Overview:
Palau is exploring how digital technology can help preserve its cultural heritage while creating sustainable tourism opportunities. A five-day international workshop is training participants in 3D documentation and heritage tourism management, with fieldwork at Bai er a Rengara Irrai in Airai.
By: Summer Kennard
KOROR, Palau — “Our cultural heritage is an essential part of our identity, history, and traditional knowledge,” Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Minister Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl said as Palau explores ways to use modern technology to preserve historic sites and create sustainable tourism opportunities for local communities.
The 2026 International Training Workshop on Cultural Heritage Protection began Oct. 26 through a partnership between the ministry and the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU). The five-day workshop focuses on digital documentation and heritage tourism management.
Tmetuchl said the training aims to strengthen Palau’s ability to document and protect culturally significant places while keeping traditional values at the center of preservation efforts.
He said combining traditional knowledge with modern technology and international cooperation would help Palau safeguard historic sites while respecting the country’s cultural values and traditions.
One component of the workshop focuses on three-dimensional (3D) documentation, which can be used to record traditional architecture and other cultural features. Participants are also conducting fieldwork at Bai er a Rengara Irrai in Airai.
The workshop also examines how cultural sites can support tourism while retaining their cultural significance.
Tmetuchl said Palau’s historic sites, traditional meeting houses, stone pathways and cultural landscapes offer visitors opportunities to learn about the country’s history and traditions.
He said heritage tourism could benefit local communities when development is guided by careful planning, community participation and respect for traditional leadership and cultural protocols.
“With proper planning, community participation, and respect for traditional leadership and cultural protocols, heritage tourism can support local livelihoods, create economic opportunities, and encourage younger generations to take pride in their heritage,” Tmetuchl said.
However, he emphasized that tourism development must not compromise the cultural importance of the sites being promoted.
“Our goal is to ensure that tourism development benefits our communities without compromising the integrity, authenticity, and cultural significance of these important places,” Tmetuchl said.
He said protecting cultural heritage requires shared responsibility and that partnerships such as the one with ACCU can strengthen the ability of states and communities to care for these places for future generations.