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.

The end-of-project seminar will be held in a city in Mexico, Ecuador or Colombia that will host all the participating communities. Associate partners will also be invited.

Objectives :

• Bringing together all project partners
• Highlight the project’s actions and progress, while opening up new avenues of cooperation.

A travelling exhibition:
composed of 4 photos per partner city in the 4 countries, for a total of 52 photos.

Objectives :

• Promoting a broad vision of heritage, from old town centers to intangible heritage
• Inviting people to travel and discover cities
• Raising residents’ awareness of the quality of their living environment
• Encourage the development of more sustainable tourism and offer an alternative to areas with a high concentration of tourists.
• Promote the project and its partners to a wide audience.

The fourth and final study tour in France will take place in Elbeuf-sur-Seine. The Ecuadorian cities of Cuenca and Loja as well as the Mexican cities of Campeche and Morelia will be taking part in this trip.

Participants will also be able to take part in the 10th “International Training Week”.

Objectives :

• Learn about France’s experience in tourism and heritage.
• Exchange of practices between countries
• Promote networking between partner cities.

From February 14 to 21, a French delegation from Sites & Cités and representatives from Bordeaux, Draguignan, Dinan and Elbeuf-sur-Seine will spend 5 days visiting the Mexican cities involved in the project.

Objectives :

• Introduce partners and their experience.
• Organize exchanges on the best initiatives, actions and strategies in the field of heritage and historic center tourism development.

Sites & Cités, in partnership with Bordeaux Métropole, 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 the participation of :

• Anne-Laure MONIOT, Project Manager, World Heritage Mission

• 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

The international delegation was made up of :

• Juan Sebastian HERNANDEZ, Sustainable Tourism Strategy Manager, Corpoturismo Cartagena – Colombia

• Paulina ARBOLEDA, Tourism Operations Manager, Quito Turismo – Ecuador

• Bérénice VIDAL, General Manager of the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage Directorate of Puebla – Mexico

• Andrea DIAZ, Head of the Urban Image Department at the Directorate of the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage of Puebla – Mexico

The aim of these trips is to showcase France’s international experience in tourism and heritage, encourage the exchange of best practices between countries, and promote networking between partner cities.