Members of 106 Group are attending the 21st General Assembly and International Symposium ‘Heritage as a Builder of Peace’. This international event is bringing together academicians, practitioners, and members of the Life Beyond Tourism Movement to explore the vision that world heritage sites are not just tourist destinations but training grounds where good practices based on dialogue and friendship between different cultures can be steadily implemented.
The Life Beyond Tourism event will occur in Florence, Italy from March 1-3. Here are summaries of the presentations that will be given by our staff at the conference as well as downloadable copies of the papers supporting their work.
Managing the Impacts of Cruise Ship Tourism
Presented by Anne Ketz, CEO & Services Director, and Rachel Ketz, International Development Associate
Cruise ship tourism is expected to increase. We have assessed the impacts and quality of experience of cruise ship visitors, local communities, and heritage sites by testing them against the principles put forth by the Life Beyond Tourism Manifesto, ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our research included three case studies from around the world, including a small luxury cruise ship visiting World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia; a Native American cultural tourism program being developed on the St. Lawrence River that spans the U.S. and Canadian border; and a proposed Viking Cruise landing on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. Heritage sites and communities can successfully manage the impact of cruise ship tourism through a thoughtful approach to planning, development, and management strategies.
Truth and Reconciliation through Heritage Management and Interpretation
Presented by Rachel Ketz, International Development Associate, and Anne Ketz, CEO & Services Director
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission that emerged during the dismantling of South Africa’s apartheid system in 1998 developed four notions of truth as part of a societal healing process: factual truth, personal truth, social truth, and healing truth. These truths should form the fiber of our efforts as heritage professionals. To interpret heritage places appropriately, we must cultivate an understanding of the interests, concerns, and experiences – i.e. the truths – held by the communities with whom we work. But what is truth, and whose truth are we talking about? Accounting for these multiple truths through dialogue and healing, can lead to valuable outcomes for heritage management, including management plans, interpretive exhibits, and visitor experiences.
Anne Ketz, RPA, CIP
Anne is 106 Group’s CEO and Director. Her career in cultural resources management and planning extends over 30 years and three continents. Anne has served as Vice President of ICOMOS Committee on Interpretation and Presentation for the last four years and recently began to serve as an expert member of the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee.
Rachel Ketz
Rachel’s broad international experience includes work in North America, Asia, and Europe in a range of communication and education positions. She taught English and served as a cultural ambassador in Chongqing, China; taught young Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka; and conducted marketing research in London, UK. Her degree in Communications and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), combined with her extensive global travel, has led her to planning and developing international opportunities with 106 Group.