MISSION TO MEXICO – FEBRUARY 15 TO 21, 2024

As part of the three-year “Keys in Hand” international cooperation project, the cities of Mexico City, Puebla and Guanajuato welcomed a week-long French delegation comprising Djoudé MERABET, Mayor of Elbeuf-sur-Seine and Vice-Chairman of Sites & Cités, Richard TYLINSKI, municipal councillor, City of Draguignan, Cécile PARIS, elected representative for heritage and archives, City of Dinan, and Flore SCHEURER, urban planner, and a member of the French delegation. Cités, Richard TYLINSKI, municipal councillor for the city of Draguignan, Cécile PARIS, heritage and archives councillor for the city of Dinan, Flore SCHEURER, urban planner and territory manager for Bordeaux Métropole, Jacky CRUCHON, urban planning and heritage expert, as well as members of the Sites & Cités team, Marylise ORTIZ, director of Sites et Cités and Meisi MUÇA, in charge of Heritage and International Cooperation.

PUEBLA: February 15 and 16

The French delegation was warmly received at Puebla’s Palacio Municipal by Adán DOMÍNGUEZ SÁNCHEZ, Mayor of Puebla, María Fernanda HUERTA LÓPEZ, City Councillor for Infrastructure, Mobility and Public Services, María Isabel GARCÍA RAMOS, Municipal Manager of Puebla, and Berenice VIDAL CASTELÁN, Head of the Historic Centre and Cultural Heritage.

22 specialists and local representatives were invited to take part in the days of information and exchange on heritage, citizen participation and mobility. Visits to the historic center of Puebla provided an opportunity to learn more and see first-hand experiences.

GUANAJUATO: February 17 and 18

The city of Guanajuato, set in a narrow valley at an altitude of 2,000 m, is also on the World Heritage list. Masked by remarkable colorful architecture, an immense labyrinth of tunnels offers the city an incomparable form and network of mobility.

The wealth of this city was shared through enlightening visits and exchanges. What is the future of the historic center and its tourism? How can we mobilize citizens to preserve and promote our heritage? How does a city like Guanajuato, surrounded by mountain ranges, manage its growing tourism and all the phenomena that go with it? Mobility, water distribution…?

These were the questions addressed by :

  • Ivan Rivelino MORENO GALVÁN, General Manager, Environment,
  • Patricia Elain SANCHEZ STEVENSON, Managing Director, Social and Human Development,
  • Héctor Javier MORALES RAMÍREZ, Chairman of the Municipal Water and Wastewater Board,
  • Alejandro BARBARINO SOSA Director General for Transition, Mobility and Transport,
  • Jesús Antonio BORJA PÉREZ, Director General of Culture and Education.

MEXICO CITY: February 19, 20 and 21

The mission ended in Mexico City, with the aim of discussing initiatives, actions and strategies in France and Mexico in the fields of urban development, tourism and historic centers.

In the capital, the delegation met with :

  • Jorge ORTEGA GONZALEZ, Director of the Association of Mexican World Heritage Cities, and Luis Alberto PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ,
  • Loredana MONTES LÓPEZ, Director of the Mexico City Historical Center Trust,
  • José Luis ZALVIDAR OLIVARES, General Director of Tourism and Economic Development, Xochimilco.

Anabelí CONTRERAS JULIÁN, in charge of promotion and dissemination at the Mexico City Historic Center Trust Fund, presented a highly innovative program: a school for citizen participation in safeguarding the historic center!

In 2009, local residents asked the Trust Fund for a space where they could learn about the many ways to rehabilitate and maintain the world’s largest UNESCO-listed historic center.

The Escuela de Formación Ciudadana y Planeación de Barrio was created with the aim of “promoting, through theoretical and practical elements, the participation of citizens in the public affairs of their environment”.

Today, the school provides tools that reinforce informed participation through workshops on topics such as the historical and administrative evolution of the historic center, participatory mapping, citizen participation, heritage conservation and participatory planning. Another of the school’s aims is to encourage closer ties between public and private institutions that facilitate or collaborate with citizens’ proposals, strategies or projects for improving the historic center.

With architect Javier OLMOS MONROY, several visits were organized to present the restoration and enhancement of buildings such as the Church of Notre-Dame de Lorette and the Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics,

We were also able to discover the tourist facilities of the Xochimilco lagoon and the Templo Mayor archaeological site.

STUDY TOUR – INTERNATIONAL DELEGATION TO BORDEAUX – June 19, 20, 21, 2023

Sites & Cités and Bordeaux Marie Métropole have organized a study tour for an international delegation from June 19 to 21, 2023.

