Missions one step closer to prestigious status; play key role in tourism and jobs
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – At the historic Mission Concepción, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the Department of the Interior has officially authorized the San Antonio Franciscan Missions for nomination to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List.
Secretary Salazar’s visit to the urban parks of San Antonio is part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a 21st century approach to conservation Century and to reconnect Americans to our nation’s natural, cultural, and historic heritage – growing outdoor recreation, travel and tourism economy and creating jobs in communities across the country.
“World Heritage Sites represent an incredible opportunity for the United States to market our most significant places as destinations for domestic and international travelers,” said Secretary Salazar. “San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves four missions that embody the cultural roots of this great city and represents the single largest concentration of Spanish Colonial resources in the United States. As we continue to make progress in achieving this prestigious status for the Missions and for San Antonio, we also are moving forward to make America the world’s number one tourist destination – creating jobs and growing our economy.”
Today’s announcement represents a key step in an official process whereby the National Park Service will propose the nomination to the 21-nation World Heritage Committee during the next available round of nominations. It comes as the U.S. National Committee for ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention as part of its annual international symposium, held this year in San Antonio, where Secretary Salazar delivered remarks last night.
The nomination dossier will be completed by the end of 2013, in time for consideration by the World Heritage Committee in 2015.
World Heritage listing is a prestigious designation that acknowledges the historical, cultural or natural value of a site, as well as the commitment of the sovereign nation and the site’s owners to its long-term protection and management. Under the World Heritage Convention, the Secretary of the Interior is charged with identifying and nominating worthy U.S. sites that display superlative cultural and/or natural attributes for designation.
Current World Heritage Sites in the United States include some of our most iconic places, ranging from historic places such as Independence Hall and Mesa Verde to spectacular natural parks like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
The San Antonio Franciscan Missions, currently on the Tentative List of Potential Future Nominations and recently recommended for World Heritage nomination by the Federal Interagency Panel for World Heritage, includes four missions (San Antonio Missions National Historical Park) and the Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero).
“The missions represent an important – and often overlooked – chapter of our nation’s history,” Salazar added. “It’s important that visitors from around the world know and celebrate the contributions of Latinos to the fabric of America, and these missions help tell that story in a very real way.”
The World Heritage Convention in many ways extends and elaborates on the national park concept, first developed in the United States, on the global scale. Better marketing of these sites to international travelers is a critical part of the Obama administration’s National Tourism and Travel Strategy (pdf), which delivered on President Obama’s call in January for a national strategy to promote domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the United States.
In his remarks, Secretary Salazar noted the strong economic benefits offered by the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Attracting more than 1.6 million visitors a year, the Park supports nearly $100 million in economic activity annually. Those dollars translate into over 1,100 jobs for the local San Antonio community. A National Parks Conservation Association report estimated that a $1 investment in the park yields $16 in local economic activity.
International travelers tend to stay longer and spend more on everything from hotels, to restaurants, to rental cars and airfare. As the national economy continues to recover, making the U.S. an even more attractive international destination, better highlighting our most significant attractions – like the San Antonio Missions – and facilitating the arrival of international travelers will create homegrown jobs in the travel and tourism industry and encourage economic growth.
NPS Office of International Affairs
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
UNESCO: Warns Heritage Sites in Mali, Arab World at Risk
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations cultural organization, UNESCO, warns that world heritage sites in the West African country of Mali and in the Arab world are at risk of damage and theft as political upheaval sweeps through those states.
The ancient city of Timbuktu saw its golden age as an Islamic intellectual and spiritual center in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, the Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, still stand as a testament to that time. But now, UNESCO warns, they are under threat from rebel groups, including Tuaregs and the al-Qaida-linked Ansar Dine.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General Francesco Bandarin said Friday that in addition to the mosques and several mausoleums, Timbuktu also has one of the world’s most important collections of ancient manuscripts.
“They have collected in Timbuktu in different collections, mostly private collections, a very large amount, over 30,000 manuscripts that are the most important library of religious and civil life in the Sahara. Also some of them are copied from previous times. It is an extremely important heritage of Islam and history there,” said Bandarin.
He said when the coup d’état began in late March the rebels did not loot the collections. But in mid-April, the situation worsened and some manuscripts were stolen from the Islamic research center in Timbuktu. He said UNESCO does not yet know how extensive the theft was.
