Bangkok has just been honoured at the 13th Creative Tourism Awards, receiving the Best Creative Urban Journey Prize for its remarkable project Yaowarat Manhole Art: A Living Museum Beneath Our Feet. In a record edition with 223 candidates from 28 countries, the Jury highlighted how this initiative transforms everyday urban infrastructure into a playful, accessible gateway to heritage, storytelling, and local identity.
By reimagining manhole covers along Yaowarat Road — Bangkok’s historic Chinatown — the project invites visitors to explore the city through movement, observation, and curiosity. The integration of the Digital Passport experience adds a contemporary layer, blending physical exploration with digital storytelling and engaging younger audiences in new ways.
The Jury also praised the project’s sustainability and scalability: launched during Bangkok Design Week 2025, it has already expanded to other districts and six provinces in eastern Thailand, demonstrating strong potential for replication.
As Caroline Couret, President of the Creative Tourism Network®, noted,
Yaowarat Manhole Art stands as an exemplary model of creative urban tourism — accessible, educational, low‑impact, and deeply rooted in local culture. Community involvement was central to its success, with public agencies, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, artists, private partners, and local businesses co‑designing the experience.
Bangkok now joins a vibrant group of destinations recognised this year — from Barranquilla to the Vanilla Islands, Belo Horizonte, Barcelos, Budapest, Essaouira, Ljubljana, Cannes and the french Charentes Region — each illustrating how creativity is reshaping the future of tourism worldwide.
The global creative tourism flagship
Internationally recognized for its commitment to innovative and responsible tourism, the Creative Tourism Network® continues to lead the way in promoting tourism models that are both creatively enriching and socially empowering. Founded in 2010 with the support of the European Union, the Network has rapidly expanded worldwide and now collaborates closely with UNESCO, UN Tourism, and numerous national ministries.
As a global platform, it works hand in hand with destinations, tourism professionals, cultural organizations, and creative industries to strengthen the visibility and impact of creative tourism. Through these collaborations, the Network fosters sustainable development, supports local entrepreneurship, and ensures that communities of all kinds benefit directly from tourism.
