heritage tourism history

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Heritage Tourism

The late Alan Gordon was professor of history at the University of Guelph. He authored three books: Making Public Pasts: The Contested Terrain of Montreal’s Public Memories, 1891–1930, The Hero and the Historians: Historiography and the Uses of Jacques Cartier and Time Travel: Tourism and the Rise of the Living History Museum in Mid-Twentieth Century Canada.

Published: 18 August 2022
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Heritage tourism is a form of cultural tourism in which people travel to experience places, artifacts, or activities that are believed to be authentic representations of people and stories from the past. It couples heritage, a way of imagining the past in terms that suit the values of the present, with travel to locations associated with enshrined heritage values. Heritage tourism sites are normally divided into two often overlapping categories: natural sites and sites related to human culture and history. By exploring the construction of heritage tourism destinations in historical context, we can better understand how and through what attributes places become designated as sites of heritage and what it means to have an authentic heritage experience. These questions are explored through heritage landscapes, national parks, battlefield tourism, architectural tourism, and the concept of world heritage.

Heritage is one of the most difficult, complex, and expansive words in the English language because there is no simple or unanimously accepted understanding of what heritage encompasses. 1 We can pair heritage with a vast range of adjectives, such as cultural, historical, physical, architectural, or natural. What unites these different uses of the term is their reference to the past, in some way or another, while linking it to present-day needs. Heritage, then, is a reimagining of the past in terms that suit the values of the present. It cannot exist independently of human attempts to make the past usable because it is the product of human interpretation of not only the past, but of who belongs to particular historical narratives. At its base, heritage is about identity, and the inclusion and exclusion of peoples, stories, places, and activities in those identities. The use of the word “heritage” in this context is a postwar phenomenon. Heritage and heritage tourism, although not described in these terms, has a history as long as the history of modern tourism. Indeed, a present-minded use of the past is as old as civilization itself, and naturally embedded itself in the development of modern tourism. 2 The exploration of that history, examining the origins and development of heritage tourism, helps unpack some of the controversies and dissonance it produces.

Heritage in Tourism

Heritage tourism sites are normally divided into two categories: natural sites and sites of human, historical, or cultural heritage. the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) separates its list of world heritage sites in this manner. Sites of natural heritage are understood to be places where natural phenomena such as wildlife, flora, geological features, or ecosystems, are generally deemed to be of exceptional beauty or significance. Cultural heritage sites, which represent over three quarters of UNESCO-recognized sites, are places where human activity has left a lasting and substantial physical impact that reveals important features of a culture or cultures. Despite the apparent simplicity of this division, it is not always easy to categorize individual sites. UNESCO thus allows for a category of “mixed” heritage sites. But official recognition is not necessary to mark a place as a heritage destination and, moreover, some authors point to versions of heritage tourism that are not tightly place-specific, such as festivals of traditional performances or foodways. 3

The central questions at the heart of heritage tourism ask what it is that designates something as “heritage” and whether tourists have an “authentic” heritage experience there. At its simplest, heritage tourism is a form of cultural tourism in which people travel to experience places, artifacts, or activities that are authentic representations of people and stories from the past. Yet this definition encompasses two, often competing, motivations. Heritage tourism is both a cultural phenomenon through which people attempt to connect with the past, their ancestors, and their identity, and it is an industry designed to profit from it. Another question surrounds the source of the “heritage” in heritage tourism. Many scholars have argued that heritage does not live in the destinations or attractions people seek. Heritage is not innate to the destination, but is rather based on the tourist’s motivations and expectations. Thus, heritage tourism is a form of tourism in which the main motivation for visiting a site is based on the traveler’s perceptions of its heritage characteristics. Following the logic of this view, the authenticity of the heritage experience depends on the traveler rather than the destination or the activity. Heritage features, as well as the sense of authenticity they impart, are democratized in what might be called a consumer-based model of authenticity. 4 This is a model that allows for virtually anything or any place to be a heritage destination. Although such an approach to understanding heritage tourism may well serve present-day studies, measuring motivations is more complicated for historical subjects. Long-departed travelers are not readily surveyed about their expectations; motivations have to be teased out of historical records. In a contrasting view, John Tunbridge and Gregory Ashworth argue that heritage attractions are created through marketing: they are invented to be heritage attractions and sold to a traveling public as such. Yet, heritage attractions, in this understanding, are still deemed authentic when they satisfy consumer expectations about heritage. 5 This insight also implies that heritage tourism destinations might be deceptions, and certainly there are examples of the fabrication of heritage sites. However, if motivations and expectations are arbiters of heritage, then even invented heritage can become authentic through its acceptance by a public. While not ignoring the motivations and expectations of travelers, for historians, any understanding of heritage tourism must include the process by which sites become designated as a places of heritage. It must encompass the economic aspects of tourism development, tourism’s role in constructing narratives of national or group identity, and the cultural phenomenon of seeking authentic representations of those identities, regardless of their origins. Such a practice might include traveling to sites connected to diasporas, places of historical significance, sites of religious pilgrimages, and landscapes of scenic beauty or cultural importance.

Scholarly interest in heritage, at least in the English-speaking world, dates from the 1980s reaction to the emergence of new right-wing political movements that used the past as a tool to legitimize political positions. Authors such as David Lowenthal, Robert Hewison, and Patrick Wright bemoaned the recourse to “heritage” as evidence of a failing society that was backward-looking, fearful, and resentful of modern diversity. 6 Heritage, they proclaimed, was elitist and innately conservative, imposed on the people from above in ways that distanced them from an authentic historical consciousness. Although Raphael Samuel fired back that the critique of heritage was itself elitist and almost snobbish, this line continued in the 1990s. Works by John Gillis, Tony Bennett, and Eric Hobsbawm, among others, concurred that heritage was little more than simplified history used as a weapon of social and political control.

At about the same time, historians also began to take tourism seriously as a subject of inquiry, and they quickly connected leisure travel to perceived evils in the heritage industry. Historians such as John K. Walton in the United Kingdom and John Jakle in the United States began investigating patterns of tourism’s history in their respective countries. Although not explicitly concerned with heritage tourism, works such as Jakle’s The Tourist explored the infrastructure and experience of leisure travel in America, including the different types of attractions people sought. 7 In Sacred Places , John Sears argued that tourism helped define America in the nineteenth century through its landscape and natural wonders. Natural tourist attractions, such as Yosemite and Yellowstone parks became sacred places for a young nation without unifying religious and national shrines. 8 Among North America’s first heritage destinations was Niagara Falls, which drew Americans, Europeans, Britons, and Canadians to marvel at its beauty and power. Tourist services quickly developed there to accommodate travelers and, as Patricia Jasen and others note, Niagara became a North American heritage destination at the birth of the continent’s tourism trade. 9

As the European and North American travel business set about establishing scenic landscapes as sites worthy of the expense and difficulty of travel to them, they rarely used a rhetoric of heritage. Sites were depicted as places to embrace “the sublime,” a feeling arising when the emotional experience overwhelms the power of reason to articulate it. Yet as modern tourism developed, promoters required more varied attractions to induce travelers to visit specific destinations. North America’s first tourist circuits, well established by the 1820s, took travelers up the Hudson River valley from New York to the spas of Saratoga Springs, then utilizing the Erie Canal even before its completion, west to Niagara Falls. Tourist guidebooks were replete with vivid depictions of the natural wonders to be witnessed, and very quickly Niagara became heavily commercialized. As America expanded beyond the Midwest in the second half of the nineteenth century, text and image combined to produce a sense that these beautiful landscapes were a common inheritance of the (white and middle-class) American people. Commissioned expeditions, such as the Powell Expedition of 1869–1872, produced best-selling travel narratives revealing the American landscape to enthralled readers in the eastern cities (see Butler , this volume). John Wesley Powell’s description of his voyage along the Colorado River combined over 450 pages of written description with 80 prints, mostly portraying spectacular natural features. American westward exploration, then, construed the continent’s natural wonders as its heritage.

In America, heritage landscapes often obscured human activity and imagined the continent as nature untouched. But natural heritage also played a role in early heritage tourism in Britain and Europe. Many scholars have investigated the connection between national character and the depiction of topographical features, arguing that people often implant their communities with ideas of landscape and associate geographical features with their identities. In this way, landscape helps embed a connection between places and particular local and ethnic identities. 10 Idealized landscapes become markers of national identity (see Noack , this volume). For instance, in the Romantic era, the English Lake District and the mountains of the Scottish Highlands became iconic national representations of English, Scottish, or British nationalities. David Lowenthal has commented on the nostalgia inherent in “landscape-as-heritage.” The archetypical English landscape, a patchwork of fields divided by hedgerows and sprinkled with villages, was a relatively recent construction when the pre-Raphaelite painters reconfigured it as the romantic allure of a medieval England. It spoke to the stability and order inherent in English character. 11

Travel literature combined with landscape art to develop heritage landscapes and promote them as tourist attractions. Following the 1707 Act of Union, English tourists became fascinated with Scotland, and in particular the Scottish Highlands. Tourist guidebooks portrayed the Highlands as a harsh, bleak environment spectacular for its beauty as well as the quaintness of its people and their customs (see Schaff , this volume). Over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, tourist texts cemented the image of Highland culture and heritage. Scholars have criticized this process as a “Tartanization” or “Balmoralization” of the country by which its landscape and culture was reduced to a few stereotypes appealing to foreign visitors. Nevertheless, guidebook texts described the bens, lochs, and glens with detail, helping create and reinforce a mental picture of a quintessential Highland landscape. 12 The massacre of members of the Clan MacDonald at Glencoe, killed on a winter night in 1692 for insufficient loyalty to the monarchy, added romance. Forgotten for over a century, the event was recalled in the mid-nineteenth century by the historian Thomas Babington Macaulay, and quickly became a tragic tale associated with the scenic valley. At the same time the Highlands were being re-coded from a dangerous to a sublime landscape, its inhabitants became romanticized as an untainted, simple, premodern culture. The natural beauty of the landscape at Glencoe and its relative ease of access, being close to Loch Lomond and Glasgow, made it an attraction with a ready-made tragic tale. Highlands travel guides began to include Glencoe in their itineraries, combining a site of natural beauty with a haunting human past. Both natural and cultural heritage, then, are not inherent, but represent choices made by people about what and how to value the land and the past. On France’s Celtic fringe, a similar process unfolded. When modern tourism developed in Brittany in the mid-nineteenth century, guidebooks such as Joanne’s defined the terms of an authentic Breton experience. Joanne’s 1867 guide coupled the region’s characteristic rugged coastlines with the supposedly backward people, their costumes, habitudes, beliefs, and superstitions, who inhabited it. 13 Travel guides were thus the first contributors in the construction of heritage destinations. They began to highlight the history, real and imagined, of destinations to promote their distinctions. And, with increasing interest in the sites of national heritage, people organized to catalog, preserve, and promote heritage destinations.

Organizing Heritage Tourism

Among the world’s first bodies dedicated to preserving heritage was the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), organized in England in 1877. Emerging as a result of particular debates about architectural practices, this society opposed a then-popular trend of altering buildings to produce imaginary historical forms. This approach, which was most famously connected to Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc’s French restorations, involved removing or replacing existing architectural features, something renounced by the SPAB. The society’s manifesto declared that old structures should be repaired so that their entire history would be protected as part of cultural heritage. The first heritage preservation legislation, England’s Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1882, provided for the protection initially of 68 prehistoric sites and appointed an inspector of ancient monuments. 14 By 1895, movements to conserve historic structures and landscapes had combined with the founding of the National Trust, officially known as the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, as a charitable agency. Much of the Trust’s early effort protected landscapes: of twenty-nine properties listed in 1907, seventeen were acreages of land and other open spaces. 15 Over the twentieth century, however, the Trust grew more and more concerned with protecting country houses and gardens, which now constitute the majority of its listed properties.