The delegation was welcomed by elected representatives Céline PAPIN, deputy mayor in charge of territorial, European and international cooperation, higher education and research, and Brigitte Bloch, local councillor in charge of tourism and the wine economy for Nadia Saadi.

Our partners were also able to discuss topics related to sustainable tourism in historic centers, the rehabilitation of traditional neighborhoods and the signage of heritage sites with :

  • Anne-Laure MONIOT, World Heritage Project Manager,
  • Magali da Silva, International Cooperation Coordinator
  • Sylvain SCHOONBAERT, Architect and historian
  • Julie Benisty OVIEDO, Sustainable Tourism Manager, Bordeaux Métropole Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Cécile GARCIA, Responsible Tourism Project Manager, Tourism Department
  • Mélanie TAMMEVESKI, Editorial and local tourism manager
  • Chantal BECOT, Local economy manager,
  • Aude CHATENET, Urban Renewal Project Manager
  • Dominique BUSNEL, Project Manager for Facilities of Metropolitan Interest.

Here is the international delegation:

  • Juan Sebastian HERNANDEZ, Sustainable Tourism Strategy Leader, Corpo turismo Cartagena – Colombia
  • Paulina ARBOLEDA Tourism Operations Manager, Quito Turismo – Ecuador
  • Bérénice VIDAL, General Manager of the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage of Puebla – Mexico
  • Andrea DIAZ, Head of the Urban Image Department of the Directorate of the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage of Puebla – Mexico.

The aim of these stays is to promote French experience in tourism and heritage abroad, to exchange practices between countries and to promote networking between partner cities.

STUDY TOUR – COLOMBIAN DELEGATION TO DRAGUIGNAN – June 19, 20, 21, 2023

Sites & Cités and the city of Draguignan organized a study trip for a Colombian delegation from June 19 to 21, 2023.

The delegation was welcomed by Richard Strambio, the town’s mayor, his deputies, and the town and agglomeration departments.

Our Colombian partners, Josue Javier Castellanos, Mayor of Villa de Leyva, Janneth SANDOVAL, Secretary of Economic Development for the City of Paipa, and Liliana PEREZ, Head of the Tourism Program of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism of Sogamoso, had the opportunity to discuss with Thierry DALMAS, Director General of Services for the City of Paipa, and Celia REYNIER-AUCLAIR, Director of Tourism and Cultural Affairs for the Dracénie Provence Verdon Agglomération, the actions implemented in the region in areas such as..:

  • Sustainable tourism & tourism flow management
  • Heritage ambassadors
  • Territorial marketing, attractiveness and reclaiming public space.

The aim of these stays is to promote French experience in tourism and heritage abroad, to exchange practices between countries and to promote networking between partner cities.

INTERNACIONAL TRAINING WEEK “HERITAGE & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT” June 12 -16, 2023

Sites & Cités and Bordeaux Marie Métropole have organized a study tour for an international delegation from June 19 to 21, 2023.

The delegation was welcomed by Céline PAPIN, Deputy Mayor in charge of territorial, European and international cooperation, higher education and research, and Brigitte Bloch, local councillor in charge of tourism and the wine economy for Nadia Saadi.

Our partners were also able to discuss topics related to sustainable tourism in historic centers, the rehabilitation of traditional neighborhoods and the signage of heritage sites with :

  • Anne-Laure MONIOT, World Heritage Project Manager,
  • Magali da Silva, International Cooperation Coordinator
  • Sylvain SCHOONBAERT, Architect and historian
  • Julie Benisty OVIEDO, Sustainable Tourism Manager, Bordeaux Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Cécile GARCIA, Responsible Tourism Project Manager, Tourism Department
  • Mélanie TAMMEVESKI, Editorial and local tourism manager
  • Chantal BECOT, Local economy manager,
  • Aude CHATENET, Urban Renewal Project Manager
  • Dominique BUSNEL, Project Manager for Facilities of Metropolitan Interest.

Here is the international delegation:

  • Juan Sebastian HERNANDEZ, Sustainable Tourism Strategy Leader, Corpo turismo Cartagena – Colombia
  • Paulina ARBOLEDA Tourism Operations Manager, Quito Turismo – Ecuador
  • Bérénice VIDAL, General Manager of the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage of Puebla – Mexico
  • Andrea DIAZ, Head of the Urban Image Department of the Directorate of the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage of Puebla – Mexico.

The aim of these stays is to promote French experience in tourism and heritage abroad, to exchange practices between countries and to promote networking between partner cities.

MISSION ECUADOR & COLOMBIA – April 18-24, 2023

Sites & Cités remarquables de France organized a Mission Ecuador – Colombia.

The French delegation was made up of the Sites & Cités team, Anne-Laure MONIOT, project manager for Bordeaux Métropole, Richard TYLINSKI city councillor for Draguignan and Béatrice LEFEL and Steve JULLIEN city councillors for Elbeuf-sur-Seine.

The delegation visited Cartagena, Villa de Leyva, Paipa, Sogamoso in Colombia and Quito in Ecuador. In each of these towns, workshops on heritage and tourism were organized.

The trip encouraged meetings and exchanges between representatives of French cities and partners from project member cities in Colombia and Ecuador.

Subsequently, these links will enable us to follow the progress of the pilot projects that will be implemented with each of the project’s partner cities over the next two years.

On the programme: field visits to understand and analyse the problems of each city and workshops on the themes of the pilot projects:

  • Heritage awareness
  • Revitalizing historic city centers
  • Digital heritage enhancement
  • Promoting crafts, gastronomy and producers
  • Promotional strategies for heritage destinations
  • Developing inclusive and sustainable tourism.

ONLINE WEBINAR / SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN OLD TOWN CENTERS – MARCH 07 AND 09, 2023

On Tuesday March 7 and Thursday March 9, 2023, Sites & Cités organized a webinar on “Enhancing the value of old town centers” with its project partners.

At this meeting, the cities of Cuenca, Draguignan, Sogamoso, Loja, Cartagena, Bordeaux, Campeche and Dinan took the floor.

Concrete examples of projects and actions carried out were presented during this webinar. They enabled the project partners to capitalize on the different strategies implemented to meet the challenges of diversifying the tourist offer and thus reconcile the economic development of historic centers with the preservation of their heritage.

See the program

ONLINE MEETING / PRESENTATION OF TOURISM POLICIES – FEBRUARY 7, 2023

On February 07, 2023, Sites & Cités organized a meeting to present the policies implemented to manage tourism in the historic centers of the four countries.
At this meeting, we counted on the participation of one specialist per project member country:

  • Karina FARFAN, Senior Lecturer – University of Cuenca and University of Azuay, Ecuador
  • Valère ROUSSEAU, Coordinator of the Reinventing Heritage program – Atout France
  • Luis Felipe MORALES, Colombian tourism policy specialist
  • Alejandra ZORRILLA, General Manager – Identity and Development, Mexico City

Each expert presented the legal framework and national and local tourism strategies to the partner cities. An important prerequisite for this project, which will deal specifically with the tourism enhancement of our heritage.
Find all the presentation summary sheets here (pdf link to member’s area).

ONLINE WEBINAR / ENHANCEMENT OF OLD TOWN CENTERS – JANUARY 24 AND 26, 2023

On Tuesday January 24 and Thursday January 26, Sites & Cités organized a webinar on “Enhancing the value of old town centers” with its project partners.

At this meeting, the cities of Elbeuf-sur-Seine in France, Quito in Ecuador, Puebla in Mexico and Paipa and Villa de Leyva took part.

Concrete examples of projects and actions carried out were presented during this webinar. They enabled the project partners to capitalize on different strategies implemented to meet the challenges of heritage enhancement, such as: rehabilitation, awareness-raising, enhancement and accessibility to heritage.

See the program

ONLINE MEETING / PRESENTATION OF HERITAGE POLICIES – November 28, 2022

On Monday November 28, 2022, Sites & Cités organized a meeting to present the heritage policies implemented in the historic centers of the four countries.

At this meeting, we counted on the participation of one specialist per project member country:

  • Rosana CALDERÓN, Deputy Director of Special Projects, World Heritage Department, INAH – Mexico
  • Alex REMACHE, Specialist, Territorial Planning Department – Ministerio Turismo Ecuador – Ecuador
  • Johanna URIBE, Infrastructure Advisor – Ministry of Tourism – Colombia
  • Jacky CRUCHON, urban planning and heritage consultant -France

Each expert presented the legal framework and national and local heritage strategies to the partner cities. An important prerequisite for this project, which will deal specifically with heritage preservation and enhancement.

Find all the presentation summary sheets here (pdf link to member’s area)

STUDY TOUR – EQUATORIAN DELEGATION TO DINAN – November 21, 22, 23, 2022

The first study tour for a Latin American delegation took place in Dinan, from November 21 to 23, 2022.


The delegation was welcomed by Didier Lechien, Mayor of Dinan, his deputies, the Heritage, Urban Planning and Living Environment departments and the Dinan-Cap Fréhel Tourist Office.


Our international partners, Oscar LOPEZ, representing Quito Turismo, and Carlos OROZCO from Ministerio Turismo Ecuador, were able to learn about France’s experience in tourism and heritage, and exchange their respective experiences.