How often do you wash your towel? Some people wash once a week, while some, once a year. The towel is a fertile breeding ground for millions of microbes, especially those found on human skin and on the gut. No wonder the towel is one of the objects that facilitate fecal-oral contamination (literally connecting the two ends of the gut). Worse still, most people keep towels in the bathroom (near the toilet). Every flush of the toilet sends mist with millions of microbes, ranging from H.pylori, salmonella and other deadly bacteria and viruses. When you wash your hands ready for a meal, and dry them with your body towel, there's high chance you are directly ingesting your fecal matter, or, if in a shared lavatory, someone else's faeces. Unless cleaned well, viruses such as human papillomavirus (causes warts, anal cancer and cervical cancer) can be transmitted when towels are shared with infected individuals. So, what to do? 1. Launder towels once a week. 2. Use hot water and det...
The rapid growth of cultural tourism is undeniably evident, and this, according to the UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, “comes with increased responsibility to protect our cultural and natural assets, the very foundation of our societies and our civilizations”. Major stakeholders at the just concluded 2nd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture Muscat, held in the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman on 11th-12th December 2017, reaffirmed to build and strengthen partnerships between the tourism and culture sectors and enhance their role in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This, under the
Muscat Declaration on Tourism and Culture : Fostering Sustainable Development.
Image credit: UNWTO
1. Strengthen the synergies between tourism and culture and advance the contribution of cultural tourism to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the 17 SDGs;
Under this commitment, five underlying pointers are listed among them promoting the engagement of local communities and the private sector in developing cultural tourism and preserving cultural heritage. It also emphasizes on the need to promote a culture of respect among tourists and local communities, when visiting sites and destinations for purposes of sustainable cultural tourism.
2. Enhance the role of tourism and culture in peace building and heritage protection, especially in conflict affected areas;
Culture and tourism are vital components to peaceful co-existence not only at the local level, but also at the regional and international levels. It is therefore important to raise awareness on the processes and impacts of sustainable cultural tourism on security, peace-building, and reconciliation by enabling it to strengthen cross-border travel and
global citizenship, encourage visits to peace-related sites, as well as religious tourism. “Tourism plays an important role as a vehicle for inter-cultural dialogue and, ultimately, peace,” said Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO Assistant Director-General on Culture, in his opening speech at the conference, on behalf of UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay.
3. Promote responsible and sustainable tourism management of cultural heritage;
The declaration emphasizes on promoting responsible and sustainable tourism management at World Heritage sites; as well as safeguarding intangible heritage, which is crucial in maintaining the allure of tourism destinations.
4. Encourage a creative and innovative approach for sustainable urban development through cultural tourism;
Coming at an era when digitalization is at the heart of every development, the Muscat declaration underscores the use of new technologies and innovation to support development; particularly in terms of entrepreneurship and job creation, as well as fostering creative business opportunities in cultural tourism.
5. Explore the inter-linkages between culture and nature in sustainable tourism.
Finally, under the fifth commitment, developing and promoting cultural tourism programmes to support sustainable development of cultural tourism in rural areas, particularly by supporting local SMEs; is among four of the stated obligations.
P.S: The information is majorly derived from the Muscat Declaration on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development document.
Credit: Josephine Wawira
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Josephine Wawira / Global PR Assistant - Jumia Travel
Mobile: +254 (0) 775543998 / Skype: josephine.wawira4
travel.jumia.com
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