UNESCO has warned Mali’s neighbors to be on the look-out for trafficked manuscripts. Bandarin noted that the illegal trade in antiquities worldwide is a $6 billion a year business, so that these treasures often end up on the black market and are sold to private collectors.
He said UNESCO sent a mission to Mali’s capital, Bamako, on Thursday to look into the situation further.
Bandarin says that while the Arab Spring has been good for democracy, it has not necessarily been kind to world heritage sites in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria.
The ancient city of Timbuktu saw its golden age as an Islamic intellectual and spiritual center in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, the Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, still stand as a testament to that time. But now, UNESCO warns, they are under threat from rebel groups, including Tuaregs and the al-Qaida-linked Ansar Dine.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General Francesco Bandarin said Friday that in addition to the mosques and several mausoleums, Timbuktu also has one of the world’s most important collections of ancient manuscripts.
“They have collected in Timbuktu in different collections, mostly private collections, a very large amount, over 30,000 manuscripts that are the most important library of religious and civil life in the Sahara. Also some of them are copied from previous times. It is an extremely important heritage of Islam and history there,” said Bandarin.
He said when the coup d’état began in late March the rebels did not loot the collections. But in mid-April, the situation worsened and some manuscripts were stolen from the Islamic research center in Timbuktu. He said UNESCO does not yet know how extensive the theft was.
UNESCO has warned Mali’s neighbors to be on the look-out for trafficked manuscripts. Bandarin noted that the illegal trade in antiquities worldwide is a $6 billion a year business, so that these treasures often end up on the black market and are sold to private collectors.
He said UNESCO sent a mission to Mali’s capital, Bamako, on Thursday to look into the situation further.
Bandarin says that while the Arab Spring has been good for democracy, it has not necessarily been kind to world heritage sites in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mali Islamists attack UNESCO holy site in Timbuktu
May 5 (Reuters) - Malian fighters from the Ansar Dine Islamist group attacked and burned the tomb of one of the town's saints, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, residents and a regional official said on Saturday.
The militants broke off doors, windows and wooden gates from the grave and burned them, they said, in the first reported attack on a shrine in Mali.
El Hadj Baba Haidara, an elected member of parliament from Timbuktu told Reuters some young people were discussing how to react despite being unarmed.
"There is a risk the people may revolt because this is something that affects their dignity. This tomb is sacred, it is too difficult to bear," Haidara said.
Ansar Dine, along with Tuareg rebels and other armed groups, swept through northern Mali in March and April, seizing the northern half of the country and its ancient towns of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal after the government collapsed in a March 22 coup.
While the rebel MNLA has declared an independent state in the north, al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine - led by veteran Tuareg leader Iyad Ag Ghaly - has rejected that idea and said the group's objective was to impose Islamic law in Mali.
Read more, here.
The militants broke off doors, windows and wooden gates from the grave and burned them, they said, in the first reported attack on a shrine in Mali.
El Hadj Baba Haidara, an elected member of parliament from Timbuktu told Reuters some young people were discussing how to react despite being unarmed.
"There is a risk the people may revolt because this is something that affects their dignity. This tomb is sacred, it is too difficult to bear," Haidara said.
Ansar Dine, along with Tuareg rebels and other armed groups, swept through northern Mali in March and April, seizing the northern half of the country and its ancient towns of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal after the government collapsed in a March 22 coup.
While the rebel MNLA has declared an independent state in the north, al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine - led by veteran Tuareg leader Iyad Ag Ghaly - has rejected that idea and said the group's objective was to impose Islamic law in Mali.
Read more, here.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Archaeologists Blast Hasty World Heritage Listings
One of the most significant global committees that you never heard of summoned a couple of hundred experts to the island of Menorca, Spain last week. The meeting involved politics, the remnants of great civilizations, human catastrophes, architectural triumphs, religious works of art and architecture, use of tourism, the rise and fall of empires, and did we say politics?
The International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management, or ICAHM, hosted its first conference on how to manage the world’s myriad archaeological World Heritage sites. This wildly varied array of places encompasses many of the most celebrated sites of human cultural accomplishment and catastrophe—everything from the pyramids and Roman fortifications to Mongol-era tombs and prehistoric rock art. ICAHM’s key job is to advise the World Heritage Committee about new sites proposed for the famous list. I attended as a guest of the Congress, which paid for my travel.
Right at the outset, ICAHM co-president Dr. Willem J.H. Willems of Leiden, Netherlands, put the core issue on the table. “Archaeology is the study of the past,” he said in his April 9 keynote, but “the past doesn’t exist anymore. Heritage is about the use of the past in the present.” And that’s where it gets interesting. And risky.
Too many countries are rushing to use the past—their heritage sites—for present purposes. Willems sharply criticized the way that sites are proposed and awarded World Heritage inscription. According to the World Heritage Convention, an international treaty, sites should be awarded a place on the list based on solid scientific and academic reasoning. Not happening, said Willems. The World Heritage Committee has been approving too many applications based on economic and “radically political” expediency.
For most countries, World Heritage status is a hotly desired prize. A background note may be necessary for some of the American audience here, where a myth prevails that a World Heritage listing means giving up sovereignty to UNESCO. In fact, World Heritage inscription simply means your country gets the sites that it requests “inscribed” on the World Heritage list. The conditions are that the sites are of “outstanding universal value” and that you take good care of them. If you don’t, the worst UNESCO can do is propose removal from the list.
Most countries, especially impoverished developing nations, are eager to put their greatest natural and cultural places on the list. Why? Prestige in part, national pride in part, yes, but also that modern vein of gold: tourism! An inscription puts you on the travel map.
Read more, here.
The International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management, or ICAHM, hosted its first conference on how to manage the world’s myriad archaeological World Heritage sites. This wildly varied array of places encompasses many of the most celebrated sites of human cultural accomplishment and catastrophe—everything from the pyramids and Roman fortifications to Mongol-era tombs and prehistoric rock art. ICAHM’s key job is to advise the World Heritage Committee about new sites proposed for the famous list. I attended as a guest of the Congress, which paid for my travel.
Right at the outset, ICAHM co-president Dr. Willem J.H. Willems of Leiden, Netherlands, put the core issue on the table. “Archaeology is the study of the past,” he said in his April 9 keynote, but “the past doesn’t exist anymore. Heritage is about the use of the past in the present.” And that’s where it gets interesting. And risky.
Too many countries are rushing to use the past—their heritage sites—for present purposes. Willems sharply criticized the way that sites are proposed and awarded World Heritage inscription. According to the World Heritage Convention, an international treaty, sites should be awarded a place on the list based on solid scientific and academic reasoning. Not happening, said Willems. The World Heritage Committee has been approving too many applications based on economic and “radically political” expediency.
For most countries, World Heritage status is a hotly desired prize. A background note may be necessary for some of the American audience here, where a myth prevails that a World Heritage listing means giving up sovereignty to UNESCO. In fact, World Heritage inscription simply means your country gets the sites that it requests “inscribed” on the World Heritage list. The conditions are that the sites are of “outstanding universal value” and that you take good care of them. If you don’t, the worst UNESCO can do is propose removal from the list.
Most countries, especially impoverished developing nations, are eager to put their greatest natural and cultural places on the list. Why? Prestige in part, national pride in part, yes, but also that modern vein of gold: tourism! An inscription puts you on the travel map.
Read more, here.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Culture Under Fire by Irina Bokova
Culture lies on the front line of conflicts across the world. Timbuktu has fallen into the hands of Tuareg rebel forces and shots have been fired around the city’s grand mosque, a Unesco World Heritage Site. This follows on the heels of the shelling of the city of Apamea in Syria. The citadel of Madiq and the ancient villages in the north of Syria, all of which are Unesco World Heritage Sites, could become collateral damage. They need our protection.
It may seem incongruous to denounce crimes against culture and call for their protection at a time of political instability and humanitarian crisis, but it isn’t.
Protecting culture is a security issue. There can be no lasting peace without respect. Attacks against cultural heritage are attacks against the very identity of communities. They mark a symbolic and real step up in the escalation of a conflict, leading to devastation that can be irreparable and whose impact lasts long after the dust has settled.
Attacks on the past make reconciliation much harder in the future. They can hold societies back from turning the page toward peace.
Read the rest of the article, here.
It may seem incongruous to denounce crimes against culture and call for their protection at a time of political instability and humanitarian crisis, but it isn’t.
Protecting culture is a security issue. There can be no lasting peace without respect. Attacks against cultural heritage are attacks against the very identity of communities. They mark a symbolic and real step up in the escalation of a conflict, leading to devastation that can be irreparable and whose impact lasts long after the dust has settled.
Attacks on the past make reconciliation much harder in the future. They can hold societies back from turning the page toward peace.
Read the rest of the article, here.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
International scholars learn conservation and tourism practices at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
International scholars learn conservation and tourism practices at Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkPosted on 5:25 pm, Monday, April 9, 2012.
Jovel AnanayoHawaii National Park, HI – Two scholars from World Heritage Sites in China and the Philippines are studying how Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, also a World Heritage Site, operates. Once they return to their countries, they will share how the National Park Service successfully integrates conservation and tourism.Jovel Ananayo, 35, is a National Park Service World Heritage Fellow from the Philippines, and a tourism post-graduate student at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He works as the tourism specialist for the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo), a nongovernmental organization embarking on the conservation of the Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras. The rice terraces are more than 2,000 years old and represent “an absolute blending of humankind and the environment,” according to UNESCO. But they face many challenges, from introduced invasive pests, tourism pressure on natural and cultural resources, diminishing indigenous knowledge systems, very limited financial resources, and more.“What amazes me here is how all the divisions and experts work together. You have experts on cultural and natural resource management and the eruption crew all providing information to the interpretation team who very effectively share their knowledge with visitors. That’s how it should be,” Ananayo said. “In Ifugao, efforts are much more fragmented, but we hope to improve on our collaboration and on how we integrate cultural and natural heritage in our tourism activities drawing from the model of the Hawai‘i Volcanoes,” he said.
Li LijuanLi Lijuan, 27, works for Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve in China’s Yunnan Province, part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a World Heritage Site. Lijuan took a leave of absence to participate in the East West Center’s Asia Pacific Leadership Program, where she studied political, global and regional emerging issues, trends, and leadership last semester. This semester, she’s serving as an intern at Hawai‘i Volcanoes to better understand how the U.S. national park system operates. Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve emphasizes preservation and restoration, and is probing how to balance protecting natural resources, provide access, and sustainable utilization.“The United States has a very good national park system, and you excel at balance. Here people can appreciate nature,” she said.This year, Hawai‘i Volcanoes celebrates its 25th anniversary of becoming a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, recognized internationally for its outstanding universal value. The park is one of only 21 World Heritage sites in the United States, and 936 worldwide. Today, visitors, students and volunteers from around the world come to experience its natural and cultural wonders, found nowhere else on earth.
Jovel AnanayoHawaii National Park, HI – Two scholars from World Heritage Sites in China and the Philippines are studying how Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, also a World Heritage Site, operates. Once they return to their countries, they will share how the National Park Service successfully integrates conservation and tourism.Jovel Ananayo, 35, is a National Park Service World Heritage Fellow from the Philippines, and a tourism post-graduate student at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He works as the tourism specialist for the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo), a nongovernmental organization embarking on the conservation of the Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras. The rice terraces are more than 2,000 years old and represent “an absolute blending of humankind and the environment,” according to UNESCO. But they face many challenges, from introduced invasive pests, tourism pressure on natural and cultural resources, diminishing indigenous knowledge systems, very limited financial resources, and more.“What amazes me here is how all the divisions and experts work together. You have experts on cultural and natural resource management and the eruption crew all providing information to the interpretation team who very effectively share their knowledge with visitors. That’s how it should be,” Ananayo said. “In Ifugao, efforts are much more fragmented, but we hope to improve on our collaboration and on how we integrate cultural and natural heritage in our tourism activities drawing from the model of the Hawai‘i Volcanoes,” he said.
Li LijuanLi Lijuan, 27, works for Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve in China’s Yunnan Province, part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a World Heritage Site. Lijuan took a leave of absence to participate in the East West Center’s Asia Pacific Leadership Program, where she studied political, global and regional emerging issues, trends, and leadership last semester. This semester, she’s serving as an intern at Hawai‘i Volcanoes to better understand how the U.S. national park system operates. Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve emphasizes preservation and restoration, and is probing how to balance protecting natural resources, provide access, and sustainable utilization.“The United States has a very good national park system, and you excel at balance. Here people can appreciate nature,” she said.This year, Hawai‘i Volcanoes celebrates its 25th anniversary of becoming a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, recognized internationally for its outstanding universal value. The park is one of only 21 World Heritage sites in the United States, and 936 worldwide. Today, visitors, students and volunteers from around the world come to experience its natural and cultural wonders, found nowhere else on earth.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
National Geographic: World Heritage Sites
To see National Geographic's website on World Heritage, click here.
Overlooked Heritage
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3be6aaf4-772a-11e1-baf3-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1qytnQay1
A world heritage site award from Unesco is seen as a boon for tourism and those looking to raise the status of a city, but there can be unforeseen consequences when it comes to development.
A world heritage site award from Unesco is seen as a boon for tourism and those looking to raise the status of a city, but there can be unforeseen consequences when it comes to development.
Monday, March 26, 2012
The U.S. Department of State's World Heritage Video Challenge
To help mark the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, the National Park Service, HISTORY, and the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO want to hear from you!
Simply film a short video (no more than 2 minutes) to explain why you think a particular U.S. World Heritage site is important to the world.
Winners may have their videos shown on the History Channel.
For more information, click here.
Simply film a short video (no more than 2 minutes) to explain why you think a particular U.S. World Heritage site is important to the world.
Winners may have their videos shown on the History Channel.
For more information, click here.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Everglades National Park seeks more visitors
Everglades National Park is poised to become more of a tourism focus as a first-time national marketing effort to draw visitors to the United States — with an emphasis on national parks — gets under way.At a group discussion Monday that included representatives from Miami-Dade County and a United Nations agency, experts tossed around ideas about how to bring more attention to the park both internationally and locally.Irina Bokova, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, came to South Florida to visit the 1.5 million-acre park during a 10-day tour of the United States.
Everglades National Park is one of just 21 sites in the United States on UNESCO’s World Heritage list — and the nation’s only property included on the “sites in danger” list.Calling it “one of our jewels on the World Heritage list,” Bokova said the park has the potential to bring more revenue and jobs through tourism — as long as there is an emphasis on sustainable growth to protect the fragile wetlands. About a million people visit Everglades National Park each year; 30 percent of those are from outside the United States, said park Superintendent Dan Kimball.
Many of those international visitors come to the park because it is a World Heritage site, Kimball said. But he wondered how to improve that brand’s recognition within the United States and South Florida. “We do not have an appropriation for marketing,” he said. “Our idea of marketing is putting a brown sign on the highway.”William D. Talbert III, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, acknowledged that not even locals familiar with the park know of its World Heritage designation.
He suggested including the World Heritage brand on all of the park’s material, including letterhead and business cards.He also pointed out the interest — and money — growing to highlight natural resources such as Everglades National Park. In mid-January, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that took several steps to increase tourism to the United States, including promoting national parks.
A public-private marketing partnership called Brand USA created two years ago to promote the entire country as a destination is preparing to roll out its first marketing and advertising campaign later this year. The group expects to invest as much as $200 million in marketing every year.For now, Kimball thought of at least one thing he can do easily.“Why am I not putting in my email block that I’m superintendent of a World Heritage site?” he said. “I’ll do that this afternoon.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/19/2702787/everglades-national-park-seeks.html#storylink=cpy
Everglades National Park is one of just 21 sites in the United States on UNESCO’s World Heritage list — and the nation’s only property included on the “sites in danger” list.Calling it “one of our jewels on the World Heritage list,” Bokova said the park has the potential to bring more revenue and jobs through tourism — as long as there is an emphasis on sustainable growth to protect the fragile wetlands. About a million people visit Everglades National Park each year; 30 percent of those are from outside the United States, said park Superintendent Dan Kimball.
Many of those international visitors come to the park because it is a World Heritage site, Kimball said. But he wondered how to improve that brand’s recognition within the United States and South Florida. “We do not have an appropriation for marketing,” he said. “Our idea of marketing is putting a brown sign on the highway.”William D. Talbert III, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, acknowledged that not even locals familiar with the park know of its World Heritage designation.
He suggested including the World Heritage brand on all of the park’s material, including letterhead and business cards.He also pointed out the interest — and money — growing to highlight natural resources such as Everglades National Park. In mid-January, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that took several steps to increase tourism to the United States, including promoting national parks.
A public-private marketing partnership called Brand USA created two years ago to promote the entire country as a destination is preparing to roll out its first marketing and advertising campaign later this year. The group expects to invest as much as $200 million in marketing every year.For now, Kimball thought of at least one thing he can do easily.“Why am I not putting in my email block that I’m superintendent of a World Heritage site?” he said. “I’ll do that this afternoon.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/19/2702787/everglades-national-park-seeks.html#storylink=cpy
Friday, March 16, 2012
Inviting the world to visit Philadelphia
By Ken Salazar
Most Americans recognize Independence Hall as one of the most famous symbols of Philadelphia, the nation's birth, and the freedom we share as a people. Philadelphians may know it as the top tourist destination in the city, attracting 3.7 million visitors who spend $146 million every year and support more than 2,100 jobs. But we can do more to welcome tourists from across the country and especially around the globe to places like Independence Hall.
President Obama wants America to be the top tourist destination in the world, and Philadelphia's history and culture make it a great place to start. Today I will join Irina Bokova, the director general of the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at Independence National Historic Park to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which recognizes nearly 1,000 sites around the world for their natural or cultural significance. Independence Hall is one of just 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in America.
While many Americans may not be aware of the designation, it carries great weight internationally. In Europe and Asia, many families plan their vacations around World Heritage Sites, and communities and businesses develop marketing strategies to take advantage of the prestigious designation.
Unfortunately, even though the United States was the driving force behind the establishment of the convention in 1972, we haven't done enough to market our sites internationally. At Independence Hall, which isn't as well known to foreigners as the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, just 7 percent of the visitors are from other countries.
International tourists tend to stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts. In 2010, nearly 60 million foreign visitors pumped more than $134 billion into the U.S. economy, making tourism America's No. 1 service export.
There's no reason we can't make it even bigger, creating more jobs at hotels and resorts, car rental companies, airlines, restaurants, and other businesses. If our economy is going to continue to get stronger, we must tap into every opportunity for growth. And the more people visit America, the more Americans we can get back to work.
Most Americans recognize Independence Hall as one of the most famous symbols of Philadelphia, the nation's birth, and the freedom we share as a people. Philadelphians may know it as the top tourist destination in the city, attracting 3.7 million visitors who spend $146 million every year and support more than 2,100 jobs. But we can do more to welcome tourists from across the country and especially around the globe to places like Independence Hall.
President Obama wants America to be the top tourist destination in the world, and Philadelphia's history and culture make it a great place to start. Today I will join Irina Bokova, the director general of the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at Independence National Historic Park to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which recognizes nearly 1,000 sites around the world for their natural or cultural significance. Independence Hall is one of just 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in America.
While many Americans may not be aware of the designation, it carries great weight internationally. In Europe and Asia, many families plan their vacations around World Heritage Sites, and communities and businesses develop marketing strategies to take advantage of the prestigious designation.
Unfortunately, even though the United States was the driving force behind the establishment of the convention in 1972, we haven't done enough to market our sites internationally. At Independence Hall, which isn't as well known to foreigners as the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, just 7 percent of the visitors are from other countries.
International tourists tend to stay longer and spend more than their domestic counterparts. In 2010, nearly 60 million foreign visitors pumped more than $134 billion into the U.S. economy, making tourism America's No. 1 service export.
There's no reason we can't make it even bigger, creating more jobs at hotels and resorts, car rental companies, airlines, restaurants, and other businesses. If our economy is going to continue to get stronger, we must tap into every opportunity for growth. And the more people visit America, the more Americans we can get back to work.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Secretary Salazar to Host Town Hall at Independence Hall to Discuss Travel and Tourism
Will celebrate 40th Anniversary of UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention which draws visitors from around the globe to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Mar. 15, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis will host a town hall meeting at Independence National Historical Park to discuss how to boost travel and tourism as a means to strengthen local economies and create jobs in Philadelphia.
Secretary Salazar and Director Jarvis will join Congressman Chaka Fattah and Irina Bokova, the Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), who is visiting Independence Hall to mark the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The World Heritage Convention, the international treaty that established the World Heritage List, seeks to recognize and protect unique places around the world for future generations, such as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India, the Acropolis in Greece and the Grand Canyon.
As one of only eight U.N.-designated cultural World Heritage sites in the United States, Independence Hall draws more than 3.7 million visitors each year, generates $146 million in economic activity and supports more than 2,100 jobs. Independence National Historical Park is one of 18 National Parks in Pennsylvania that serve as premier destinations for international tourists to explore our nation’s cultural heritage.
In January, President Obama directed his administration to create a new national tourism strategy focused on creating jobs by becoming even more welcoming to guests from here at home and from all over the globe. As part of this initiative, Secretary Salazar and Secretary of Commerce John Bryson are working to develop recommendations for a National Travel and Tourism Strategy to promote domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the United States, thereby expanding job creation, with a particular focus on strategies for increasing tourism and recreation jobs by promoting visits to our national treasures, such as Independence Hall.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Mar. 15, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis will host a town hall meeting at Independence National Historical Park to discuss how to boost travel and tourism as a means to strengthen local economies and create jobs in Philadelphia.
Secretary Salazar and Director Jarvis will join Congressman Chaka Fattah and Irina Bokova, the Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), who is visiting Independence Hall to mark the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The World Heritage Convention, the international treaty that established the World Heritage List, seeks to recognize and protect unique places around the world for future generations, such as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India, the Acropolis in Greece and the Grand Canyon.
As one of only eight U.N.-designated cultural World Heritage sites in the United States, Independence Hall draws more than 3.7 million visitors each year, generates $146 million in economic activity and supports more than 2,100 jobs. Independence National Historical Park is one of 18 National Parks in Pennsylvania that serve as premier destinations for international tourists to explore our nation’s cultural heritage.
In January, President Obama directed his administration to create a new national tourism strategy focused on creating jobs by becoming even more welcoming to guests from here at home and from all over the globe. As part of this initiative, Secretary Salazar and Secretary of Commerce John Bryson are working to develop recommendations for a National Travel and Tourism Strategy to promote domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the United States, thereby expanding job creation, with a particular focus on strategies for increasing tourism and recreation jobs by promoting visits to our national treasures, such as Independence Hall.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Colombia Halts Hydrocarbon Exploration in World Heritage Area
BOGOTÁ, Colombia, March 5, 2012 (ENS) - Colombia's Council of State has ordered a halt to exploration for oil and gas in the country's Quindío region, which has been declared part of the UNESCO World Heritage Coffee Cultural Landscape. The region produces some of the world's highest quality coffee.
Issued last week, the government decree requires the suspension of all exploration by the National Agency of Hydrocarbons and the Drilling 2010 consortium in the Quindío region, an exploration project which covers a large area.
Presented by Quindío's Office of the Ombudsman, the decree supports the concerns of many of the region's landowners regarding land access. The landowners also fear that environmental deterioration could result the proposed drilling of 15 meter (50 foot) deep holes and insertion of an explosive product, Sismigel Plus.
The World Heritage Commission said, "It must be remembered that President Juan Manuel Santos ordered that no mining projects be carried out on property declared as UNESCO World Heritage."
The project is on hold awaiting a statement by the Colombian government.
In the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains the Quindío region lies in the center of a triangle formed by Colombia's three main cities - Bogotá, Medellín and Cali.
The region is one of the most important producers of Colombian coffee. The department belongs to the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, which is the center of production and export of the highest quality coffee in Colombia.
The World Heritage property reflects a 100-year-old tradition of coffee growing in small plots in the high forest and the way farmers have adapted cultivation to difficult mountain conditions.
It encompasses six farming landscapes, which include 18 urban centers on the foothills of the western and central ranges of the Cordillera de los Andes situated on the relatively flat tops of hills above sloping coffee fields.
Issued last week, the government decree requires the suspension of all exploration by the National Agency of Hydrocarbons and the Drilling 2010 consortium in the Quindío region, an exploration project which covers a large area.
Presented by Quindío's Office of the Ombudsman, the decree supports the concerns of many of the region's landowners regarding land access. The landowners also fear that environmental deterioration could result the proposed drilling of 15 meter (50 foot) deep holes and insertion of an explosive product, Sismigel Plus.
The World Heritage Commission said, "It must be remembered that President Juan Manuel Santos ordered that no mining projects be carried out on property declared as UNESCO World Heritage."
The project is on hold awaiting a statement by the Colombian government.
In the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains the Quindío region lies in the center of a triangle formed by Colombia's three main cities - Bogotá, Medellín and Cali.
The region is one of the most important producers of Colombian coffee. The department belongs to the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, which is the center of production and export of the highest quality coffee in Colombia.
The World Heritage property reflects a 100-year-old tradition of coffee growing in small plots in the high forest and the way farmers have adapted cultivation to difficult mountain conditions.
It encompasses six farming landscapes, which include 18 urban centers on the foothills of the western and central ranges of the Cordillera de los Andes situated on the relatively flat tops of hills above sloping coffee fields.
