SARAJEVO, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A two-day international conference on sustainable cultural tourism, heritage, and the role of artificial intelligence opened in Mostar city, south of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), on Monday, bringing together experts and institutional representatives from across Europe and beyond.
The conference gathers UNESCO Creative Cities and World Heritage Cities from Southeast Europe, including Albania, BiH, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye, as well as other European counterparts such as Italy and Britain, according to a press release of the official Federal News Agency (FENA).
Titled "UNESCO Creative and World Heritage Cities: Towards Integrated Strategies for Sustainable Cultural Tourism Management," the event is jointly organized by UNESCO and local authorities of BiH, within the framework of the EU-funded Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans (CC4WBs) project, the report said.
Participants will explore how creativity and heritage can be jointly leveraged to promote inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban development, integrating cultural value into urban strategies while addressing tourism pressure, climate change and governance challenges. The event also highlights the concept of "Smart UNESCO Cities," focusing on innovative governance, digital tools and sustainable urban practices.
Head of the UNESCO Office in BiH, Sinisa Sesum, said at the opening ceremony that the conference provides a platform to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among cities facing similar challenges, stressing the need to exchange best practices and keep citizens at the center of development.
He noted that tourism in Mostar is experiencing rapid growth, emphasizing the importance of avoiding overcrowding and protecting the outstanding universal value of heritage sites, while pointing to insufficient legal frameworks as a key challenge.
Minister of Environment and Tourism of the Federation of BiH, Nasiha Pozder, said excessive tourism growth poses challenges for cities and highlighted the conference as an opportunity to enhance cooperation.
In addition, participants underlined the lack of reliable tourism statistics and called for improved data systems to support policymaking, according to the report. ■