Speaker
Description
The 1970s saw a significant increase in visitors to historical sites, leading to problems in managing these sites and the development of concepts in tourism and urban literature, such as “tourism carrying capacity” (Kuss and Morgan, 1980), “tolerance model” (Doxey, 1975), and “tourist perspective” (Urry, 1990). The pressures of visitor density and resource management inadequacies have created challenges in conserving heritage sites, with debates now centred on “over-tourism”, a continuation of the problems of tourism pressure in cities. In today's world, it has become necessary to view this issue from a broader perspective, analyse indicators in multiple ways, and develop new strategies.
UNESCO's (1976) analysis of tourism's effects highlighted its role as a promotional tool for weak economies, aiming to revitalise regional economies while emphasising the need to preserve existing conditions and create a new economic order (Imon, 2017). Fluctuations in global tourism and increasing scale have complicated the management of heritage sites, hindering the development of sustainable and responsible tourism strategies (Imon, 2017). When studies addressing these issues are evaluated, three key headings emerge: (1) environmental concerns, including climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss due to economic growth; (2) social fractures in the reproduction of identity, locality, and cultural diversity; and (3) a new economic order shaped by globalisation, mobility, innovation, cultural commercialisation, and commodification.
This study seeks to understand the tourism and heritage dilemma, particularly in rural heritage areas, and contribute to the development of responsible tourism strategies. It focuses on sites with rural character and the risk of economic, social, and environmental vulnerability, rather than large-scale, tourism-intensive sites evident in the literature. The primary motivation of the study is the concern about losing authenticity and local identity in these areas, where these dynamics are particularly pronounced.
The selected cases include Cinque Terre in Italy (over-tourism), Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in China (unconscious use and destruction of natural formations), Lamu Island in Kenya (unpreparedness against tourism growth), Lenggong Valley in Malaysia (archaeological site destruction), Wachau Valley in Austria (increasing destruction of natural and cultural landscapes), Bagan in Myanmar (historic temples and uncontrolled tourism), Lake Bled in Slovenia (environmental carrying capacity issues), Giethoorn in the Netherlands (water canals and car-free living affected by tourism), Matka Canyon in North Macedonia (tourism integration challenges), and La Picadora in Spain (local over-reliance on tourism for economic gain). Each case has been analysed in terms of its heritage values, tourism structure, impact indicators of tourism pressure, and policies for responsible tourism. The literature has been grouped into economic, social, and environmental risks and presented in tables, enabling the coding of tourism impact indicators.
The tourism impact indicators derived from these reviews were analysed in Kemaliye, a significant rural heritage site in Turkey, to determine their presence in the area. Kemaliye, included on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List, serves as a study area that has not yet been subjected to intensive tourism impacts, due to its small scale and rural character, yet possesses considerable potential. These global tourism impact indicators provide a framework for Kemaliye to develop appropriate tourism policies addressing economic development, local residents' quality of life, and environmental preservation.
The study's findings contribute to academic research and policy development by offering a comprehensive framework that balances the competing concepts of tourism and heritage conservation. Analysing tourism impacts on small-scale rural heritage sites like Kemaliye before they intensify and developing responsible policies is critical for sustainable site management. Furthermore, the study serves as a reference for future research aimed at reconciling tourism and heritage conservation, two often competing yet essential concepts.
References
Doxey, G.V., 1975. A causation theory of visitor-resident irritants: Methodology and research inferences. In: Travel and Tourism Research Association Sixth Annual Conference Proceedings, vol. 3, pp. 195–198.
Goodwin, H., 2017. The challenge of overtourism. Responsible Tourism Partnership Working Paper, 4.
Imon, S.S., 2017. Cultural heritage management under tourism pressure. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes.
Kuss, F.R. and Morgan, J.M., 1986. A first alternative for estimating the physical carrying capacities of natural areas for recreation. Environmental Management, 10, pp. 255–262.
UNESCO, 1976. The effects of tourism on socio-cultural values. Annals of Tourism Research, 4(2), pp. 74–105.
Urry, J., 1990. The consumption of tourism. Sociology, 24(1), pp. 23–35.
| Keywords | rural heritage, responsible tourism, tourism impact indicators, sustainable management, overtourism |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
