David Michelmore, Director of the Consultancy for Conservation, is a specialist in the sustainable development, management and conservation of heritage sites. His work in 37 countries in the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific has involved implementing UNESCO projects and activities in 17 of these countries.
Michelmore has extensive experience in training, capacity building and working with local communities on the sustainable development of heritage tourism assets, having developed manuals for tourism development and conservation of historic towns in Asia on behalf of the UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. He has key experience in fundraising for tourism development and has organized three international donors’ conferences on behalf of UNESCO and UNDP.
His work partnering local authorities has involved the implementation of tourism development projects in China, Nepal and Turkey. Since 2005, his work has concentrated on the Middle East (Iraq – Kurdistan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria) and South-East Europe, and has included the design of innovative tools for tourism development in Damascus and Istanbul.
Michelmore has worked in Iraq since 2004 and has been a full-time resident since 2009, implementing tourism-related projects in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.