Heritage Tourism Destinations: Preservation, Communication and Development

2016 | Business & Finance

Heritage tourism is tied to myth-making and stories- creative content that can be shared, stored, combined and manipulated, but that depends on a unique cultural or natural history. A significant section of the wider phenomenon that is cultural tourism, heritage tourism is based on portraying the past and ascribing new meaning to history. In this endeavour, heritage tourism destinations face the challenge of combining diverse values and satisfying a multitude of stakeholders with conflicting viewpoints and interests. Thus, this book addresses the complex question of combining preservation and consumption of heritage resources, reviewing the role of diverse actors and the institutional systems involved. Beginning with an overview of the subject, this book considers the conservation and revitalization of heritage destinations in an age of economic thinking. It stresses that balancing the creative tensions between business interests and democratic polity of local communities is a precondition for managing heritage attractions responsibly.It then discusses the development and communication processes involving diverse heritage products, before a final section reviews the planning and institutionalization of heritage spaces.

A timely conclusion subsequently considers the implications of developments such as globalization, technological improvement and climate change upon these unique destinations. A valuable addition to the literature, this book combines conceptual considerations and case studies that describe unique experiences, endeavouring to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to provide a useful resource for researchers and practitioners in tourism and destination management.

Maria D. Alvarez (Author)

Atila Yuksel (Author)

Frank M. Go (Author)