The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is delighted that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has designated Bangkok and Sukhothai among 66 new ‘Creative Cities, thus bringing the total number of UNESCO Creative Cities in Thailand to four.
UNESCO announced on 30 October that Bangkok was designated as a ‘Creative City of Design’ and Sukhothai as a ‘Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art’. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network now totals 246 cities, including Phuket which was named a ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ in 2015 while Chiang Mai was named a ‘Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art’ in 2017.
TAT Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn said, “We are very pleased to receive this second round of Creative City designation from UNESCO with Sukhothai and Bangkok joining Chiang Mai and Phuket. We hope that this is only the beginning as TAT continues to highlight emerging destinations around Thailand, as we expand our sustainable tourism development agenda to all four corners of the Kingdom.”
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The 180 cities which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.
By joining the Network, cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to:
- strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services;
- develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector;
- improve access to and participation in cultural life, in particular for marginalized or vulnerable groups and individuals;
- fully integrate culture and creativity into sustainable development plans.
The Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music.
The Creative Cities Network is a privileged partner of UNESCO, not only as a platform for reflection on the role of creativity as a lever for sustainable development but also as a breeding ground of action and innovation, notably for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
