site.btaMuseums Are Natural Guardians of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Says UNESCO South-Eastern Europe Regional Centre Executive Director

Museums are the natural guardians of intangible cultural heritage, said Dr. Irena Todorova, Executive Director of the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe under the auspices of UNESCO. She participated at an event here Friday dedicated to the vision for the development of cultural tourism in Bulgaria.

Todorova pointed out that back in 2015, UNESCO set itself the clear goal of investing a lot of effort in promoting their role not only as guardians of artifacts, but also as centers for education, culture, and civil society. "UNESCO does not recognize the museum as an economic component, but much more as a goal of cultural tourism, through which to serve national identity and develop cultural economies and creative industries," she emphasized.

UNESCO also considers the social function of the museum, Todorova stressed, adding that to a large extent, a museum conveys political value in addition to cultural policies because its directors often open up topics that are key to local identities. She also noted that BTA and BNR provide media promotion that is more than necessary to spread the goals of Bulgarian cultural tourism. "The only way to promote Bulgaria and be increasingly proud of our identity is when all stakeholders are included", she concluded.