The people behind the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been at the forefront of tourism promotion since day one. Not the kind of mass tourism in evidence at amusement parks in Florida and California and coastal resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico and Spain, but travel that places great emphasis on history and the diffusion of cultural assets.
As such, UNESCO has recently been at the helm of a movement known as creative tourism. The term refers to the very roots of tourism in the first place, when intrepid explorers set out to discover and learn from trips abroad. With more and more people in search of authenticity while on vacation – in what they see, hear, eat and experience – UNESCO made the decision in 2004 to appoint a creative city network in a bold effort to uphold cultural diversity across the world.
Each subsequent member of the creative network has become a vanguard of cultural dissemination. As UNESCO as done with the famous World Heritage Site program, it now seeks to implement with less tangible treasures. From literature to gastronomy, folk art to music, the creative tourism destinations in UNESCO’s relatively new program personify the polar opposite of the worst in “Disney” and populist tourism.
Here are the current members of the creative city network, in no particular order.
12. Aswan, Egypt
Aswan was the first city of crafts and folk art to make the UNESCO creative city list. As a foremost hub of Nubian art, the historical Nile River city in Egypt is without peer, with a folk scene that thrives to the present day.
11. Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.
With strong Pueblo culture and influence from Mexico, Sante Fe has one of the most distinct arts scenes in North America. Another crafts and folk art destination, Sante Fe has a number of annual festivals, museums and councils that preserve what is a singular cultural scene.
10. Berlin, Germany
Berlin’s appointment as a city of design in 2005 was no major surprise. After all, the city’s contributions to the field are self-evident and the capital of Germany has been home to some of the most creative and innovative thinkers for generations.
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At the confluence of many different ethnic, cultural and social profiles, Buenos Aires is a prominent design center. From fashion to industrial design, the capital of Argentina has a rich landscape whose impact is felt across Latin America.
A major hub of cultural pluralism in North America, vibrant Montreal is the third design city in UNESCO’s eminent list. Capable of admission in a number of areas other than desgin, the city is nonetheless the most avant-garde and stylish on the continent.
Small in comparison to other destinations in the creative city network, Popayan is thusfar the sole entry in the realm of gastronomy. With less than 300,000 people, Popayan’s contributions to the cultural and political development of Colombia far outshine the diminutive population. More importantly, the preservation of authentic cuisine is what marks Popayan as special within the country and indeed, South America.
Edinburgh’s entry as a city of literature must have been unanimous within UNESCO. With several annual cultural festivals, symposiums and conferences on literary topics, in addition to native sons such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, Edinburgh certainly deserves the honor.
As the cultural capital of Australia, Melbourne is a lively literary city. With a vast publishing sector and more bookshops and libraries per capita than even Sydney, Melbourne is the second and last UNESCO city of literature – for now at least.
If ever there was a city with intense appreciation for classical and traditional music, Bologna would be at the top of the short list. In addition to festivals and a vibrant scene, this UNESCO city of music in Italy has taken enviable measures to preserve and protect the classics and share knowledge in the form of cultural exchange programs.
A global cultural capital, music is simply part of everyday life in exquisite Seville. From a festival scene that includes opera and classical symphony to flamenco and traditional music, the designation “city of music” is entirely appropriate.
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With national and international acclaim as a musical center, from a historic and present-day vantage point, Glasgow provides Scotland with a second member on the UNESCO panel. A swirl of creative energy seems to emanate from the city, as it produces more than 125 live musical events per week, on average.
1. Lyon, France
Home to a flurry of cultural activity, Lyon was the first – and only thusfar – media arts city on the UNESCO list. Festivals such as the Nuits Sonores and F?te de la Lumi?re propelled the city’s candidacy with the application board, in addition to notable innovations in the field of digital games. A notable hub of gastronomy, one wonders if Lyon’s cuisine will grab the attention of UNESCO next.
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