Tourism and cinema for the achievement of the sustainable developement goals

Year after year, destinations are receiving more and more travellers whose motivation is to visit locations where famous series or movies were filmed. Culture is an essential vector for tourism and cinema can serve as a mirror of the culture of a given community. It is against this backdrop that the Conference on Tourism and the Audiovisual Industry will be held (1-2 May 2020, Riviera Maya, Mexico).

What can tourism learn from the knowledge, proposals and contributions of the most important representatives of the audiovisual sector of Ibero-America? How can conclusions and recommendations be formulated in this field to promote sustainable development through tourism? The “Conference on Tourism and the Audiovisual Industry” will provide answers to these questions.

The event is will be carried out by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with UNWTO Affiliate Members EGEDA (Entidad de Gestion de Derechos de los Productores Audiovisuales), the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo and the XCaret Group, and with the support of the Barcelo Hotel & Resorts Group.

The Conference will be integrated into the extensive programme of events in the context of the 2020 Platino Awards Gala, which will be held under the theme “17 Awards - 17 Sustainable Development Goals” and will bring together prominent representatives from the entire Ibero-American audiovisual industry: producers, directors, actors, and professionals, among others.

The conference will focus on the different aspects of the relationship between tourism, the film/audiovisual industry and the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will feature presentations and debates on cultural tourism, the beneficial impact of cinema on tourism promotion, strengthening the competitiveness of a destination and how to promote and incorporate the SDGs in movies.

Given the nature of this approach, which literally gives visibility to the SDGs through creative narratives, the Conference is very much in line with the recently initiated Decade of Action for the SDGs, which marks the countdown towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Global Goals that derive from it.

Building bridges

The conference will be aimed at public and private entities linked to the tourism and audiovisual sectors, respectively (producers, directors, actors and other film professionals, Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), National Tourism Administrations (NTAs), Ministries of Tourism, and UNWTO Affiliate Members, among others).

The event will facilitate dialogue between tourism destinations and the most important companies producing films and series, public and private television networks, sales agents, distributors and exhibitors from more than 30 countries, with the common objective of promoting film tourism through the opening of a special market area to encourage the promotion and marketing of products and services related to the audiovisual, tourism and education sectors. (by Vicky Karantzavelou)