Tourism can always be analyzed as a double-edged sword of helping to both promote a location and bring in additional income, but also can be a detrimental force in terms of site protection and proper cultural promotion; and tourism at World Heritage Sites is a prime example of this. When a site is inscribed onto the World Heritage List sustainable tourism is almost always considered when trying to form the site’s long-term management plans, and plays a major role in the framework of the day-to-day management of the site. According to the International Council on Monuments and Sites, “Sustainable Tourism refers to a level of tourism activity that can be maintained over the long term because it results in a net benefit for the social, economic, natural and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place.” (ICOMOS, 1999; http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/sustour-define.html )
It is important to note that there are many different types of tourists who travel to World Heritage Sites, and these factors should be taken into account when trying to implement a management plan for tourism. Some of the different reasons for tourism include a knowledge based experience seeker, who visits a destination to learn more about the history and cultural background of a location; a religious or spiritual based experience seeker, who sets out to deepen notions of religious or spiritual connection to a site; and even an adventure based experience seeker, setting out to find some new form of exploration and adventure within a location. Catering to the various types of tourists at once can often be a challenging task, however at the heart of a management team’s entire mission are efforts focused on providing an accurate portrayal of the cultural authenticity of a site. As the International Council on Monuments and Sites lists in section 2.4 of their Principles of the Cultural Tourism Charter,
“The retention of the authenticity of heritage places and collections is important. It is an essential element of their cultural significance, as expressed in the physical material, collected memory and intangible traditions that remain from the past. Programmes should present and interpret the authenticity of places and cultural experiences to enhance the appreciation and understanding of that cultural heritage.” (http://www.icomos.org/en/179-articles-en-francais/ressources/charters-and-standards/162-international-cultural-tourism-charter)
This is key to helping to establish a management plan suitable for all types of tourists to a World Heritage Site, and calls for there to be elements presented to tourists as representations of an accurate portrayal of the site’s cultural & historical history, no matter what their intended goal of their travels may be.
UNESCO has created an Action Plan to help to implement objectives (goals), outcomes (tangible and/or intangible), actions, activities, and performance indicators for maintaining tourism at a World Heritage Site in regards to the guidelines designated by the World Heritage Convention. This Action Plan calls for the ongoing collaboration between all stakeholders of the site, which can be especially important in trying to maintain a balance between the influence of the local people and outside stakeholders. Tourism to a World Heritage Site does not only affect the site financially, but it is also directly linked towards attitudes of World Heritage status among the local people. In turn, when the local people have positive experiences associated with a site’s World Heritage status, the better off the site seems to do in the long run. Ensuring that these people have a voice at a local level of how the site’s tourism affects the social, economic, cultural, and natural environment helps to empower these local people, and help them have a stronger sense of positive association with the site as a whole.
Tourism can prove to be a very beneficial element to any World Heritage Site, as long as the management plan combines the elements of site protection, cultural integrity, and attempts to keep in mind the best interests of all stakeholders involved. Finding the right balance of each of these is part of the constant efforts World Heritage Site management teams are faced with, but when they are done right, the implementation of these types of plans is what allows for the potential of great success as a World Heritage Site.
