Girne, Turkish Cypriot State- November 25, 2024
The 4th ECO Experts Group Meeting on Ecotourism, hosted by the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot State was held in Girne city on 25 November 2024 in hybrid mode. The event brought together leading experts from across ECO region to discuss strategies for promoting sustainable tourism and preserving natural heritage. Delegates from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan, as well as Turkish Cypriot State attended the meeting.
Discussions at the meeting focused on nature tourism practices in protected areas and the management of diverse ecosystems for nature tourism, the recent progress in ecotourism activities, including the overview of national parks, planning and improvement of the infrastructure for ecotourism routes, and marketing and promotion of specific ecotourism destinations.
The meeting also reviewed the recommendations of the previous Experts Group Meeting and discussed future cooperation in integrating the previous work to compile a comprehensive ecotourism catalogue with a special collection of best practices in ecotourism and organizing field trips to strengthen regional ecotourism. Moreover, the Azerbaijan delegation expressed the possibility of organizing some field trips for the experts of the ECO Member States and hosting the 5th Experts Group Meeting on Ecotourism in Azerbaijan.
Participants expressed their commitment to work together to promote sustainable tourism practices, to continue the dialogue to exchange knowledge and experiences for the development of ecotourism within the ECO initiatives, and to protect the natural and cultural heritage of the region and sustain the benefits of ecotourism for local communities.
