UN tourism forum attracts visitors to try local handcrafting activities

Neeraj Singh Dev made a special souvenir close to his heart during his trip to Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in mid-October.

The man, who works for Thomas Cook India, wrote his hometown name on a special stone commonly found on the banks of the Lijiang River.

"My hometown name is very long, so I wrote the short version of it," says the man from India.

He was intrigued to do so after instantly being attracted to Lijiang sand and stone paintings that depict the stunning scenery of Guilin at the 2024 UN Tourism/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook held from Friday to Sunday.

The event was organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association, attracting 120 experts and representatives from 25 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and Cambodia, who discussed consolidating tourism recovery in Asia.

They also explored cooperation under the application of digital technology and the integration of tradition and innovation while sharing the latest trends and future developments in the Asia-Pacific tourism industry.

"It uses the sand and stones from the riverbed as materials to construct distant landscapes, creating handcrafted scrolls of nature," says inheritor Luo Qian of the art form, which was named a Guilin municipal-level intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

The painting requires eight major steps and over 20 processes to complete, including sourcing materials, selecting stones, composing the design and assembling, Luo adds.

To endear the art form to more people, Luo developed an easy kit that offers a quick experience for creating the paintings.

Many works on display during the forum were based on the original size of the stones, upon which paintings were made. "We taught visitors how to create their own patterns," Luo says.

In addition to sand and stone paintings, woodcarving and ancient architecture models by local artists also drew attention.

The vivid portrait of a girl from the Yao ethnic group and Buddhist figure carved out of wood and roots by artist Pan Kui impressed participants from home and abroad.

Pan says woodcarving explores the relationship between humans and wood and, in some cases, transforms the decayed into the magical.

By using natural materials and blending traditional Chinese ink painting elements with decaying wood from the mountains, the pieces acquire a sense of depth and evoke the dynamic, expressive effects of ink brushwork, he adds.

"No two handcrafted wooden carvings are the same. Even if carved by the same person from similarly sized pieces of wood, two seemingly identical carvings will have subtle differences," he says.

Junichi Kumada, chief consultant with JTB Tourism Research and Consulting Co., was impressed by the presentation of cultural heritage elements.

The activities are mostly related to cultural and natural aspects and thus help travelers from outside better understand the region, Kumada says.

He proposes that destinations like Guilin make more efforts to foster and support local artists through tourism.

"More mini-shows featuring intangible cultural heritage can be performed to address the history and background of Guilin, creating a common understanding between locals and visitors," he says.

Guo Qingyang, who is studying tourism management at Colorado State University in the United States, is also impressed by the presence of intangible cultural heritage at the forum.

"These intangible cultural heritage creative products are especially appealing to young people," says Guo from Hubei province.

"The handcrafted wooden models of ancient architecture are both eco-friendly and cool, while the hand-painted Lijiang stone art interactions are unique and interesting," he adds.

According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association, the number of international tourists to the Asia-Pacific region is expected to increase from 619 million in 2024 to 762 million in 2026, showing strong growth momentum.

Experts at the forum agree that local traditions like intangible cultural heritage can play a positive role in adding to the travel experiences of international visitors.