Snow in Northern Virginia

Managed to get to Warrenton, VA after hours of delays, appalling customer service from Air France rescued only by one of their employees who went above and beyond the call of duty and managed to get us out of the UK with BA via Heathrow after an inch of snow paralysed Charles de Gaulle airport. When we did arrive, we hit the most severe snowstorm to hit the DC area this decade - already had more than a foot of snow in the 15 hours since we arrived with another 10 to 12 inches forecast before nightfall. This lunchtime we toook the neighbour's Jack Russell for a walk/ bound through the snow - she loved it although struggled seeing where to go! Dressed the Christmas tree whilst listening to Elvis' Christmas songs and drinking cream sherry! Have just cleared the drive so we can get out for more beer if necessary, although still stuck until the Highways crew come and clear the road outside. Photos to follow of the winter wonderland. Merry Christmas everyone

Cultural tourism in Cyprus

Am about to head off to Cyprus for a few days to scope out a major cultural tourism project that will link community heritage projects across the Eastern Mediterranean - Jordan, Egypt also involved in Phase 1 and hopefully Syria and Lebanon coming on board for Phase 2. Will post more on my return.

Advancing Sustainable Tourism at Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites, Dunhuang, China, September 2009. Workshop Report

The workshop Advancing Sustainable Tourism at Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites took place in Dunhuang, China in late September 2009. More than 130 delegates from 25+ countries attended four days of presentations, discussions and site visits at the Mogao Grottoes WHS, hosted by the Dunhuang Academy and their partners the Getty Conservation Institute and the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

The venue was selected partly to demonstrate the growing challenges facing heritage sites in China. The grottoes, a World Heritage Site, currently attract more than 500,000 visitors per annum (90% Chinese nationals, 10% international visitors) yet only 15 years ago they received only 10% of this number. The Mogao Grottoes are a ‘unique repository of a thousand years of Buddhist wall paintings and sculptures’ and were amongst the first Chinese sites to be placed on the World Heritage List. A ten year partnership between the Dunhuang Academy, which manages the site, and the Getty Conservation institute, has pushed forward technical understanding of conserving wall paintings in arid environments. Sophisticated monitoring procedures have informed the preparation of a scientifically-based management plan for the site that addresses the opportunities and threats posed by increasing levels of tourism at this fragile destination.

As well as celebrating the decade of international cooperation in conservation and visitor management at Mogao Grottoes, the workshop also progressed the work of the World Heritage Sustainable Tourism Initiative (WHSTI). A key outcome of the workshop was the development of recommendations for amendments to the World Heritage Operational Guidelines so that best practice in tourism management can be incorporated into the management processes of the World Heritage Convention. Following endorsement of the process at the June 2009 meeting of the World Heritage Committee (33COM) in Seville, these amendments will be submitted to the June 2010 meeting (34COM).

The workshop also reviewed the emerging Principles for Sustainable World Heritage Tourism that support the proposed amendments to the Operational Guidelines. Thus the presentations at the workshop illustrated and analysed, through case studies, many of the key points associated with the responsible development and management at World Heritage Sites. Four main themes underpinned the workshop:

· Planning for sustainable tourism at heritage sites

· Working with the tourism sector

· Managing the tourist experience on site

· Maximising community benefits

Copies of many of the presentations are available on the website of the Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Highlights to my mind included a wonderful presentation by the managers of Port Arthur Historic Site in Tasmania that looked at market segmentation and satisfying the needs of very different audiences on one site, Sharon Sullivan’s exposition of values-based management for heritage sites and a paper by two Guatemalan conservation professionals looking at the integration of spiritual values into site and landscape management. A link to the papers should be available to ICOMOS members from Leanne Burrows (Leanne.Burrows@environment.gov.au). A draft of the revised Principles for Sustainable World Heritage Tourism is available from Graham Brooks (grahamlesliebrooks@hotmail.com), Chair of the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee. Alternatively, I can supply a copy of the Draft Principles (drsimonwoodward@hotmail.com) .

World Travel Market

Just back from a really good couple of days at WTM in London. Met old friends, made new contacts and enjoyed some excellent presentations. I particularly enjoyed Andres Calderon's paper on cultural heritage and tourism in Peru and also David Souden's presentation on the work of Historic Royal Palaces here in the UK.

At the end of the session I was chairing it became clearer than ever that responsible tourism at heritage sites needs a true and transparent partnership between heritage and tourism professionals as well as with host communities, and that every project needs a champion.

