The first Global Leaders Summit, organized by the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage, will feature opening and closing sessions hosted by award-winning TV host Rajan Datar, who is well-known to BBC UK and BBC World viewers.
The management of tourism and the presentation of culture in tourism settings around the world are two topics that will be covered at the summit in Valencia, which will take place on September 24 and 25.
Datar is well suited for the top position given his 30 years of professional travel, most notably as a correspondent for the BBC’s The Travel Show, when he produced 30 travelogues from numerous locations on five continents.
Datar, Rajan
Additionally, he hosts two popular, ongoing programs on the BBC World Service, including “The Forum,” which focuses on world history and culture. With his nine-piece ska and reggae band, Maroon Town, Mr. Datar has also contributed to culture around the world, touring everywhere from Kingston, Jamaica to Kazakhstan, from Brazil to Brunei. They have performed in big venues and led workshops in classrooms, jails, and drug treatment facilities.
“In my professional and personal observations, culture has been the very lifeblood of tourism,” said Mr. Datar. “And with that comes a duty for those of us who participate in it or are involved in it to safeguard its health. The artwork, native customs, and heritage of any place will always pique the traveler’s inherent curiosity; these aspects will shape their memories.
The audience at the summit, which will include representatives from government ministries, tourism boards, top private sector decision makers, tour operators, corporate sponsors, community representatives, NGOs, and the media, will hear fresh perspectives from culture and heritage tourism leaders and operators that aren’t often shared at conferences.
Leading figures from the culture and heritage tourism industry, including Zina Bencheikh of Intrepid Travel, Karl Burrows of Tourism New Zealand, Anne Grady of the EU Parliament’s Head Cultural Heritage Advisor, Judy Kepher-Gona of the Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda, and Imad Barrakad of the Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development, will appear with Datar on stage.
Many of the speakers at this summit are important decision-makers, and it is intended to discover solutions, according to Mr. Datar. “I am eager to learn from them and uncover the reasons why specific circumstances have arisen that endanger cultural tourism.”
“I see the summit as a unique opportunity to highlight and yes, fix, long-term issues,” he said, mentioning the dangers presented by climate change, socioeconomic marginalization, and narrow-minded government policies.
Visit Valencia is the organization hosting the summit. The conference is open to everyone who wants to register. To register and to view the whole specifics of the program, just go to WTACHGLS.com.
Source- Travel daily
Link- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/rajan-datar-to-mc-summit-on-culture-heritage-in-tourism/