The seminar, organized by Conaculta through the National Coordination of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, was concluded at the National Museum of Anthropology. For two days, experts talked about crucial aspects in the preservation, dissemination and funding of the Latin American cultural heritage.

During two days,  30 specialists reflected on fundamental aspects of preservation, distribution, financing and opportunity areas for Latin American cultural heritage, as concluded by the conclusions of the Seminar on Public Policy and Cultural Tourism in Latin America in the XXI Century.

The conclusions of six workshops were read at the Fray Bernardino de Sahagun auditorium of the National Museum of Anthropology and History, with the presence of Tania Carrasco, national coordinator of Cultural Heritage and Tourism. Participating experts came from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru, Cuba, Colombia and Mexico.

Tania Carrasco said that the relationship between cultural heritage and tourism, as well as the impact on the economy, is a constant concern of the cultural institutions. "It is not a minor issue that there are 23 million tourists who come to Latin America, not because of its sun and beach destinations, but because of its many cultural attractions."

She said that Latin Americans have many common elements to understand about the historical, intangible and natural heritage, diversity being the main concept to unite different cultures.

"The idea of the conference is that we dialogue with economists, biologists, archaeologists, civil servants, environmentalists, in order to create connections in for  projects at local community level.
Among the conclusions drawn from the tables, what was mentioned was the need for alignment in decision-making with regard to cultural heritage from various sectors, the study of the heritage within the local area for the establishment of public policies, discuss the meaning of cultural tourism in various countries, as well as the need to train professionals that offer cultural tourism sector to avoid the trivialization of culture.

The comments also included reflections on indigenous associations within a framework of self-management; restoration and recovery of historic centers, not for tourists but for citizens; the importance of the private sector on issues pertaining to cultural tourism; heritage preservation as trigger for development; and the importance of academic research to know the role that culture plays in the modern world.

http://www.conaculta.gob.mx/sala_prensa_detalle.php?id=22869