La KFPE est la plate-forme centrale d’information pour la recherche globaux en Suisse. Elle s’engage en faveur d’une coopération augmentée et équitable avec les pays à revenus faibles et intermédiaires. Elle contribue ainsi au développement durable et à la résolution des défis globaux et locaux.en plus

Image : NASAen plus

Heritage, sustainable tourism and development. The role of information and communications technologies

Background

Tourism is among the most important contributors to global GDP and, at the same time, a major driver to improve inter-cultural encounters and understanding. According to UNWTO, every year more than 1.4 billion people cross a national border for touristic reasons. Due to the importance of the industry, UN has named 2017 as the international year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, and 2018 has been declared international Year of European Culture – a celebration in which also Switzerland has participated. Additionally, UNWTO has named the 2018 World Tourism Day “Tourism and the Digital Transformation”. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are viewed as key in achieving sustainable tourism.

Objective

To set-up a PhD school in collaboration among four African Universities and USI in order to offer relevant training and education on sustainable tourism to the research community as well as other involved target groups, in particular policy makers, tourism and destination managers. Those audiences will be reached through an ad-hoc developed MOOC – Massive Open Online Course.

Expected Benefits

• Target countries: the project will ensure not only North-South exchanges, but also South-North and South-South ones. While all participant PhD candidates will regularly meet, exchanging experiences and getting to know different contexts, challenges and opportunities, all of them will contribute to define a framework to digitally promote the region, foster local skills and develop creative strategies, which will be fully aligned with the current process of setting up an African Tourism Strategic Framework (2019-2028) for the African Union (AU). Their intervention will be particularly effective and efficient thanks to an ad-hoc developed MOOC.

• In Switzerland: the project will contribute to the development of a body of research and experiences aimed at substantiating the contribution of ICTs to sustainable tourism, with a specific focus on cultural and heritage tourism.

Contact Information

Lorenzo Cantoni, , phone: +41 58 666 47 20

UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites

USI – Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano

Heritage, sustainable tourism and development
Heritage, sustainable tourism and development

Partner countries: Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda

Cost: CHF 1 Mio

Duration: 4 years