UNESCO Creative Cities
The Global Alliance's Creative Cities Network, a UNESCO program instituted in 2005, recognizes cities world-wide with reputations as centers of excellence in literature, film, music, crafts and folk art, design, media arts and gastronomy. The program is intended to help creative cities share ideas on preserving and enhancing their cultural programs. Cities in this program can be appealing travel destinations for the traveller interested in the cities' creative speciality (and other things as well). Members of the Creative Cities Network include:
| Name | Country | Category | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aswan | Egypt | Crafts and Folk Art | 2005 | |
| Dakar | Senegal | Media Arts | 2014 | |
| Kinshasa | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Music | 2015 | |
| Lubumbashi | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 |
| Name | Country | Category | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahsa | Saudi Arabia | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 | |
| Baghdad | Iraq | Literature | 2015 | |
| Bamiyan | Afghanistan | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 | |
| Bandung | Indonesia | Design | 2015 | |
| Beijing | China | Design | 2012 | |
| Busan | Republic of Korea | Film | 2014 | |
| Chengdu | China | Gastronomy | 2010 | |
| Gaziantep | Turkey | Gastronomy | 2015 | |
| Gwangju | Republic of Korea | Media Arts | 2014 | |
| Hamamatsu | Japan | Music | 2014 | |
| Hangzhou | China | Crafts and Folk Art | 2012 | |
| Harbin | China | Music | 2010 | |
| Icheon | Republic of Korea | Crafts and Folk Art | 2010 | |
| Isfahan | Iran | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 | |
| Jaipur | India | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 | |
| Jeonju | Republic of Korea | Gastronomy | 2012 | |
| Jingdezhen | China | Crafts & Folk Arts | 2014 | |
| Kanazawa | Japan | Crafts and Folk Art | 2009 | |
| Kobe | Japan | Design | 2008 | |
| Nagoya | Japan | Design | 2008 | |
| Pekalongan | Indonesia | Crafts & Folk Arts | 2014 | |
| Phuket | Thailand | Gastronomy | 2015 | |
| Rasht | Iran | Gastronomy | 2015 | |
| Sapporo | Japan | Media Arts | 2013 | |
| Sasayama | Japan | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 | |
| Seoul | Republic of Korea | Design | 2010 | |
| Shanghai | China | Design | 2010 | |
| Shenzhen | China | Design | 2008 | |
| Shunde | China | Gastronomy | 2014 | |
| Singapore | Singapore | Design | 2015 | |
| Suzhou | China | Crafts & Folk Arts | 2014 | |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | Media Arts | 2014 | |
| Tongyeong | Republic of Korea | Music | 2015 | |
| Tsuruoka | Japan | Gastronomy | 2014 | |
| Varanasi | India | Music | 2015 | |
| Zahlé | Lebanon | Gastronomy | 2015 |
| Name | Country | Category | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, Texas | United States | Media Arts | 2015 | |
| Detroit, Michigan | United States | Design | 2015 | |
| Ensenada, Baja California | Mexico | Gastronomy | 2015 | |
| Iowa City, Iowa | United States | Literature | 2008 | |
| Montreal, Quebec | Canada | Design | 2006 | |
| Paducah, Kentucky | United States | Crafts and Folk Art | 2013 | |
| Puebla, Puebla | Mexico | Design | 2015 | |
| San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas | Mexico | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 | |
| Santa Fe, New Mexico | United States | Design, Crafts and Folk Art | 2005 | |
| Tucson, Arizona | United States | Gastronomy | 2015 |
| Name | Country | Category | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | Australia | Music | 2015 | |
| Dunedin | New Zealand | Literature | 2014 | |
| Melbourne | Australia | Literature | 2008 | |
| Sydney | Australia | Film | 2010 |
South America and the Caribbean
| Name | Country | Category | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belém | Brazil | Gastronomy | 2015 | |
| Bogotá | Colombia | Music | 2012 | |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | Design | 2005 | |
| Curitiba | Brazil | Design | 2014 | |
| Durán | Ecuador | Crafts and Folk Art | 2015 | |
| Florianopolis | Brazil | Gastronomy | 2014 | |
| Jacmel | Haiti | Crafts and Folk Art | 2014 | |
| Kingston | Jamaica | Music | 2015 | |
| Medellín | Colombia | Music | 2015 | |
| Montevideo | Uruguay | Literature | 2015 | |
| Nassau | Bahamas | Crafts and Folk Art | 2014 | |
| Popayán | Colombia | Gastronomy | 2015 | |
| Santos | Brazil | Film | 2015 |