The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) in cooperation with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is organizing the 1st International Conference on Religious Tourism (ICORET 2006) at the Hilton Park Hotel, in Nicosia, Cyprus 19-21 October 2006.

The conference, the first of its kind, aims at bringing together stakeholders and organizations involved in the field as well as focus on key issues and provide networking opportunities for interested parties.

An array of renowned speakers from all over the world, experts in the field of Religious Tourism will be participating.

The intensive, information-filled programme topics to be covered will include the development of special interest tourism, best practices, new trends and the respect and protection of places of worship.

The programme will also include technical visits to sites of religious and cultural significance. Up to date information, including the conference programme and online registration is available at www.icoret.org.

ICORET 2006 is expected to be a reference point for tourism professionals such as national tourism authorities, tour operators, destination management companies (DMCs), travel agents, and consultants dealing with religious and cultural tourism as well as national, local and religious authorities who are interested in developing this type of tourism in their region.

It is anticipated that the industry servicing the sector worldwide and especially in Europe and the Mediterranean region, such as Travel Agents, Destination Management Companies (DMCs), industry analysts and the church body itself will participate.

The underlying perspective of ICORET 2006 is global, but with a particular focus on similarities and differences between regions of the world, representing various phases of development, systems, cultural, societal and environmental conditions.

The expected outcome of ICORET 2006 is to build stronger ties between tourism authorities, travel agents, communities and religious sectors, and to devise approaches to move towards a more truly integrated way of thinking about religious tourism; a holistic approach to a complete offering with sustainability at the center.

This is an approach that will help policymakers and business professionals, religious authorities and civil society to address the complex issues around them more effectively.

ICORET 2006 delegates will have the opportunity to learn about how to:

• Promote synergies among authorities and agents promoting religious tourism
• Utilize Best Practices in product organization and promotion of religious tourism
• Position religious tourism as a special form of tourism
• Derive sustainable results for stakeholders involved in religious tourism
• Maintain religious tourism as focal point of international tourism
• Develop this industry in their respective area according to new trends in religious tourism development
• Promote, protect and respect places of worship
• Better understand the challenges and potential of religious tourism
• Network and exchange views among various stakeholders, experts, practitioners and decision makers in religious tourism development and management

Cyprus is the ideal staring point for ICORET 2006. The Byzantine churches of Cyprus with their important architecture, iconography, mosaics, murals and rare icons, the chapels and shrines of the countryside, the monasteries speak for the intense dedication to traditions and the close interconnection of art with religious worship through the centuries.

The visitor also has the opportunity to come across buildings and places of worship belonging to other doctrines and religions which co-exist in a continuous dialogue promoting the rare historic and cultural palimpsest of Cyprus.