Interdisciplinary Conversations on Living Heritage and Tourism
Following the avenues opened up for dialogue and collaborations among diverse stakeholders by the web dossier on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism, the ICH NGO Forum Working Group on sustainable ICH Tourism holds a series of conversations looking to expand the scope of our understanding of the relationship between ICH and tourism.
The ICH Tourism Dialogues bring together scholars and ICH practitioners along with people from NGOs, tourism agencies and the tourism industry representing localities, regions and national governments to talk about the benefits and challenges of this relationship from different perspectives.
Dialogue about issues of economic development, tourism studies, cultural resources management, the relationships of historic preservation and the protection of monuments with ICH, environmental sustainability and perspectives from the social sciences can enrich this discussion.
The ICH Tourism Dialogues share the experiences of diverse types of institutions and key actors in the field that have developed successful and sometimes not-so-successful projects for promoting tourism related to cultural traditions and practices. These conversations further enrich and develop the web dossier for its multiple users, and contribute to the ongoing exercise on what to do when ICH and tourism meet.
Upcoming Dialogues – Save the Date!
We are excited to announce that new ICH Tourism Dialogues will be held throughout 2026!
23 June 2026 | 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. CEST
Dialogue on Tourism (and Overtourism) in Carnivals in Colombia
With Giovanny Arteaga – Fundación Mundo Espiral (Colombia)
Chaired by Martín Andrade-Perez (Fundación Erigaie, ICH NGO Forum)
19 August 2026 | 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. CEST
Dialogue on Performance and Festivalisation in Different World Heritage Sites in the Arabian Gulf Region
With AlAnood AlShaikh – DLALA Advisory (UAE)
Chaired by Ananya Bhattacharya ((Banglanatak, ICH NGO Forum)
5 November 2026 | 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. CET
Dialogue on ICH Tourism in World Heritage Sites in China
With Junjie Su – Yunnan Provincial Research Base of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Yunnan University (China)
Chaired by Robert Baron (SIEF, ICH NGO Forum)
Past Dialogues
Below is a list of the dialogues that have already taken place. Click on each title to access the event page, where you will find recordings, reports, and additional materials:
