Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
10
Sustainability: This area stands to be improved for both global and OIC MDTCs, especially in
terms of monitoring tourism impacts. Examples from global corridors show cooperation in the
preservation of shared assets, as illustrated by the “Joint Declaration on the Protection of the
Wadden Sea” between the Wadden Sea TC countries. Examples also show the use of demand
management to preserve corridor assets and ensure benefits to local communities. In the case
of the Silk Road, UNWTO has led the efforts for preservation and conservation of cultural
heritage in Silk Road countries, as illustrated by the 1999 Khiva Declaration calling on Central
Asian countries to preserve their cultural and natural heritage and to promote sustainable
tourism. In the case of the Holy Family, in Jordan, the TC sites are protected through heritage
legislation with a constructionmoratorium issued preventing any new construction except that
exclusively dedicated to the protection of archaeological remains.
Table 9: Sustainability - Best Practices versus OIC Examples
Best
Practices
- The Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark sign a “Joint Declaration on
the Protection of the Wadden Sea” in 1982.
- In the case of the Danube TC, well-known destinations are combined
with lesser-known tourist destinations in tour packages offered by
travel agents to improve the traffic to these sites and lower the pressure
on the highly frequented sites.
OIC - The Silk Road 1999 Khiva Declaration calling on Central Asian countries to
preserve their cultural and natural heritage and to promote sustainable
tourism.
- In the case of the Holy Family, in Jordan, the TC sites are protected through
heritage legislation with a construction moratorium issued preventing any
new construction except that exclusively dedicated to the protection of
archaeological remains.
Funding: Funding is a major challenge for MDTCs in general, with global MDTCs trying to
diversify funding sources, both external and internal, to ensure the sustainability of MDTCs, as
shown by the example of European routes in general and Destination Napoleon in particular.
Most of the OIC MDTCs seem to be dependent on financial and/or technical support from
international and regional organizations, while other OIC MDTCs are mainly financed through
the governmental allocations of corridor countries. In the case of the Silk Road, which has a
more diversified funding strategy, its funding levels are still reportedly low. Diversifying
funding needs to be a top priority to ensure the sustainability of the existing OIC MDTCs.
Encouraging private sector investment and contributions can play an important role in
diversifying and increasing the OIC MDTCs’ funding.