Bhaktapur, Mar. 6:The World Heritage City of Bhaktapur, Nepal will host an international conference focusing on the development of locally managed cultural tourism industries from April 8-16, 2000. This is stated in a press release issued by the Bhaktapur Municipality today.

The conference, organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Municipality of Bhaktapur and supported by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) will focus on how tourism can be utilised to benefit communities without destroying the cultural and natural assets upon which it is based. Other municipalities and VDCs such as Kathmandu, Patan, Banepa, Panauti, Changunarayan, Khokana etc. will also be supporting the Conference. The Department of Archaeology and the Nepal National Commission for UNESCO are also kindly helping in this event.

Culture, Heritage Management and Tourism, which is expected to bring more than 150 participants to Bhaktapur, will focus on how the demands of increased tourism can be reconciled with conservation initiatives while offering development opportunities for inhabitants of some of the world’s most precious – and endangered sites, adds the release.

Conference is part of a broader UNESCO/Government of Norway project, bringing together community representatives from eight heritage sites from the Asia-Pacific region to present research findings and work with panels of cultural, tourism and economic development experts to create site specific tourism plans.

Participating sites are: Bhaktapur, Nepal, Hoi An, Vietnam, Kandy, Sri Lanka, Levuka, Fiji, Lijiang, China, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, Melaka, Malaysia and Vigan, Philippines.

The project and conference is based on the premise that tourism, as the fastest growing and one of the most profitable industries in the world, offers unparalleled opportunities for the economic development of local communities living in or near heritage sites in Asia and the pacific.

The conference, says UNESCO Resident Representative to Nepal, Yoshiaki Kitamura will focus on how the revenues of tourism can be captured without causing substantive damage to local culture and heritage.

‘Tourism is often viewed as an easy way of making money, especially for communities still facing hardships from the economic downturn, ‘Kitamura said. ‘But if it is left unplanned and unregulated, the potential for negative impact on culture and the environment is substantive.

‘This conference and workshop will allow residents of some of our region’s most precious and most popularly visited heritage sites the chance to meet and to work with Nepalese and international experts to develop strategies that link tourism development and heritage preservation.’

Mayor of Bhaktapur, Prem Suwal says that he expects that the conference will not only allow Bhaktapur the chance to showcase local efforts in heritage preservation and tourism development, but also allow sites from around the region to gather and learn from each other’s experiences.

‘As both a participant in this project and host of this conference we are very pleased to be part of this initiative and to have the opportunity to delve further into issues in tourism and heritage preservation.

‘While tourism increases throughout the region, members of heritage communities need to become more aware of how they can benefit most from increased revenues.

‘We expect that through this conference and project, we will have the opportunity to examine how we as a community can gain from tourism both economically and through the preservation of our heritage,’ he said.

Pradeep Raj Pandey, CEO NTB says, “Nepal in general and Bhaktapur in particular is fortunate to have a conference of this magnitude. Ours is the only country in the world to have 7 world cultural heritage sites within a radius of 20 kms. Hence it is paramount that we conserve these sites as our national treasure for the people of this world.”

The conference will run for 10 days at the New Municipality Building, Bhaktapur, and will incorporate highlights of the Bisket Jatra. A series of field trips will take delegates into the major heritage locations of the Kathmandu Valley including Patan, Kathmandu, Khokhana, Panauti, Swoyambhu, Pashupati, Baudha and Changu Narayan.