Murshud: Developing tourism routes in South Caucasus creates opportunities for local residents

The development of tourism routes in the South Caucasus creates new opportunities for youth and women, and also helps strengthen ties between local communities, Program Manager at the Transcaucasian Trail Association Gunay Murshud said at a panel session during the 7th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, Report informs.

According to her, the Transcaucasian Trail project envisions the creation of a tourist route connecting the Caspian and Black Seas.

In turn, Head of the Cultural Heritage Development Department at the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan Leyla Musayeva noted that tourism development contributes to the preservation of Khinalig's cultural heritage, its traditional architecture, customs, and the unique language of the locals.

She recalled that in 2023, the village and its cultural landscape were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Madhura Dutta, Senior Consultant on Culture, Climate and Development at Contact Base (Banglanatak), shared how the development of cultural tourism helped transform India's Purulia district from one of the country's poorest into a popular tourist destination.

According to her, thanks to the Art for Life program, locals gained the opportunity to develop traditional crafts and engage in creative professions. Today, there are more than 10,000 creative professionals in the district, a significant portion of whom are women.

Samira Ezzo, founder of the Layers of Lebanon project, spoke about her work preserving the historical memory of the Lebanese Civil War. Since 2021, she has been conducting tours along the former Green Line that divided Beirut into eastern and western parts, using archives, photographs, and eyewitness accounts to foster intercultural dialogue.

Indigenous tourism expert Jean-Philippe Le Moigne stated that indigenous peoples should independently determine approaches to tourism development in their ancestral territories, and projects must be developed jointly with local communities.