The OECD and Flanders authorities will co-host a one-day Conference on Memorial Tourism and the Visitor Economy at Ypres City Hall, Flanders, on Thursday 3 October 2013.

With the centenary of the Great War only one year away, the conference will focus on how policy makers and promotional bodies can maximise the benefits of memorial tourism for regional economies. It will also provide a platform to launch further international debate on guiding principles for memorial tourism.

Speakers at the conference will include Mr Yves Leterme, Deputy Secretary General, OECD, Mr Paul Breyne, Commissioner-General of the First World War Memorial, Belgium, and Mr Peter De Wilde, CEO of Tourism Flanders. In addition, presenters from South Africa, Israel, the US, France, New Zealand and Wales will provide an international perspective on the evolution of tourism at sites of historical significance and memorial, and country approaches to commemorating the centenary of World War 1.

Conference participants will include OECD Tourism Committee delegates, Ambassadors to the OECD and representatives from France, Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan.