ICOM'S Ativities: Cultural Tourism

Contents /Sommaire

Workshop on Museums, Heritage and Cultural Tourism
21 - 26 May 2000
Trujillo, Peru and La Paz, Bolivia

ICOM, conscious of the contemporary world culture dynamics and of the ongoing debate concerning cultural tourism and the role of museums, has taken the initiative to convene a Workshop on Museums, Heritage and Cultural Tourism. The Workshop was organised by the ICOM Secretariat, in collaboration with the National Committees of Peru and Bolivia and was financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands.
The Participants in the workshop discussed plans and policies in order to develop detailed goals and strategies that will enable the correct use, the appropriate interpretation and management of cultural heritage in the context of its preservation and conservation for future generations, and the respect and involvement of local communities.

Participants:
60 museums and heritage professionals from the Latin America and the Caribbean region and national tourist officials, specialised institutions like UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM were present as well as members of the ICOM International Committee for Conservation. Some resource persons from other parts of the world (France, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and Belgium) took part in the discussion.

Objective:
To dictate ethical and basic priciples for the conservation, interpretation and management of movable and immovable heritage, and the role of museums in this context.
To raise awareness that the protection of the cultural heritage depends on the promotion of cultural property and the establishment of principles and systems of protection, but also on the involvement and commitment of the communities that conserve this precious heritage for future generations.

Development:
The participants drew up a Proposal for a Charter of Principles for Museums and Cultural Tourism that offers guidance and gives a conceptual basis for ethical professional practice. It outlines the required strategies and the aims and objectives that would ensure that cultural heritage (including museum collections) is enjoyed, interpreted and managed in a way that favours its preservation and respect for future generations. The participants based their work essentially on the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums, bearing in mind the mission of museums as non-profit making institutions in the service of society and society's development and the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter. This document will be proposed to UNESCO for inclusion in its Universal Charter for Cultural Tourism.

Follow-up:
Proceedings of the workshop "Museums, Heritage and Cultural Tourism", Languages: Spanish and English.
Available free of charge, upon request, from ICOM Secretariat