Placing culture at the heart of development policy constitutes an essential investment in the world’s future and a pre-condition to successful globalization processes that take into account the principles of cultural diversity (UNESCO, 2016). Culture which refers to values, beliefs, languages, knowledge and wisdom has become recognized as a powerful source of sustainable development. It is an essential means to an intellectual development based on the understanding of traditions, customs, lifestyles and the landscape of one’s living.  As such, considerations for culture in sustainable development are indispensable for respecting and satisfying people before and after policy development and implementation processes.

Culture and tourism can complementarily interact with each other as tourist destinations inevitably involve the interface of rich and diverse cultures, civilizations as well as our daily lives. The culture surrounding our everyday life reduces barriers to entry into the tourism sector for local groups and also provides easier access to the understanding of cultural differences for tourists. To this end, managing public spaces and cultural landscapes, which are the great resources of tourism and the ground of our living, should be designed and managed with careful consideration of culture.

Cultural tourism is also a cost-effective measure of economic development with its less invested infrastructure compared to other industries. In 2004, UNCTAD read this trend stating if the 49 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are taken together, tourism is the single most important source of foreign exchange earnings. Many countries experienced failure in achieving the magic of trickle-down effect which possibly promised the benefits of local people through mass community transformation. In retrospect of the negative consequences including heritage degradation, therefore, there has been widespread awareness on well-managed in/tangible heritages, nature and public spaces. That is to say, cultural tourism development with quality through the community’s participation has gained more importance for the projects’ longevity for sustainable development.

This workshop will offer lectures and group activities for participants to understand the complex relation between culture and tourism. Also, some best practices of cultural tourism will be presented through the case studies in Asia and Europe. There will be sessions to discuss some policies and  cultural project sites in practice in line with SDGs that could provide some inspirations. Finally, the workshop will help local actors effectively develop relevant policies to conserve and promote their cultural advantages and enhance diversification for the social, environmental and economic benefits for the peoples involved.