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UNESCO is pleased to invite tourism professionals to join the upcoming webinar, ‘Untold Journeys: Sharing Ethnic Stories from the Rivers and the Seas’, on 29 May 2024. The webinar is the fifth event in an ongoing series of related webinars and workshops planned for throughout 2024 by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and partners under the umbrella project, ‘Achieving Sustainable Tourism with Intangible Cultural Heritage and Creative City Network in Waterway Cities of ASEAN’, which was launched in November 2023.

Partners for the project include , ASEAN-Türkiye Cooperation, , K11, ONYX Hospitality Group, The City Connext, and b.Consulting Cambodia, 

The ‘Untold Journeys’ webinar aims to underscore the vital role that indigenous narratives related to peoples living close to nature play in enhancing tourism experiences, and how they can drive sustainable and inclusive regional tourism development. Aligned with UNESCO’s ongoing engagement with indigenous peoples across its mandated sectors, the webinar recognizes that many cultural and natural World Heritage sites encompass lands traditionally managed by indigenous communities. These areas are rich in biological, cultural and linguistic diversity, upheld by indigenous knowledge, land use, and cultural and spiritual values intrinsically linked to heritage conservation. Inspired by the  UNESCO's approach celebrates the rights of indigenous peoples to their traditional lands and territories. This approach acknowledges indigenous peoples’ traditional management systems as essential components of contemporary conservation strategies. UNESCO also views indigenous communities as fundamental partners in the stewardship and protection of these sites.

Moderated by UNESCO Bangkok’s Culture Unit officer Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp and  photojournalist Korakot (‘Nym’) Punlopruksa, the upcoming webinar will feature distinguished ethnic and indigenous speakers from communities in the fields of sustainable tourism and digital innovation.

The webinar will consist of a keynote speech, followed by a panel discussion of experts and an interactive question and answer session a follows:

• Keynote Speech: Igor Stefanovic, UN Tourism (UNWTO) Coordinator for Accessibility, Cultural Tourism and Indigenous Peoples, will discuss how we can navigate the currents of change by integrating indigenous and local wisdom and river ecosystems in global tourism development.
• Panel Discussion: Engage with experts like IPPA President Dr. Rasmi Shoocongdej,  Deputy Director Sopheap Chim of Archaeology and Development Foundation (ADF), Eulalie Dulnuan from National Museum of the Philippines, and others, who will share their expertise on inclusive incorporation of ethnic and indigenous stories into sustainable tourism and heritage management.
• Interactive Q&A Session: Participants may interact directly with the speakers for an opportunity to mutually enhance greater understanding and engagement with the topics discussed.

The ‘Untold Journeys’ webinar offers a unique opportunity to learn from indigenous stories which have shaped the ecological and cultural landscapes of waterway communities across ASEAN. It aims to foster an appreciation of these narratives in developing sustainable tourism practices that benefit local communities and enhance the global tourism experience.

For further information about the preliminary agenda, please visit our .

Watch the event's recording below.