Will post links to all the papers when they are online.

Cycle tourism in Northumberland

One of the very best ways to appreciate the fabulous landscapes of Northumberland has to be on two wheels – the kind you pedal yourself! Cycling along the country lanes, taking in the views of woodlands, heather-clad moors and fields of sheep and cattle, you’re reminded everywhere of the rich heritage of the ancient kingdom of Northumbria. And with a wealth of archaeological and historical sites to visit, not to mention picturesque villages and great pubs and cafés, there’s always an excuse to get off the bike and take a break from the saddle.

The International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT), from Leeds Metropolitan University, is working with the Glendale Gateway Trust, the Haltwhistle Partnership and other partners to develop cycling around the market towns of Wooler and Haltwhistle. The project is funded through the Market Town Welcome Programme as part of the Rural Development Programme England (RDPE) by Northumberland County Council on behalf of ONE NorthEast. The Market Town Welcome Programme in Northumberland is helping key towns to achieve their full potential as tourist destinations and prioritise investment in improvements to the towns’ attractions and facilities.

Over the next 18 months you’ll see exciting routes being developed for all abilities – from mountain-bike trails and challenging day rides to gentle ‘softie’ circuits. Of course, there’ll be support services too, such as cycle hire and repair shops. The two ‘hubs’ of Haltwhistle and Wooler will be the first focal points of Northumberland’s new cycle tourism venture – after that, we expect that other market towns in the region will join in to establish Northumberland as one of the UK’s leading cycling destinations.

Keen cyclist Anna Waddilove will be carrying out much of the work from a base in Hexham. A graduate of ICRT’s Responsible Tourism Management programme and a former employee of Sustrans, Anna is new to Northumberland and brings a fresh perspective to the area – perfect for understanding what visitors want! After her first few weeks in the area, Anna says “I’ve fallen in love with Northumberland already! Stunning scenery, quiet roads, fantastic light - and even the weather’s been not half bad …so far! It all feels so peaceful and remote yet you’re never more than an hour and a half from Newcastle. Perfect cycling country, with bucketfuls of added interest.” Meanwhile, the other members of the team – Simon Woodward and Janet Cochrane – have known Northumberland since childhood and formed a deep affection for its glorious scenery and romantic history which they’re looking forward to sharing with others.

Anna has already started mobilising local tourism and cycling interests to work together to make the area as cycle-friendly as possible. Early on, she’ll be trying out new routes and encouraging accommodation owners and other tourism businesses to participate in the ‘Cyclists Welcome’ scheme and to offer local produce on their menus – so don’t be surprised if you find her in your local tea-room sampling the area’s finest food and drink!

To learn more about the cycle hubs project – whether you’re a local resident, a keen or novice cyclist, a local business interested in what the project can offer for you, or any other interested party – come along to one of the public meetings for a presentation and informal chat.

Timing: 7pm for 7.30pm – 8.30pm (approx.)

Monday 23^rd November - Main Hall, Cheviot Centre, Padgepool Place, Wooler.

Tuesday 24^th November – Garden Suite, Centre of Britain Hotel, Main Street, Haltwhistle.

Finding the ’spirit of place’

I have just returned from EuroCHRIE in Helsinki, where I was delivering a paper on the role of visitor centres in helping people capture the ‘spirit of place’. Helsinki is a wonderful city whose architecture illustrates clearly the highs and lows on Finnish history. For 100 years Finland was part of the Russian Empire and there is evidence of this in the statue of Tsar Nicholas in the cathedral square, the Tsarist eagle sculpture overlooking the harbour, and the nearby Orthodox cathedral of Uspensky.

The move towards independence (which came in 1917) stimulated a flowering of creativity in all the arts, illustrated partly by the wealth of ‘Jugendstil’ houses in the city centre and by the mighty edifice of the National Museum, built to celebrate every aspect of Finnish culture. And the vision of later 20^th century Finnish architects can be seen in the Finlandia Concert Hall and the interior of the Academic Bookstore on Esplanaadi.

We sometimes forget, as we walk round cities, that the buildings around us aren’t just functional expressions of a client’s brief, but an attempt by the architect to share this vision and to enhance the world we live in. Next time you walk down Park Row to Leeds Station, look up and around, and marvel!

IoB Presidential Medal

Back from London where, amidst all the meetings, I was able to see Mum & Dad being presented with the Institute of Biology's Presidential Medal for Services to Biological Sciences - v. proud son!