EASTERN EUROPE and CENTRAL ASIA CONFERENCE ON STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS IN TOURISM Provisional Programme Tbilisi, Georgia 25 26 September 2007 MONDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2007 14:00 18:00 Registration of participants Conference Centre (Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel) 04/10/2007 8:00 9:15 Registration of participants TUESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2007 09:15 10:00 Official opening George Arveladze, Minister of Economic Development of Georgia Francesco Frangialli, UNWTO Secretary General Mikhail Saakashvili, President of Georgia 10:00 11:00 SESSION I TOURCOM DIALOGUE GLOBAL APPROACH The overall importance of tourism and its economic, social and environmental impact, future trends and how effective communication strategies can contribute to the further development of sustainable tourism in general and in new emerging destinations in particular. 11:00 11:30 Coffee Break 11:30 13:30 SESSION II TOURCOM DIALOGUE REGIONAL APPROACH: New emerging destinations on the tourist map! Challenges, approaches and strategies to position one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse regions on Earth on the international tourism market. The Silk Road as the bridge between emerging destinations and as one of the communication tools used. Communicating the Big Issues Geoffrey Lipman, UNWTO Assistant Secretary General Tourism Communication in the Age of Globalization Anita Mendiratta, CACHET Consulting, Strategic Advisor to CNN International in Tourism and Economic Development Strengthening diversity Moderator: John Bell, Travel Journalist, United Kingdom Challenges of Emerging Markets Rafael Isún, Managing Director THR/Dream Resorts Factory, Spain (30 min) Panel (1h) Panellists: Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Tourism Department
Questions and Answers 13:30 15:00 Lunch Break 15:00 16:30 TOURCOM DIALOGUE REGIONAL APPROACH (CONT.): The Silk Road as the bridge between emerging destinations and as one of the communication tools. Questions and Answers 16:30 16:45 Coffee Break 16:45 18:15 SESSION III RISK ASSESSMENT AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT Safety and security issues of importance for the tourism sector such as natural disasters, terrorism, crime and health threats. Risk assessments needs, preparedness and response plans. Including coordination between public and private sector stakeholders. 2 Bulgaria State Agency for Tourism Poland Ministry of Economy, Department of Tourism Slovakia Slovak Tourist Board Romania Ministry of Small& Medium Sized Enterprises, Trade and Tourism Georgia Department of Tourism and Resorts The Silk Road bridging tourist destinations Moderator: Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planet Co Founder Benefits of Cooperative Marketing Amanda Hills, Managing Director, Hills Balfour Four Synergie, United Kingdom Silk Road as a Communication and Marketing Tool Sergey Danilov, Freelance Journalist, Tourism Expert, Uzbekistan Panel (40 min): Panellists: Armenia Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Tourism Department Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism Tajikistan Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Mongolia Ministry of Road, Transport and Tourism Moderator: German Porras, UNWTO Consultant, Former Secretary General of Tourism of Spain and Director General of Turespana UNWTO s Risk and Crisis Management Action Plan Dirk Glaesser, Chief, Risk and Crisis Management, UNWTO Risk and Perception the Media Dimension Didier Ranchon, Vice President of GEOS International Israel : Tourism Marketing in the Time of Crisis Eliezer Hod, Marketing Development Director, Ministry of Tourism, Israel
20:00 Dinner, Restaurant Tsiskvili (Windmill) WEDNESDAY, 26 th September 2007 9:30 11:00 SESSION IV PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN TOURISM COMMUNICATIONS National Tourism Administrations alone cannot address tourism s most pressing challenges; instead, new kinds of partnership with the private sector are needed. One of the main areas in which public private sector partnership in tourism has developed is communication, basically link with country promotion and tourism campaigns. The role of the media and private sector to increase the visibility of a tourism destination 11:00 11:15 Coffee Break 11:15 13:00 SESSION V TRADITIONAL AND NEW COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN THE TOURISM SECTOR Presentation of traditional and new e tourism communication strategies and best practices. To enhance the ability of the tourism sector to make the best possible use of information and communication technologies in tourism development, management and marketing. Regional ICT strategies applied and local initiatives of the tourism industry. 3 Georgia s Experience Beka Jakeli, Head, Planning and Development Division, Department of Tourism and Resorts, Georgia Moderator: Carlos Romero, Executive Director, Affiliate Members, UNWTO Partnership Models in Developing and Implementing Tourism Communication Policies Gerd Hesselmann, Representative of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry; Chairman, HESSELMANN & ASSOCIATES, Germany Croatian Experience Milo Sršen, Assistant Director, Croatian National Tourist Board, Croatia Mobilizing for Tourism Development: Experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina Snjezana Derviskadic, Tourism Cluster Director, Emerging Markets Group Ltd., Bosnia and Herzegovina Polish Experience Anna Somorowska, President of the Board, Polish Agency for Tourism Development S.A., Poland Moderator: Nick Easen, Breaking Travel News, United Kingdom How to Maximize on Traditional Communications Nick Easen, Breaking Travel News, United Kingdom Optimizing New Media Communication Tools Alethea Lodge Clarke, Programme Manager PPP for UN, Microsoft Tourism Portals a Vital Communication Tool Michael Shamshidov, Marketing Director, Virtual Travel Guide OrexCa for Central Asia
13:00 15:00 Lunch Break 14:00 15:00 WORKSHOP: TALKING TO THE MEDIA What is the story? Making friends with the media to your advantage. 15:00 17:00 SESSION VI TOURISM ENRICHES How to communicate the value of tourism to your local community and to gain their confidence and collaboration. How to increase destination awareness and create multi faceted opportunities to attract business investment. 4 Case Study: The Tourism Communication Campaign of Georgia Bakur Lashkarava, Deputy Chairman, Department of Tourism and Resorts, Georgia Promoting Destination: Pragmatic Approach Peter Nasmyth, Author of Walking in the Caucasus, United Kingdom Chairs: John Bell, Travel Journalist, Great Britain Nick Easen, Breaking Travel News, Great Britain Claus Gröbner, Director Business Development, Eurosport Media, Germany This one hour workshop is designed especially for NTA communications directors, private sector, local and international media Moderator: Scott Wayne, President, SW Associates, LLC Tourism Development Consulting, United States of America Raising Awareness on the Significance of Tourism and Managing a Destination s Image German Porras, UNWTO Consultant, Former Secretary General of Tourism of Spain and Director General of Turespana Building Stories Enriching the experience in an ancient Persian city Jonathan Karkut, International Institute for Culture, Tourism & Development London Metropolitan University Wilderness Tourism Enriching Rural Communities and Nature Gavin Bell, Communications Manager, PAN Parks Foundation (15min) How Good Communications can build Confidence and Business in the Tourism Sector Aneil Bedi, M&C Saatchi Investor s perspective Khater Massaad, Chairman of Rakeen Development and RAK AIRWAYS, United Arab Emirates Otar Bubashvili, Chairman, Department of Tourism and Resorts, Georgia
5 17:00 Conclusions and Closing 20:00 Dinner, Restaurant In the Shadow of Metekhi * Programme and speakers are subject to confirmation