British efforts were duplicated in Europe. The Dutch Society for the Preservation of Natural Landmarks was established in 1904; France passed legislation to protect natural monuments in 1906. And in Sweden, the Society for the Protection of Nature was established in 1909, to name only a few examples. Nature was often connected to the spirit of “the folk,” an idea that encompassed a notion of an original ethnic core to the nation. Various European nationalisms of the period embraced the idea of an “authentic” national folk, with each folk considered unique due to its connection with a specific geography. Folklore and the celebration of folk culture offered Europeans links to imagined national heritages in a rapidly modernizing world, as modern, middle-class Europeans turned their attention to the romanticized primitive life of so-called simple peasants and linked notions of natural and human heritage. Through the concept of the folk, natural and human heritage combined to buttress emerging expressions of nationalism. 16

Sweden provides an instructive example. As early as the seventeenth century, Swedish antiquarians were intrigued by medieval rune stones, burial mounds, and cairns strewn across the country, but also saw these connected to natural features. Investigations of these relics of past Nordic culture involved a sense of the landscape in which they were found. This interest accelerated as folk studies grew in popularity, in part connected to nationalist political ambitions of Swedes during the growing tensions within the Kingdom of Sweden and Norway, which divided in 1905. Sweden’s preservation law required research into the country’s natural resources to create an inventory of places. Of particular interest were features considered to be “nature in its original state.” The intent was to preserve for future generations at least one example of Sweden’s primordial landscape features: primeval forests, swamps, peat bogs, and boulders. But interest was also drawn to natural landmarks associated with historical or mythical events from Sweden’s past. Stones or trees related to tales from the Nordic sagas, for example, combined natural with cultural heritage. 17

Although early efforts to protect heritage sites were not intended to support tourism, the industry quickly benefited. Alongside expanding tours to the Scottish Highlands and English Lake District, European landscapes became associated with leisure travel. As Tait Kellar argues for one example, the context of the landscape is crucial in understanding the role of tourism in the German Alps. 18 Guidebooks of the nineteenth and early twentieth century did not use the term “heritage,” but they described its tenets to audiences employing a different vocabulary. Baedeker’s travel guides, such as The Eastern Alps , guided bourgeois travelers through the hiking trails and vistas of the mountains and foothills, offering enticing descriptions of the pleasures to be found in the German landscape. Beyond the land, The Eastern Alps directed visitors to excursions that revealed features of natural history, human history, and local German cultures. 19

Across the Atlantic people also cherished escapes to the countryside for leisure and recreation and, as economic and population growth increasingly seemed to threaten the idyllic tranquility of scenic places, many banded together to advocate for their conservation. Yet, ironically, by putting in place systems to mark and preserve America’s natural heritage, conservationists popularized protected sites as tourist destinations. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the conservation movement encouraged the US government to set aside massive areas of American land as parks. For example, Europeans first encountered the scenic beauty of California’s Yosemite Valley at midcentury. With increasing settler populations following the California Gold Rush, tourists began arriving in ever larger numbers and promoters began building accommodations and roads to encourage them. Even during the Civil War, the US government recognized the potential for commercial overdevelopment and the desire of many to preserve America’s most scenic places. 20 In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, designating acres of the valley protected wilderness. This set a precedent for the later creation of America’s first national park. In 1871, the Hayden Geological Survey recommended the preservation of nearly 3,500 square miles of land in the Rocky Mountains, in the territories of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Ferdinand V. Hayden was concerned that the pristine mountain region might soon be as overrun with tourists as Niagara Falls had by then become. 21 The following year, Congress established Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first designated “heritage” site. Yet, from the beginning, Yellowstone and subsequent parks were assumed to be tourist attractions. By 1879, tourists to Yellowstone had established over 200 miles of trails that led them to the park’s most famous attractions. Although thought of as nature preserves, parks were often furnished with railway access, and amenities and accommodations appeared, often prior to official designation. National parks were immediately popular tourist attractions. Even before it had established a centralized bureaucracy to care for them, the United States government had established nine national parks and nearly two dozen national monuments. Canada lagged, but established Rocky Mountain National Park (now Banff) in 1885 to balance interests of resource extraction and conservation. (The world’s second national park was Australia’s Royal National Park, established by the colony of New South Wales in 1879.) By the outbreak of the Great War, Canada and the United States had established fifteen national parks, all but one west of the Mississippi River.

Establishing parks was one component of building a heritage tourism infrastructure. Another was the creation of a national bureaucracy to organize it. The Canadian example reveals how heritage and tourism drove the creation of a national parks service. Much of the mythology surrounding Canada’s national parks emphasized the role of nature preservationists, yet the founder of the parks system, J. B. Harkin, was deeply interested in building a parks network for tourists. 22 Indeed, from early in the twentieth century, Canada’s parks system operated on the principle that parks should be “playgrounds, vacation destinations, and roadside attractions that might simultaneously preserve the fading scenic beauty and wildlife populations” of a modernizing nation. 23 Although Canada had established four national parks in the Rocky Mountains in the 1880s, the administration of those parks was haphazard and decentralized. It was not until the approaching third centennial of the founding of Quebec City (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site) that the Canadian government began thinking actively about administering its national heritage. In 1908, Canada hosted an international tourist festival on the Plains of Abraham, the celebrated open land where French and British armies had fought the decisive battle for supremacy in North America in 1759. The event so popularized the fabled battlefield that the government was compelled to create a National Battlefield Commission to safeguard it. This inspired the creation of the Dominion Parks Branch three years later to manage Canada’s natural heritage parks, the world’s first national parks service. By 1919 the system expanded to include human history—or at least European settler history—through the creation of national historic parks. These parks were even more explicitly designed to attract tourists, automobile tourists in particular. In 1916, five years after Canada, the United States established the National Parks Service with similar objectives.

