The participants in the International Congress on World Civilizations and Creative Tourism have discussed the need for strategies for sustainable development of the industry

In the second day of the International Congress on World Civilizations and Creative Tourism held in Sofia, the participants discussed the need of strategies for sustainability in the tourist industry. Among those attending the congress was the Secretary General of the WTO Taleb Rifai.

The Head of the Tourism Management Plan in Angkor (Cambodia) Sok Sangvar presented the history of the Code of Conduct for the Visitors of the Tourist Sites in this region of his country. It includes different requirements such as prohibition of smoking, requirement for appropriate clothes, compliance with the signs etc. This procedure dates back to the 12^th century and provides for strict penalties depending on the offender’s position in the social hierarchy.

Sok Sangvar also emphasized that the plan relies on tourism to create more benefits for the local communities, on the effect of the visitors’ experiences and the development of the local infrastructure. Tourism is one of the elements for the conservation of the cultural heritage and he compared the tourism to a book. The tourist sector is the publisher of this book, which must not remain in the drawers, he summarized.

The doctor of anthropology from the University of Chicago in Ethiopia Prof. Zeray Alemseged presented his country as an attractive tourist destination, which has given the world not only the coffee, but also the earliest discovered human skeletons in the history of Earth. We all come from Africa despite our huge external differences now, he summarized and stressed that the culture does not belong to one nation. According to him successful tourism must rely on several crucial principles - inspiration, involvement, education, management and perseverance. This is the only way to preserve the cultural values of the human civilization for a better common future.

Prof. Petar Delev, an expert on ancient history from Sofia University, presented to the participants and guests of the congress some basic information about the Thracian civilization. He outlined specific facts, which demonstrate the connection between the cultural and historical heritage of contemporary Bulgaria and the ancient Thracian culture. The presentation was richly illustrated with images of the Thracian treasures, artifacts, drawings and other unique monuments discovered in Bulgaria.

A direct skype connection was implemented with the expert of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru Richard Bazan, who presented the concept of the institution for the development of the industry. The concept is oriented toward local communities and especially to the rural population in the country, which is the main destination. The local communities are the beneficiaries of the funds for the development of tourism, but they must ensure a real process of management of the tourist services. The good management and the high quality of the tourist activity ensure the industry competitiveness, underlined Richard Bazan.

The discussions continued with lectures by Zurab Polikashvili, ambassador of Georgia in Spain and Permanent Representative of the state in WTO; Caroline Kuret, creator of the network for creative tourism in Spain and Bulgarian representatives from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Valeria Fol and Diana Gergova. At the end of the plenary day the participants will adopt a Common Declaration of the Congress.