Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
59
The Silk Road is a cultural trade route; it has allowed different civilizations and cultures to
interact with one another over thousands of years. This interaction, which extended beyond a
mere exchange of commodities to an intermingling of thoughts and cultures, has molded the
world we live in today. The Silk Road is composed of a number of linear trade routes connecting
the East to the West that include both land and maritime routes. 178
The Silk Road consists of a number of trade routes with historical origins; they have been used
over many centuries, mainly for commerce to transport commodities from perfumes and
precious stones and carpets to slaves, gunpowder, and a multitude of other commodities
between the East and the West. The first recorded mention of the Silk Road was in 100 BC as a
Chinese expedition learned the high value of silk in the bazaars of Central Asia, where they
headed to purchase horses.179
The Silk Road is classified as an intercontinental as well as a formal MDTC as it consists of
thirty-four member countries from three continents, namely Africa, Asia, and Europe,
cooperating formally in the context of the UNWTO Silk Road Initiative. The OIC countries
involved in the Silk Road, as of February 2018, include Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Egypt,
Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.180
The Umayyad Route is based on a cultural theme as it covers the Umayyad heritage from the
beginning of the Umayyad dynasty in Damascus to its expansion to the countries on the
southern shores of the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula. The Umayyad Route is
considered a network route connecting nodes in the Near East, North Africa, and Europe. While
the route itself has a historical basis in terms of expansion of the Umayyad dynasty, it was
redesigned according to current narratives with a suggested itinerary that starts in Jordan and
Lebanon and ends in Spain and Portugal.181
The Umayyad Route is classified as an intercontinental TC since it consists of member countries
in Asia, Africa, and Europe. The OIC countries’ members of the corridor include Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon, and Tunisia. The development of the corridor involved the cooperation of both
governmental and non-governmental entities in member countries with the support of the
European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), 182
The Holy Family is a cultural TC tracing the Holy Family journey from Palestine to Egypt and
back. It is classified as a linear corridor that started at Bethlehem in Palestine, going to Egypt
through Northern Sinai and crossing many Egyptian cities before arriving at Asyut in Upper
Egypt. The corridor is of historical origins, dating back to the Holy Family journey estimated to
be in 4 BC. The corridor is intercontinental with both countries, Palestine and Egypt, being OIC
member countries. As there is no governmental cooperation in the development of the corridor
between the two countries, the corridor is classified as informal.183
The East Africa Northern Corridor is a nature-based MDTC offering various attractions from
wildlife reserves to diverse flora. It is classified from a design perspective as a network MDTC
178 UNESCO Website.
179 UNWTO. 2019. Short Introduction to the Silk Road Programme.
180 UNWTO Silk Road Website.
181 The Umayyad Route Website.
182 Ibid.
183 Please refer to the Holy Family Tourism Corridor Case Study for references and detailed information.