As in Europe, nationalism played a significant role in developing heritage tourism destinations in America. The first national parks were inspired by the series of American surveying expeditions intended to secure knowledge of the landscape for political control. Stephen Pyne connects the American “discovery” of the Grand Canyon, for example, to notions of manifest destiny following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) that ended the Mexican-American War and ceded over 500,000 square miles of what is today the western United States. Popularized by the report of John Wesley Powell (1875) , the canyon began attracting tourists in the 1880s, although Congress failed to establish it as a national park. 24 Tourism was central to developing the Grand Canyon as a national heritage destination. Originally seen by Spanish explorers as an obstacle, and as a sacred place by the Navajo, Hopi, Hualapai, and Havasupai peoples, the canyon came to mark American exceptionalism. Piece by piece, sections of the canyon were set aside as reserves and finally declared a national park in 1919. By then, the park had been serviced by a railway (since 1901) and offered tourists a luxury hotel on the canyon’s south rim.

Archaeology also entered into the construction of American heritage. Almost as soon as it was annexed to the United States, the American southwest revealed to American surveyors a host of archaeological remains. For residents of the southwest, the discovery of these ancient ruins of unknown age pointed to the nobility of a lost predecessor civilization. By deliberately construing the ruins as being of an unknown age, Anglo-American settlers were able to draw distinctions between the ancients and contemporary Native Americans in ways that validated their own occupation of the territory. The ruins also had commercial potential. In Colorado, President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park in 1906 to protect and capitalize on the abandoned cliff dwellings located there. These ruins had been rediscovered in the 1880s when ranchers learned of them from the local Ute people. By the turn of the century, the ruins had attracted so many treasure seekers that they needed protection. This was the first national park in America designated to protect a site of archaeological significance and linked natural and human heritage in the national parks system. 25

If, as many argue, heritage is not innate, how is it made? Part of the answer to this question can be found in the business of tourism. Commercial exploitation of heritage tourism emerged alongside heritage tourism, but was particularly active in the postwar years. Given their association with tourism, it is not surprising that railways and associated businesses played a prominent role in promoting heritage destinations. Before World War II, the most active heritage tourism promoter was likely the Fred Harvey Company, which successfully marketed, and to a great degree created, much of the heritage of the American southwest. The Fred Harvey Company originated with the opening of a pair of cafés along the Kansas Pacific Railway in 1876. After a stuttering beginning, Harvey’s chain of railway eateries grew in size. Before dining cars became regular features of passenger trains, meals on long-distance trips were provided by outside business such as Harvey’s at regular stops. With the backing of the Santa Fe Railroad, the company also developed attractions based on the Southwest region’s unique architectural and cultural features. The image capitalized on the artistic traditions of Native Americans and early Spanish traditions to create, in particular, the Adobe architectural style now associated with Santa Fe and New Mexico. 26 These designs were also incorporated into tourist facilities on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, including the El Tovar hotel and the Hopi House souvenir and concession complex, designed to resemble a Hopi pueblo.

Relying on existing and manufactured heritage sites, North American railways popularized attractions as heritage sites. The Northern Pacific Railroad financed a number of hotels in Yellowstone Park, including the Old Faithful Inn in 1904. In 1910, the Great Northern Railroad launched its “See America First” campaign to attract visitors (and new investments) to its routes to the west’s national parks. In Canada, the Dominion Atlantic Railway rebuilt Grand Pré, a Nova Scotia Acadian settlement to evoke the home of the likely fictional character Evangeline from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1848 poem by the same name. In the poem, Evangeline was deported from Acadia in 1755 and separated from her betrothed. By the 1920s, the railway was transporting tourists to Grand Pré, christened “Land of Evangeline,” where reproductions stood in for sites mentioned in the poem. 27 However, following World War I, heritage tourism in North America became increasingly dependent on automobile travel and the Dominion Atlantic eventually sold its interest to the Canadian government.

Conflict as Cultural Heritage

Tourism to sites of military history initially involved side trips from more popular, usually natural, attractions. Thomas Chambers notes that the sites of battles of the Seven Years’ War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 became tourist attractions as side trips from more established itineraries, such as the northern or fashionable tours. War of 1812 battlefields, many of them in the Niagara theater of the war, were conveniently close to the natural wonders people already came to see. By visiting the places where so many had sacrificed for their country, tourists began attaching new meaning to the sites. Ease of access was essential. Chambers contrasts sites in southern states with those in the north. In the south, the fields of important American Revolution victories at Cowpens and King’s Mountain were too remote to permit easy tourist access and long remained undeveloped. 28 In a contrary example, the Plains of Abraham, the scene of General Wolfe’s dramatic victory over France that led to the Conquest of Canada, was at first a curiosity. The visit to Quebec, a main destination on the northern tour, was originally based on its role as a major port and the attraction of the scenic beauty of the city on the cliffs, compared favorably to Cintra in Portugal. 29 Ease of access helped promoters convert an empty field near the city into the “hallowed Plains.”

Access to battlefields increased at almost the exact moment that one of the nineteenth century’s most devastating wars, the American Civil War, broke out. Railway travel was essential to both the success of the Union Army in reconquering the rebelling Confederacy, and in developing tourism to the sites of the slaughter. Railway travel made sites accessible for urban travelers and new technologies, such as photography and the telegraph, sped news of victories and defeats quickly around the nation. Gettysburg, the scene of a crucial Union victory in July 1863, became a tourist attraction only a few days later. Few would call the farmland of southeastern Pennsylvania sublime, but dramatic human history had unfolded there. The battle inspired the building of a national memorial on the site only four months later, the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. At the inauguration of the cemetery Abraham Lincoln delivered his “Gettysburg Address,” calling on the nation to long remember and cherish the “hallowed ground” where history had been made.

Gettysburg sparked a frenzy of marking sites of Civil War battles and events. Battle sites became important backdrops for political efforts at reunion and reconciliation after the war and attracted hundreds and later thousands of tourists for commemorative events and celebrations. Ten thousand saw President Rutherford Hayes speak at Gettysburg in 1878 and, for the 50th anniversary of Gettysburg, some 55,000 veterans returned to Pennsylvania in July 1913. What had once been a site of bloody, brutal combat had been transformed into a destination where tourists gathered to embrace their shared heritage, north and south. As the years progressed, more attractions were added as tourists began to see their heritage on the battlefield. 30

The conflict that most clearly created tourist attractions out of places of suffering was the World War I. Soon after the war ended, its sites of slaughter also became tourist attractions. As with the Civil War in America, World War I tourists were local people and relatives of the soldiers who had perished on the field of battle. By one estimate 60,000 tourists visited the battlefields of the Western Front by the summer of 1919, the same year that Michelin began publishing guidebooks to them. Numbers grew in the decades following the war. Over 140,000 tourists took in the sites of the war in 1931, which grew to 160,000 for 1939. Organizations such as the Workers’ Travel Association hoped that tourism to battle sites would promote peace, but the travel business also benefited. Travel agencies jumped at the chance to offer tours and publishers produced travel guides to the battlefields. At least thirty English guidebooks were published by 1921. 31

This interest in a conflict that killed, often in brutal fashion, so many might seem a ghoulish form of heritage tourism. Yet Peter Slade argues that people do not visit battlefields for the love for death and gore. They attend these sites out of a sense of pilgrimage to sites sacred to their national heritage. Organized pilgrimages reveal this sense of belonging most clearly. The American Legion organized a pilgrimage of 15,000 veterans in 1927 to commemorate the decade anniversary of America’s entry to the war. The following year 11,000 Britons, including 3,000 women, made a pilgrimage of their own. Canada’s first official pilgrimage involved 8,000 pilgrims (veterans and their families) to attend the inauguration of the Vimy Ridge Memorial, marking a site held by many as a place sacred to Canadian identity. Australians and New Zealanders marched to Gallipoli in Turkey for similar reasons. 32 As with the sites of the Western Front, Gallipoli and pilgrimages to it generated travel accounts and publishers assembled guidebooks to help travelers navigate its attractions and accommodations. In these episodes, tourism was used to construct national heritage. In the interwar years, tourist activity popularized the notion that sites of national heritage existed on the battlefields of foreign lands, where “our” nation’s history was forged. National heritage tourism, then, became transnational.

Since the end of World War II, battlefield tourism has become an important projection of heritage tourism. Commercial tour operators organize thousands of tours of European World War I and World War II battlefields for Americans and Canadians, as for other nationalities. The phenomenon seems particularly pronounced among North Americans. The motivation behind modern battlefield tourism reveals its connection to heritage tourism. If heritage is an appeal to the past that helps establish a sense of identity and belonging, the feelings of national pride and remorse for sacrifice of the fallen at these sites helps define them as sacred to a particular vision of a national past. The sanctity of the battle site makes the act of consuming it as a tourist attraction an act of communion with heritage.

Built Heritage and Tourism

During the upheaval of the Civil War, some Americans began to recognize historic houses as elements of their heritage worthy of preservation. These houses were initially not seen as tourist attractions, but as markers of national values. Their heritage value preceded their value as tourist attractions. The first major preservation initiative launched in 1853 to save George Washington’s tomb and home from spoliation. Behind overt sectional divisions of north and south was an implied vesting of republican purity among the patrician families that could trace their ancestors to the revolutionary age and who could restore American culture to its proper deferential state. The success of preserving Mount Vernon led to a proliferation of similar house museums. By the 1930s, the American museum association even produced a guide for how to establish new examples and promote them as sites of heritage for tourist interest. Historic houses provided tangible, physical evidence of heritage. Like scenic landscapes attached to the stories of history, buildings connected locations to significant events and people of the past. Architectural heritage came to be closely associated with tourism. Architectural monuments are easily identified, easy to promote, and, as physical structures, easily reproduced in souvenir ephemera. Although the recognition of architectural monuments as tourist draws could be said to have originated with the Grand Tour, or at least with the publication of John Ruskin’s “Seven Lamps of Architecture” (1849), which singled out the monuments of Venice for veneration, twentieth century mobility facilitated a greater desire to travel to see historic structures. Indeed, mobility, especially automobility, prompted the desire to preserve or even reinvent the structural heritage of the past.

A driving factor behind the growth of tourism to sites associated with these structural relics was a feeling that the past—and especially the social values of the past—was being lost. For example, Colonial Williamsburg developed in reaction to the pace of urban and social change brought about by automobile travel in the 1920s. Williamsburg was once a community of colonial era architecture, but had become just another highway town before John D. Rockefeller lent his considerable wealth to its preservation and reconstruction. 33 Rockefeller had already donated a million dollars for the restoration of French chateaux at Versailles, Fontainebleu, and Rheims. 34 At Williamsburg, his approach was to remove structures from the post-Colonial period to create a townscape from the late eighteenth century. By selecting a cut-off year of 1790, Rockefeller and his experts attempted to freeze Williamsburg in a particular vision of the past. The heritage envisioned was not that of ordinary Americans, but that of colonial elites. Conceived to be a tourist attraction, Colonial Williamsburg offered a tourist-friendly lesson in American heritage. Rockefeller, and a host of consultants convinced the (white) people of Williamsburg to reimagine their heritage and their past. America’s heritage values were translated to the concepts of self-government and individual liberty elaborated by the great patriots, Washington, Madison, Henry, and Jefferson. The town commemorated the planter elites that had dominated American society until the Jacksonian era, and presented them as progenitors of timeless ideals and values. They represented the “very cradle of that Americanism of which Rockefeller and the corporate elite were the inheritors and custodians.” 35

