Call for Applications: UNESCO Transcultura Workshop ‘Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage Tourism’

The programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office in Havana, is pleased to invite young Caribbean culture entrepreneurs to engage in the workshop Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage Tourism: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges in World Heritage Properties, taking place between 23 and 25 April 2024 in Havana, Cuba. The workshop aims to link World Heritage managers with local entrepreneurs for socio-economic benefits and sustainable management of heritage resources.

The three-day workshop is designed as a parallel activity to a main event on ‘Coastal defense systems in Europe and the Caribbean’, which will gather representatives from management teams of European and Caribbean fortification inscribed in the World Heritage List, culture and tourism sector authorities and the private sector with a strong entrepreneurship focus.

Overall, the exchange between both parties aims to leverage the expertise of site managers and the entrepreneurial skills of young cultural creatives to ensure the long-term sustainability and vitality of World Heritage Properties while creating economic opportunities for local communities.

The specific objectives are:

• Facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices between experienced site managers and young entrepreneurs to enhance the sustainable management and development of World Heritage Properties.
• Identify business opportunities and to develop successful entrepreneurial ventures at World Heritage Properties.
• Encourage the integration of innovative and entrepreneurial approaches into the management and promotion of World Heritage Properties, fostering economic opportunities for local communities.
• Foster collaboration and networking between site managers and young entrepreneurs to create partnerships that benefit both the preservation of the properties and the economic growth of the surrounding communities.

Format

• The 3-day workshop will be structured around case presentations, round tables, thematic panels, discussion groups, site visits and matchmaking sessions.
• Two main levels of debate are envisaged: (1) between entrepreneurs within or in close proximity to World Heritage Properties to identify challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship in these properties with a regional focus; and (2) between these entrepreneurs and experienced site managers of these properties to develop synergies and strategic alliances for the preservation of culture and heritage, the promotion of sustainable business practices and the enhancement of sustainable cultural tourism.
• Through this support to the entrepreneurship opportunity, UNESCO Transcultura will:
  • Cover the costs (round-trip economy class flights, arrival, and departure transfers, Cuban visa fees – if necessary, accommodation in a 3-star hotel or similar, 3 meals per day and daily transportation for the workshop related activities) from 22 to 26 April 2024 (4 nights).

Who can apply?

• Age: Applicants must be between 18 and 35 years old.
• Geographical scope: Applicants must be citizens and permanent residents of any of the following 17 Caribbean countries within the Transcultura Programme’s geographical scope: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Monserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname or Trinidad and Tobago.
• Professional requirements: young entrepreneurs with an early-stage business operating within or in close proximity of the cultural World Heritage Properties.

For more information, visit UNESCO.