18 April 2017: International Day for Monuments and Sites

Every year on 18 April, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites, established by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983.

In 2017 the theme is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism” chosen in conjunction with the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, and in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

The worldwide ICOMOS networks of Committees are encouraging activities to celebrate the positive outcomes of the partnerships between sustainable tourism development and cultural heritage conservation. On this day ICOMOS encourages local communities and individuals to consider the importance of cultural heritage to their lives, identities and communities, and to promote awareness of its diversity and vulnerability and the efforts required to protect and conserve it.

“Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism” celebrates the exponential growth in cultural tourism. Cultural exchange fosters peaceful coexistence and focuses on sustainable tourism initiatives that can empower communities and re-inforce their sense of place, self-worth and their identities.

Topics range from the strategic management of World Heritage sites to the protection of rights-based heritage; cultural festivals; sharing cultural practices in restaurants, hotels and on public transport; the development of cultural products visitors want to buy; and the immediacy of the visual image in a digital world as a tool for recording and broadcasting events.

The first ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter was in 1976 and the second – endorsed by the UN General Assemby in Mexico – in 1999. During 2017, the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee Cultural Tourism is conducting a Review of the Charter.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

Independence statue, Phnom Penh

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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