Rockefeller’s Williamsburg was not the only American heritage tourist reconstruction. Canada also underwent reconstruction projects for specifically heritage tourism purposes, such as the construction of “Champlain’s Habitation” at Port Royal, Nova Scotia or the attempt to draw tourists to Invermere, British Columbia with a replica fur trade fort. 36 Following World War I and accelerating after World War II, the number and nature of places deemed heritage attractions grew. Across North America, all levels of governments and private corporations built replica heritage sites with varying degrees of “authenticity.” Although these sites often made use of existing buildings and landscapes, they also manufactured an imaginary environment of the past. The motivation behind these sites was almost always diversification of the local economy through increased tourism. Canada’s Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site is perhaps the most obvious example. It is a reconstructed section of the French colonial town, conquered and destroyed in 1758, built on the archaeological remains of the original. Constructed by the government of Canada as a means to diversify the failing resource economy of its Atlantic provinces, the tourist attraction was also designated a component of Canada’s national heritage. The US government also increased its interest in the protection of heritage destinations, greatly expanding the list of national historic landmarks, sites, parks, and monuments. As postwar governments became more concerned with managing their economies, tourism quickly came to be seen as a key economic sector. The language of national heritage helped build public support for state intervention in natural and historic artifacts and sites that could be presented as sacred national places.

In Europe, many historic sites were devastated by bombardment during World War II. Aside from pressing humanitarian issues, heritage concerns also had to be addressed. In France, the war had destroyed nearly half a million buildings, principally in the northern cities, many of which were of clear heritage value. The French government established a commission to undertake the reconstruction of historic buildings and monuments and, in some cases, entire towns. Saint-Malo, in Brittany, had been completely destroyed, but the old walled town was rebuilt to its seventeenth century appearance. Already a seaside resort, the town added a heritage site destination. In the 1920s and 1930s, European fascist states had also employed heritage tourism. In Mussolini’s Italy and Nazi Germany, workers’ leisure time was to be organized to prevent ordinary Italians and Germans from falling into unproductive leisure activities. Given the attachment to racialized views of purity and identity, organized tourism was encouraged to allow people to bond with their national heritage. Hiking in the Black Forest or the alpine Allgau might help connect Germans to the landscape and reconnect them to the traditional costumes and folkways of rural Germany. As Kristin Semmens argues, most studies of the Nazi misappropriation of the past ignore the displays of history aimed toward tourists at Germany’s heritage sites. Many museums and historic sites twisted their interpretations to fit the Nazi present. 37 In ways that foreshadowed the 1980s British left’s critique of heritage, fascist regimes made use of heritage tourism to control society. After the war, a vigorous program of denazification was undertaken to remove public relics of the Nazi regime and in formerly occupied territories, as was a program of reconstruction. In the communist east, blaming the Nazis for the destruction of German heritage was an ideological gift. It allowed the communist regime to establish itself as the true custodian of German identity and heritage. 38 In the capitalist west, tourism revived quickly. By early 1947, thirteen new tourist associations were active in the Allied occupation zone. Tourism rhetoric in the postwar years attempted to distance German heritage from the Nazi regime to reintroduce foreign travelers to the “real Germany.” Despite this objective, Alon Confino notes that traces of the Nazi past can be located in postwar tourist promotions that highlighted Nazi-era infrastructure. 39

Postwar Heritage Tourism

As tourism became a more global industry, thanks in no small part to the advent of affordable air travel in the postwar era, heritage tourism became transnational. Ethnic heritage tourism became more important, and diaspora or roots tourism, which brought second- and third-generation migrants back to the original home of their ancestors, accelerated. Commodifying ethnic heritage has been one of the most distinctive developments in twenty-first century tourism. Ethnic heritage tourism can involve migrants, their children, or grandchildren returning to their “home” countries as visitors. In this form of tourism, the “heritage” component is thus expressed in the motivations and self-identifications of the traveler. It involves a sense of belonging that is rooted in the symbolic meanings of collective memories, shared stories, and the sense of place embodied in the physical locations of the original homeland. Paul Basu has extensively studied the phenomenon of “roots tourism” among the descendants of Scottish Highlanders. He suggests that in their trips to Scotland to conduct genealogical research, explore sites connected to their ancestors, or sites connected to Scottish identity, they construct a sense of their heritage as expatriate Scots. 40 Similar “return” movements can be found in the migrant-descended communities of many settler colonial nations. For second-generation Chinese Americans visiting China, their search for authentic experiences mirrored those of other tourists. Yet, travel to their parents’ homeland strengthened their sense of family history and attachment to Chinese cultures. 41 On the other hand, Shaul Kellner examines the growing trend of cultivating roots tourism through state-sponsored homeland tours. In Tours that Bind , Kellner explores the State of Israel and American Jewish organizations’ efforts to forge a sense of Israeli heritage among young American Jews. However, Kellner cautions, individual experiences and human agency limit the hosts’ abilities to control the experience and thus control the sense of heritage. 42

Leisure tourism also played a role in developing heritage sites, as travelers to sunshine destinations began looking for more interesting side trips. Repeating the battlefield tourism of a century before, by the 1970s access to historic and prehistoric sites made it possible to add side trips to beach vacations. Perhaps the best example of this was the development of tourism to sites of Mayan heritage by the Mexican government in the 1970s. The most famous heritage sites, at least for Westerners, were the Mayan sites of Yucatan. First promoted as destinations by the American travel writer John Lloyd Stephens in the 1840s, their relative inaccessibility (as well as local political instabilities) made them unlikely tourist attractions before the twentieth century. By 1923, the Yucatan government had opened a highway to the site of the Chichén Itzá ruins, and local promoters began promotions in the 1940s. It was not until after the Mexican government nationalized all archaeological ruins in the 1970s that organized tours from Mexican beach resorts began to feature trips to the ruins themselves. 43

Mexico’s interest in the preservation and promotion of its archaeological relics coincided with one of the most important developments in heritage tourism in the postwar years: the emergence of the idea of world heritage. The idea was formalized in 1972 with the creation of UNESCO’s designation of World Heritage Sites. The number of sites has grown from the twelve first designated in 1978 to well over 1,000 in 167 different countries. In truth, the movement toward recognizing world heritage began with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, which did not limit its activities to preserving only England’s architectural heritage. Out of its advocacy, European architects and preservationists drafted a series of accords, such as the Athens Charter of 1931, and the later Venice Charter of 1964, both of which emerged from a growing sense of cultural internationalism. These agreements set guidelines for the preservation and restoration of buildings and monuments. What UNESCO added was the criterion of Outstanding Universal Value for the designation of a place as world heritage. It took until 1980 to work out the first iteration of Outstanding Universal Value and the notion has never been universally accepted, although UNESCO member countries adhere to it officially. Once a site has been named to the list, member countries are expected to protect it from deterioration, although this does not always happen. As of 2018, 54 World Heritage Sites are considered endangered. This growth mirrored the massive expansion of tourism as a business and cultural phenomenon in the late twentieth century. As tourism became an increasingly important economic sector in de-colonizing states of Asia and Latin America, governments became more concerned with its promotion by seeking out World Heritage designation.

Ironically, World Heritage designation itself has been criticized as an endangerment of heritage sites. Designation increases the tourist appeal of delicate natural environments and historic places, which can lead to problems with maintenance. Designation also affects the lives of people living within the heritage destination. Luang Prabang, in Laos, is an interesting example. Designated in 1995 as one of the best-preserved traditional towns in Southeast Asia, it represents an architectural fusion of Lao temples and French colonial villas. UNESCO guidelines halted further development of the town, except as it served the tourist market. Within the designated heritage zone, buildings cannot be demolished or constructed, but those along the main street have been converted to guest houses, souvenir shops, and restaurants to accommodate the growing tourist economy. Critics claim this reorients the community in non-traditional ways, as locals move out of center in order to rent to foreign tourists. 44 While heritage tourism provided jobs and more stable incomes, it also encouraged urban sprawl and vehicle traffic as local inhabitants yielded their town to the influx of foreign, mostly Western, visitors.

Heritage tourism may hasten the pace of change by making destinations into attractions worth visiting. To accommodate the anticipated influx of global tourists, Luang Prabang airport was renovated and its runway extended to handle larger jets in between 2008 and 2013. The influx of tourists at Machu Picchu in Peru has repeatedly led the Peruvian government to attempt to control access to the site, yet dependent on tourism’s economic contribution, such restrictions are difficult. The temple at Borobudur in Indonesia undergoes near continuous maintenance work to repair the wear and tear caused by thousands of tourists walking its steps every day. Indeed, the preserved ruins are said to be under greater threat than when they were discovered in the early nineteenth century, overgrown by the jungle.

Another colonial aspect of world heritage designation stems from the narratives of the sites themselves. Many critics accuse UNESCO of a Eurocentric conception of Outstanding Universal Value and world heritage. 45 Cultural heritage destinations in non-Western countries are often associated with sites made famous by the projects of European imperialism. The fables of discovering ancient ruins, for instance, prioritize the romance of discovery. Many of the most famous non-Western sites were “discovered” by imperial agents in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Angkor Wat in Cambodia was introduced to the world by the French explorer Henri Muhot in 1860. Machu Picchu, the Mayan sites of Yucatan, and the ancestral Anasazi sites of the American southwest were excavated, in some cases purchased, and their narratives constructed by American and European adventurers. The cultural relics of these ancient places were looted and assembled in Western museums, the stories of adventure and discovery published for Western audiences, and eventually a travel infrastructure was established to bring mostly Western tourists to the destinations. Western tourism thus forms another kind of imperialism, as the heritage of a destination is determined to suit the expectations and motivations of the visitors. This tends to obscure other features of local history, leaving those features of heritage not suitable to the tourist trade less valuable.

Made or Experienced?

Heritage is both made and experienced. Critics of heritage tourism rightly point to the ways in which heritage promotions can manipulate the past to defend specific ideological or commercial values. Yet, at the same time, heritage experiences are honestly felt and fundamental in the shaping of modern national or cultural identities. Thus, the questions of what constitutes “heritage” in a tourist attraction and whether or not the experience is “authentic” are fundamentally connected and contradictory. Neither heritage nor authenticity can be separated from both the process of their construction and the motivations and expectations of visitors. This makes heritage tourism a slippery subject for study. It involves numerous contradictions and complications. Indeed, contradiction and dissonance are at the heart of any notion of heritage tourism; what might be heritage for some is merely leisure and consumption for others. The dissonance comes from this dichotomy: the consumer exploitation of a destination that is held by many to have sacred properties. Yet, as this chapter suggests, the construction of those sacred properties is at times dependent on the consumer culture of the tourism industry.

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Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Each year, millions of travelers visit America’s historic places. The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines heritage tourism as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” A high percentage of domestic and international travelers participate in cultural and/or heritage activities while traveling, and those that do stay longer, spend more, and travel more often. Heritage tourism creates jobs and business opportunities, helps protect resources, and often improves the quality of life for local residents.

