Is Tourism Destroying World Heritage?

Description

World heritage sites are popular places for tourists, yet there is often a conflict between preserving these outstanding places and enabling people to access and experience them. This dichotomy lies at the heart world heritage management. The ICOMOS Mexico Charter on Managing Tourism at Places of Historical Interest states that, ‘Reasonable and well managed physical, intellection and/ or emotive access to heritage and cultural development is both a right and a privilege’ [emphasis added]. But this right comes at a cost. Many iconic sites are over-crowded and large numbers of visitors are leading to unsustainable tourism development. Global tourism is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, and World Heritage Sites play a significant role in this industry. Rising sea levels, increased storminess, desertification and increased rainfall are already impacting many World Heritage Sites, and the problem is only going to get worse. This session will explore the intersection between tourism and sustainability – both of individual sites and of World Heritage in general.

Period	11 May 2019
Event title	Sense and Sustainability: International Conference on Archaeology and Tourism
Event type	Conference
Location	Zagreb, Croatia
Degree of Recognition	International