LAGAWE, Ifugao – The Philippine National Commission (PH NatCom) for UNESCO will conduct a Public Meeting on Sustainable Tourism at the World Heritage Site of the “Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordillera” for Ifugao on February 24, 2016 at the Highlander Hotel and Resort in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya.
The meeting organized under the framework of UNESCO Jakarta’s project called “The Power of Culture: Supporting Community-Based Management and Sustainable Tourism at World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia” will present the outcome of two previous workshops to the public concerning the development of sustainable tourism strategy at World Heritage Site that will be a medium for the Ifugao local government to share its Tourism Master Plan.
The Project is a regional effort in the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism (WH+ST) Program which is initiated by the UNESCO Office in Jakarta to catalyze positive change to protect and conserve the sites while enriching the lives of the local communities and enhancing the experience of travelers.
It is intended to establish a shared responsibility for the conservation of common cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value and ensure sustainable development through appropriate tourism management.
The meeting will be facilitated by the Ifugao Provincial Government (IPG) and the concerned national authorities who will communicate the efforts of Ifugao in developing a Tourism Master Plan, present the outcome of the UNESCO facilitated process focusing on the considerations for World Heritage and sustainable tourism and invite feedback and input to secure a public mandate for the IPG alongside the national authorities to move forward.
Before the Feb. 24 meeting, the second and last initiation workshop will be conducted on Feb. 22-23 to consolidate results achieved to date, compile relevant elements from existing and available documents that would go into sustainable tourism strategy and identify shortcomings issues in need of further efforts to be fed into the Tourism Master Plan./JDP/DBC- PIA CAR, Ifugao
