October 13, 2017

Tucson Tourism Official 'Confident' in Partnership Despite UNESCO Withdrawal

Tucson was named a "creative city of gastronomy" by the U.N. organization in 2015.

Peppers roasting hero Lighting the flame to roast green chiles at a farmers market in Tucson.
AZPM Staff

Tucson tourism officials are confident that the U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO will not affect the benefits Tucson has gained since being designated as a “creative city of gastronomy” by UNESCO in 2015.

The U.S. State Department said it will leave UNESCO in 2018. A United Nations organization, UNESCO's stated mission includes enriching culture and heritage and promoting collaboration between cities and nations.

Felipe Garcia, the executive vice president of tourism bureau Visit Tucson, said the recognition from UNESCO has been a tool for the marketing and promotion of the city.

"We are confident that UNESCO will continue its partnership with Tucson specifically," Garcia said.

One of UNESCO's main objectives is fostering collaboration between cities. Garcia said more cities seeking collaboration are turning to Tucson as a model.

There are currently 116 cities and 54 nations recognized by UNESCO for using creativity as a strategy for sustainable development.

MORE: Culture, News
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona