Two tourism associations have signed an agreement to bring culture, heritage and communities to the forefront of recovery after Covid.

The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH) based in Sydney with offices in Europe Cultural heritage Cultural heritage (CHEA), headquartered in Washington DC, signed a letter of intent on April 27th.

As part of the new partnership, the two organizations will work together to improve best practice, provide education and training, and advocate better conservation, equity and access.

“WTACH and CHEA are experts and global leaders in cultural and cultural tourism,” said Chris Flynn, CEO of WTACH. “With CHEA, we want to help destinations and the tourism sector showcase the unique aspects of their cultural heritage in a way that celebrates and respects the host communities while delivering more meaningful visitor experiences.”

Stephanie Jones, Founder and CEO of CHEA, added: “Working with WTACH, we aim to provide capacity building and tourism readiness training for local stakeholders, culture preservation and tourism marketing and development advice – in short, a comprehensive support program for travel destinations and industry, big or small, new or old, who want to get cultural and cultural tourism right. “

Pre-Covid cultural and cultural tourism was negatively affected by overtourism at famous landmarks, while it was financially neglected at the local level, particularly in emerging markets.

proofs from MyTravelResearch.com, a strategic partner of WTACH, shows that cultural and cultural tourists [pre-Covid] spent up to 38% more per day and stayed 22% longer compared to other types of travelers.

Carolyn Childs, CEO of MyTravelResearch.com, noted that there are many benefits to getting cultural and cultural tourism done right: social capital, civic pride, economic benefit, cultural responsibility, and a clear case for asset protection.

In implementing the MoU, WTACH and CHEA have stated that they are now ready and eager to partner with companies and institutions around the world seeking to put responsible cultural and cultural tourism at the forefront of the revitalization of travel.

“The goal is to help host communities in a way that serves to protect and preserve the uniqueness of the place,” said Flynn.

Both WTACH and CHEA are committed to promoting the United Nations’ goals for sustainable development.

Additional Information: WTACH.org and CHEAglobal.org.

Via the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage

WTACH tries to set clear goals, objectives and strategies for the protection of cultural heritage through responsible and sustainable tourism practices. Working with public, private and specialist academic sector organizations, WTACH sets ethical principles and standards for best practice in line with the most robust global research available. WTACH was founded in 2018 by Chris Flynn, former Director – Pacific at the Pacific Asia Travel Association. WTACH is based in New South Wales, Australia. https://www.wtach.org.