Bangkok, 30 January, 2019 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was proud to be one of the co-sponsors of a major international conference organised at the Siam Society between 25-26 January, 2019, on the theme “Heritage Protection: The Asian Experience”.
The conference brought together thinkers, professionals and practitioners in the field of cultural heritage protection from Thailand and 12 Asian nations for two days of thought provoking discussions on how best to preserve and conserve cultural heritage within the context of the sweeping economic, technological, and social changes occurring across Asia and the world.
The organiser was the Siam Society, set up in 1904 under Royal Patronage to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts and natural sciences of Thailand as well as those of neighbouring countries. The Society’s activities are guided by its motto: “Knowledge Gives Rise to Friendship”.
TAT Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn said: “TAT was proud to join the Thai Ministry of Culture and PTT Global Chemical PCL as a sponsor of what clearly turned out to be a ground-breaking event in considering issues of cultural heritage protection in Asia.
“We were glad to see that the linkage between tourism and cultural heritage came up repeatedly during the discussion. This is exactly in line with our marketing concept of “Open to the New Shades”, which is based entirely on Thailand’s ability to welcome people of all cultures.
“We will be taking careful note of the conclusions and recommendations in formulating our future tourism development and marketing strategies, especially in promoting the new generation of emerging destinations around Thailand,” he added.
According to the Siam Society, the conference was designed to provide a platform for Asian speakers to describe cultural heritage from an Asian perspective, recognising the diversity of cultures and cultural heritage protection experiences across the Asian continent.
The speakers looked at various aspects of the Asian experience of cultural heritage protection within diverse Asian settings to determine what are the main obstacles to successful heritage protection; what works and what does not; what lessons can be drawn for Asian people from Asian experiences.
They also suggested cultural heritage protection strategies most likely to be effective within the Asian socio-cultural and political contexts, focusing on community involvement, the role of law, and entrepreneurs’ contributions.
A book compiling the conference papers will come out by the second quarter of 2019 for widespread distribution throughout the Asian region.
Mrs. Pikulkeaw Krairiksh, President of the Siam Society, said: “Thailand faces many challenges in conserving its cultural heritage, particularly vernacular, community, and intangible heritage, which have been the focus of the Siam Society’s cultural heritage conservation efforts in recent years. We were very pleased with the strong level of attention it attracted both within Thailand and the ASEAN region.”
Further information: http://conference2019.siam-society.org/
