South Africa’s desire to grow its culture and heritage tourism market will potentially be bolstered through the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage’s (WTACH) second annual Global Leaders Summit (GLS24).

The Summit, focusing on culture, heritage, and community wellbeing, will be held at Indaba Hotel, Spa & Conference Centre in Johannesburg on October 14-15.

Nigel Fell, President and CEO of the WTACH told Tourism Update that this is the only event in the world that aims to protect the planet’s cultural and heritage resources in the tourism industry.

“It is critical that we all play our part to advance culture and heritage in tourism. There is a need to protect not only the world’s culture and heritage tourism offerings but also the local people who operate in this landscape,” Fell said.

The first edition of the Global Leaders Summit was held in Valencia, Spain last year, and saw 26 countries participate in the inaugural event. This will be the first time the event will be held on the African continent.

The GLS24 invites industry to join leaders from high-impact heritage institutions, cultural and community tourism agencies, destination development organisations, and the finance and investment sectors to gather at the event in October.

The Summit is an opportunity for international professionals united by a shared mission to connect and collaborate on how to tackle challenges associated with placemaking, developing and managing tourism, investment, and heritage in both intangible and built environments.

The mission of the Summit is aimed at development and tourism joining forces to ensure better, more responsible tourism planning and policy development that helps build sustainable and more inclusive lives for people living in marginal economies and heritage communities.

“Struggling societies cannot afford to join forces with developed economies to fight the issues we all face, such as the climate crisis. Investment in capacity building, built heritage sites, and education and training can help a destination develop and build more sustainable cultural heritage visitor economies from the increasing tourist demand seeking to find more authentic immersive experiences,” Fell noted.

Fell added that with the cultural heritage tourism sector anticipated to grow by 14.4% annually over the next 10 years, there is a tremendous opportunity for destinations to capitalise. However, he said, this must be done in ways that ensure the future protection and preservation of the world’s increasingly fragile assets and their traditional guardians.

GLS24 allows attendees to gain new insights by hearing different viewpoints, strategies, and best practices from people (speakers and presenters) leading change within their sectors of business.

Like the original TED conferences, there will be breaks between sessions for speakers and delegates to engage, collaborate, and exchange viewpoints and information.

“The Summit aims to provide insights that better inform industry on how to promote local experiences. By understanding what locals have to offer, countries can set themselves apart from tourism competitors,” Fell said.

Youth focus

This year’s GLS24 will have a specific focus on introducing the next generation of industry leaders to the subjects of culture, heritage, and community protection and preservation.

The WTACH has reserved 25 registration places specifically for students studying travel, tourism, hospitality, or other related tourism courses to attend the GLS24.

There will also be a competition supported by local universities to identify four current tourism students to participate in a panel discussion during the Summit moderated by Rajan Datar of the BBC.

“We want to provide the youth with an opportunity to tell us how they see the future. To share their thoughts on how we can improve as an industry and how they see themselves leading tourism more responsibly and sustainably. Attending the entire Summit allows them to meet, discuss, debate, and learn from our global leaders and expert presenters and panellists from around the world,” Fell concluded.

The WTACH has asked businesses to help sponsor the travel expenses for the 25 students participating in the Summit. Interested organisations can contact info@wtach.org for more information.

For more information and to register for the WTACH Global Leaders Summit visit: WTACHGLS.com.