan Maragall 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain. Tel: (34) 91 567 81 00 – info@unwto.org / unwto.org 3 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break 11:00 – 13:00 Session 2: The challenges and opportunities of developing transnational tourism routes: the Silk Road as a case study. As part of UNWTO’s Silk Road initiative, Silk Road Member States, regional and local tourism authorities, academic partners and private sector tourism stakeholders have acquired an understanding of the value of transnational collaboration and are willing to share a common development plan for the historic routes. However, how to practically materialize the step from awareness-raising to transnational product development and tourism management? By bringing together representatives from different fields – academia, civil society, tourism consultancy and training, and governance – this session will explore the opportunities and challenges of making historic routes such as the Silk Road a tangible travel reality. Moderator: Mr. Patrick Fritz, Technical Coordinator, Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department, UNWTO  Mr. Barnaby Davies , Co-founder, Eastguides West  Dr. Stella Kostopoulou, Associate Professor of Regional and Tourism Development at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), Department of Economics, and Head of the “European Interdisciplinary Silk Road Tourism Centre”, AUTh  Local representative TBD 13:00 – 13:30 Closing Session and Conclusions 13:30 – 15:00 Lunch 15:00 – 17:00 Complimentary half-day technical tour of the city centre of Sofia 20:00 – 22:00 Dinner (Upon invitation only) Saturday, 17 November All-day technical tour with lunch (Prior registration required