Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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destinations. 468 The Silk Road Training and Capacity Building Programme aims to deliver
executive training to NTO officials from the Silk Road member countries, university graduates
wanting to build a career in the tourism industry, and those stakeholders interested in
sustainable and transnational tourism development through the Silk Road.469 Founded in 1998
and based in the Principality of Andorra, the UNWTO Academy leverages education and
training, supporting member countries through effective and competitive capacity building. 470
In 2016, the UNWTO Silk Road Programme, in collaboration with the Great Southern Touring
Route Australia and Chinese Friendly company (affiliate member of UNWTO aiming to ease
tourism and cultural understanding and create pleasant experiences for Chinese travelers to
international destinations), ran two capacity-building training workshops for inbound tour
operators.471
A bottom-up approach aims to contribute destination management to sustainable development.
Domestic tourism authorities should enhance the potential of local communities and
stakeholders by delivering relevant training and capacity building covering all aspects of
destination management. The improved skills and services will lead to repeat visits, strong
business relationships, and direct foreign investment. Recommendations for training programs
include IT and communications technology, English language skills, hospitality management,
good governance and transparency in international business, customer service, tourist
information services, and sustainable management of natural and heritage resources. 472
As one tourism practitioner mentioned in an interview, the biggest problem related to tourism
in Central Asia is capacity. Therefore, any training or educational projects contribute
significantly because there is usually a large gap between job applicants’ profiles and DMOs’
requirements. Preparing a salesperson or tour operations specialist in a travel company takes
up to 6 months, or sometimes almost a year.473
GosComTourism considers travel companies, students, local governments, guides, certain
individuals, and policymakers as stakeholders. And in a newly established Tourism
Development Institute, theywill provide courses for all these stakeholder categories. They have
modernized the curriculums and program structures too. Moreover, they are going to provide
training for several other ministries, and the goal is to explain to them how to make tourism-
related activities in the right way (because sometimes they don’t know how to contribute
tourism, and sometimes they make things worse).474
The launch of tourism courses at the Silk Road International Tourism University in Samarkand
for the 2018–2019 academic year is a particularly encouraging development. About 125
468 "Partnerships in Education with UNWTO," UNWTO, accessed October 13, 2019,
469 "UNWTO Silk Road Training and Capacity Building Programme," UNWTO, last modified November, 2017,
470 "About UNWTO Academy," UNWTO, accessed October 13, 2019,
471 "UNWTO Workshop for Inbound Tour Operators," UNWTO, last modified October 1, 2016,
472 "Building a Stronger Silk Road: Strategic Recommendations for Enhancing Tourism with a Special Focus on Central Asia
Compiled by UNWTO in Collaboration with a Team of International Experts."
473 Interview with Director of Silk Road Destinations DMO
474 Interview with Head of the Department of Scientific Research and Work with Educational Institutions of GosComTourism