The OWHC is proud to announce that a first grant has just been given to the City of Philadelphia as part of the OWHC Grants program. The project “Philadelphia and San Antonio: Sharing Best Practices in Heritage Tourism and Public Education” will take place during San Antonio’s annual “World Heritage Festival” to be held September 4-8, 2019. The festival overlaps with the OWHC’s Solidarity Day of World Heritage Cities that occurs annually on September 8^th.

Global Philadelphia World Heritage Program Manager Melissa Stevens will travel to San Antonio for the Festival and meet with various entities involved in San Antonio World Heritage management to share information and explore opportunities for collaboration. She will attend two days of the Festival to learn how San Antonio celebrates World Heritage and communicates its heritage to visitors and residents. She will also meet with Colleen Swain, Director of the San Antonio World Heritage Office and other colleagues in the World Heritage Office. Other potential meetings focusing on tourism, public education, and heritage representation (currently being scheduled) include meetings with Visit San Antonio, the National Park Service, Mission Heritage Partners, the Alamo, and American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions.

The OWHC Grant will strengthen the relationship between Philadelphia and San Antonio, facilitate information-sharing between two of our member cities and the greater OWHC community, and contribute to the OWHC’s mission to encourage co-operation and the exchange of information and expertise and to develop a sense of solidarity among its member cities.

Stay tuned on our social medias for more info from Melissa and our colleagues in San Antonio!

Instagram: @ovpm_owhc_ocpm

Facebook: @OrganizationofWorldHeritageCities