Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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Table 21: Infrastructure Assessment - Best Practices versus OIC Examples
Best
Practices
- The Greater Mekong Subregion TC study reviewed the infrastructure,
along with the nodes of the corridor and transportation networks, to
identify ports and landings along the river that needed improvement.
- The Eurail pass provided by European railways connects the railway
networks of 27 countries and facilitates travel between European
countries using a single pass, which supports the development of TCs in
the region.
OIC - Efforts being made to improve connectivity in Africa with the Standard
Gauge Railway project and the Dakar-Port Sudan railway.
- In Kazakhstan, the state highway program “Nurlijol” planned to improve
accessibility to the different nodes along the Silk Road TC as well as a
railway connection between Tashkent and Turkestan.
Social Value Assessment
Engaging local stakeholders and ensuring their support of the corridor, as shown in the
ATRIUM and Wadden Sea TCs, is also essential for the success of MDTCs. The examples from
the OIC MDTCs are shown in the following table, as examples of the Abraham Path and the
Umayyad Route. Efforts have also been made to engage stakeholders in establishing the
corridors, especially in terms of providing local communities with added value. Both the
Abraham Path and the Umayyad Route have supported the development of community-based
tourism initiatives.
Table 22: Social Value Assessment - Best Practices versus OIC Examples
Best
Practices
- The Wadden Sea TC research to explore potential local community
opposition to new conservation regulations associated with the
corridor.
- ATRIUM route consultation with local communities in the development
of TC. In Italy, the Municipality of Forlì conducted research to ensure
that residents accepted the promotion of this controversial tourism
product.
OIC - Abraham Path supporting local communities in the development of
guesthouses using a “shared cost approach.”
- Umayyad Route support for community-based tourism initiatives and
local handicrafts.
Theme Formulation and Assets Identification
Examples from global MDTCs, summarized in the following table, suggest that the successful
planning and establishment of MDTCs involves extensive research with the aid of experts from
historical, cultural and practical perspectives to formulate the theme of the corridor and assess
its potential tourism assets, as in the case of the Prehistoric Rock Art Trails. The OIC MDTCs
also seem to be performing well in theme formulation and asset identification, as well as
stakeholder engagement in the planning and establishment of corridors.
The existing OIC MDTCs, as shown in the following table with the examples of the Silk Road and
the Umayyad Route, have equally succeeded in no small extent due to the support from
international and regional organizations in formulating the themes and identifying the tourism