U.S. Nominations to the World Heritage List; 15-Day Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment
This is a First Notice for the public to comment on the next potential U.S. nominations from the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Australia: WWF Questions Government’s Great Barrier Reef Plans
WWF today challenged the Australian Government’s view that the Great Barrier Reef is being sustainably managed, citing publications showing that coral had declined by up to 50 per cent.
As UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee prepares to visit Queensland next month, after expressing “extreme concern” at port development and dredging impacts in the World Heritage area, the Australian Government submission to UNESCO claims the Reef was being sustainably managed.
But a recent article, published in the scientific journal Coral Reefs last year, found coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef had declined by up to 50 per cent since the 1960s*. The article cited monitoring that showed coral declines had continued in recent times, decreasing by around a quarter since the Great Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage site in 1981.
“The Government’s conclusion is simply not supported by the science,” leader of WWF’s Great Barrier Reef program Nick Heath said.
“The Government’s report fails to acknowledge growing evidence that the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, including its own 2009 Outlook Report that warned of ‘catastrophic’ damage.”
“Coral cover has been slashed in half over the past 50 years, over a thousand starving turtles have washed up on Queensland beaches over the past year, rare marine species continue to be killed in fishing nets, and the State Government has been unable to explain high levels of disease in marine life around Gladstone, nor rule out industrial development as the cause.
“It’s hard to see how the Australian Government can claim in its report that the Great Barrier Reef will be passed on to future generations ‘retaining the values for which it was declared a World Heritage Area’,” Mr Heath said.
The government submission, State Party Report on the State of Conservation of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, also said LNG development and dredging at Gladstone were thoroughly assessed and had not ‘compromised’ the Reef’s World Heritage Values.
The UNESCO visit in March will put the spotlight squarely on the management of the Great Barrier Reef, and WWF is urging all levels of government to step up and commit to tougher policies on pollution and damaging fishing practices or risk the continuing demise of the World Heritage asset.
To better protect the Great Barrier Reef, WWF wants the next Queensland Government to:
- Cut Reef pollution through greater investment in farm innovation;
- Protect fish stocks, turtles and dugongs by taking fishing nets out of sensitive habitats;
- Save turtles and dugongs from illegal poaching with more Indigenous rangers;
- Establish a new ‘Reef Bank’ to invest money from the mining boom into Reef resilience programs.
As UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee prepares to visit Queensland next month, after expressing “extreme concern” at port development and dredging impacts in the World Heritage area, the Australian Government submission to UNESCO claims the Reef was being sustainably managed.
But a recent article, published in the scientific journal Coral Reefs last year, found coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef had declined by up to 50 per cent since the 1960s*. The article cited monitoring that showed coral declines had continued in recent times, decreasing by around a quarter since the Great Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage site in 1981.
“The Government’s conclusion is simply not supported by the science,” leader of WWF’s Great Barrier Reef program Nick Heath said.
“The Government’s report fails to acknowledge growing evidence that the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, including its own 2009 Outlook Report that warned of ‘catastrophic’ damage.”
“Coral cover has been slashed in half over the past 50 years, over a thousand starving turtles have washed up on Queensland beaches over the past year, rare marine species continue to be killed in fishing nets, and the State Government has been unable to explain high levels of disease in marine life around Gladstone, nor rule out industrial development as the cause.
“It’s hard to see how the Australian Government can claim in its report that the Great Barrier Reef will be passed on to future generations ‘retaining the values for which it was declared a World Heritage Area’,” Mr Heath said.
The government submission, State Party Report on the State of Conservation of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, also said LNG development and dredging at Gladstone were thoroughly assessed and had not ‘compromised’ the Reef’s World Heritage Values.
The UNESCO visit in March will put the spotlight squarely on the management of the Great Barrier Reef, and WWF is urging all levels of government to step up and commit to tougher policies on pollution and damaging fishing practices or risk the continuing demise of the World Heritage asset.
To better protect the Great Barrier Reef, WWF wants the next Queensland Government to:
- Cut Reef pollution through greater investment in farm innovation;
- Protect fish stocks, turtles and dugongs by taking fishing nets out of sensitive habitats;
- Save turtles and dugongs from illegal poaching with more Indigenous rangers;
- Establish a new ‘Reef Bank’ to invest money from the mining boom into Reef resilience programs.
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