Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
66
support of the private sector for corridor development and management policies and
strategies. 208 As the figure below illustrates, there are various entities and involved in
managing, promoting, and providing support for the corridor. As the initiator of the Silk Road,
UNWTO leads the efforts, provides a platform for coordination and alliance building as well as
fundraising for the corridor. Other UN agencies, such as UNESCO and UNDP, provide support
for the various Silk Road initiatives. The Silk Road Task Force, which includes representatives
from the National Tourism Organizations and tourism businesses of Silk Road countries,
formulate strategies and prescribe actions while Silk Road member countries bodies
collaborate on Silk Road activities as well as implement the local action plans and strategies.209
Figure 23: Silk Road Governance Structure
Source: UNWTO (2014)
The Umayyad Route, which is coordinated by the Spanish Foundation for the Legacy of Al-
Andalus, was developed as a public-private partnership. The entities involved in its
development in Europe included the Andalusia Council Chambers of Commerce and the
European Association for the Professional and Cultural Development from Spain, the Algarve
Tourism Board, and the Regional Direction of Culture of Algarve from Portugal, and
the Medieval Castles and Boroughs Circuit of Association from Italy.210
In the OIC countries, the entities involved in the Umayyad Route are the Italian-Tunisian
Chamber of Commerce and the Association Mediterranean Liaisons from Tunisia, the Safadi
Foundation, the Urban Planning Institute, Municipality of Jbeil-Byblos, and Lebanese American
University from Lebanon, the Cultural Technologies for Heritage and Conservation from
Jordan, the International Development Co. AID-ME and the Federation of Egyptian Chambers
of Commerce from Egypt, and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific
Organization.211
208 UNWTO (2015), Affiliate Members Global Reports, Volume twelve – Cultural Routes and Itineraries, UNWTO, Madrid.
209 UNWTO. 2014. Silk Road Action Plan 2014/2015.
210 Umayyad Route Website.
211 Ibid.