The international meeting on Silk Road tourism was organized by the UNWTO in the northwestern Chinese city of Dunhuang from 1st August to 3rd. During this three day meeting the prime focus was on a presentation of Spice Route made by the Kerala Tourism Secretary Suman Billa.
Speaking on the topic of ‘Protecting Heritage and Promoting peace through the Spice Route initiative ‘, Billa stressed on the importance of reviving the route that connected around 31 countries in Asia and Europe with India, especially Kerala, being the major hub.
“The recent archaeological evidences excavated from Muziris, the chief port of entry in India from the West for the ancient spice trade, we have been bestowed with a historic opportunity to revive Spice Route for the modern world,” said Billa supporting his speech before a selected gathering of officials from UNWTO, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and international tourism organizations.
“Peace is the main theme of the idea of trade as it overcomes the constraint of religion, region, community and civilization. The Silk and Spice routes can come up as a powerful symbol of peace in a conflict-torn world. By reviving the Spice Route, we will be able to show our respect to an important heritage shared among 31 countries along the Spice Route by a significant heritage shared among as many as 31 countries along the Spice Route by aiding people from around the world to once again travel the route that were used by traders for more than 2000 years,” he said.
UNWTO had invited Suman Billa for the International meeting on Silk Road Tourism in China which was jointly hosted by China National Tourism Administration and the Chinese provincial government of Gansu.
Xu Jing, the UNWTO’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, who moderated the session, applauded the ‘Kerala model’ of tourism development and expressed that Kerala Tourism’s Spice Route proposal is a mega project that UNWTO can take up. Billa’s presentation on the Silk Route was widely lauded by the conference delegates, involving UNWTO’s Executive Director (Member relations and services), Zoltan Somogyi, who revered the initiatives taken by the Kerala Tourism to revive the Spice Route. “The presentation we witnessed from the Kerala Tourism Secretary is a great initiative to revive a 2000 year-old-heritage,” Somogyi said.
Kerala was visited earlier in the year in April by Xu Jing and Somogyi. During their visit to the state, they had showed their appreciation for the honest efforts of Kerala Tourism in providing reliable experience to visitors.
“Both the senior officials articulated their deep interest in the Spice Tourism initiative and assured full support on behalf of UNWTO,” Billa said, adding that the renewal of Spice Route would enhance tourist arrivals in Kerala from all over the world.
Apart from reviving Kerala's maritime trade relations with the 31 countries linked with Spice Route, the project also seeks to renew interest among the modern travelers, motivating them to undertake voyages and excursions. With the initiation of the route, it is believed to renew cultural, historical and archaeological exchanges.
“It is entirely an attractive project that we want to revive to create and develop a multinational spice-theme route shaped on the Silk Road that formed the strong foundation of sea trade during primeval ages including Kerala and 31 other countries,” Billa said.
Besides India, countries involved are Afghanistan, Burma, China, Denmark, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Jordan, Italy, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Mozambique, Malaysia, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Pakistan, Spain, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UK and Yemen were part of this historic trade route.
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