The ACHP has encouraged national travel and tourism policies that promote the international marketing of America’s historic sites as tourism destinations. The ACHP also engages in ongoing efforts to build a more inclusive preservation program, reaching out to diverse communities and groups and engaging them in dialogue about what parts of our national legacy should be more fully recognized, preserved, and shared.

The ACHP developed Preserve America , a national initiative to encourage and support community efforts for the preservation and enjoyment of America’s cultural and natural heritage. In partnership with other federal agencies, the initiative has encouraged the use of historic assets for economic development and community revitalization, as well as enabling people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through heritage tourism and education programs. These goals have been advanced by an Executive Order directing federal agencies to support such efforts, a community designation program, and a recognition program for outstanding stewardship of historic resources by volunteers.

From 2004-2016, over 900 Preserve America Communities were designated in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two territories, as well as nearly 60 Preserve America Stewards . Many Preserve America Communities are featured in “Discover Our Shared Heritage” National Register on-line travel itineraries . From 2006 through 2010, the National Park Service (in partnership with the ACHP) awarded more than $21 million in Preserve America Grants to support sustainable historic resource management strategies, with a focus on heritage tourism.

These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; if they are not ACHP links, they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the ACHP of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The ACHP bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Please contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content, including its privacy policies.

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Travel Tips

What Is Heritage Tourism

Published: December 13, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Concordia Dwyer

Arts & Culture

Introduction

Traveling is one of the most enriching experiences in life, allowing us to explore new cultures, meet fascinating people, and create lasting memories. While popular destinations often attract tourists with their modern attractions and amenities, there is a growing sentiment to delve deeper into the past and explore the historical roots of a place. This is where heritage tourism comes into play.

Heritage tourism is the practice of traveling to places that have historical, cultural, or natural significance. It offers a unique opportunity to not only learn about the past but also to appreciate the traditions, customs, and values of a particular region. From ancient archaeological sites to stunning natural landscapes and preserved historical buildings, heritage tourism provides a gateway to understanding and celebrating our collective human heritage.

When we embark on a heritage tourism journey, we become time travelers, unraveling the mysteries of the past while immersing ourselves in the present. It is a chance to explore the footsteps of our ancestors, witness their triumphs and struggles, and gain a deeper appreciation for the traditions that shape our world today.

In this article, we will explore the diverse facets of heritage tourism, ranging from its historical significance to the various types of heritage tourism experiences. We will also delve into the benefits of heritage tourism, as well as the challenges faced by destinations in developing and preserving their heritage sites. Additionally, we will discuss sustainable practices in heritage tourism and highlight successful case studies from around the world.

Finally, we will look to the future and examine the emerging trends in heritage tourism, as well as the potential impact of new technologies and changing traveler preferences. By understanding and embracing heritage tourism, we can ensure the preservation and celebration of our shared cultural, historical, and natural heritage for generations to come.

Definition of Heritage Tourism

Heritage tourism is a form of travel that focuses on visiting places of historical, cultural, or natural significance. It involves exploring destinations that possess tangible and intangible heritage, allowing travelers to connect with the past and gain a deeper understanding of a place’s identity and significance.

Heritage tourism encompasses a wide range of attractions and experiences, including historical sites, museums, cultural festivals, archaeological excavations, traditional crafts, and natural landscapes. It is an opportunity for travelers to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of human history and celebrate the diversity of our shared heritage.

One key element of heritage tourism is the preservation and interpretation of heritage sites and artifacts. These sites may include ancient ruins, castles, religious buildings, and historic neighborhoods. By protecting and maintaining these sites, the cultural and historical significance of a destination can be preserved for future generations to appreciate and learn from.

Moreover, heritage tourism goes beyond static exhibits and monuments. It often involves engaging with local communities, participating in cultural activities, and supporting the preservation and revitalization of traditional crafts and practices. This interactive and immersive approach allows travelers to truly delve into the heritage of a place, fostering a deeper sense of connection and appreciation.

Heritage tourism also plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable tourism practices. By highlighting the importance of conservation and responsible tourism, it encourages travelers to be mindful of their impact on the environment and local communities. Building sustainable relationships between visitors, host communities, and heritage sites is essential to ensure the long-term preservation and enjoyment of our shared heritage.

Overall, heritage tourism offers a unique and enriching travel experience. It allows travelers to go beyond the surface of a destination and delve into its history, culture, and natural beauty. By embracing heritage tourism, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the world around us and contribute to the preservation and celebration of our global heritage.

Historical Significance of Heritage Tourism

Heritage tourism holds immense historical significance as it allows us to connect with our past and gain a deeper understanding of the events, people, and cultures that have shaped our world. By preserving and promoting historical sites and artifacts, heritage tourism plays a crucial role in keeping history alive and accessible to present and future generations.

One of the primary benefits of heritage tourism is the preservation of historical sites and buildings. Many of these structures have witnessed significant historical events and offer a tangible link to the past. By visiting these sites, travelers can experience firsthand the ambience, architecture, and stories of a particular era, providing valuable insights into the history and culture of a destination.

Heritage tourism also allows us to learn from past mistakes and triumphs. By exploring historical sites, we can gain a deeper understanding of the social, political, and economic factors that have influenced societies throughout time. This understanding helps us shape a better future by drawing lessons from the past and avoiding the repetition of past errors.

Furthermore, heritage tourism fosters cultural appreciation and encourages preservation of traditional practices and customs. It provides a platform for communities to showcase their cultural heritage, crafts, music, and cuisine. By celebrating and sharing these traditions with visitors, communities can preserve their distinct identities and promote intercultural understanding.

In addition to its educational and cultural significance, heritage tourism also contributes to the economic development of destinations. Historical sites and attractions often draw tourists, who in turn create demand for local businesses, accommodations, and services. This stimulates job creation, boosts local economies, and encourages investment in the preservation and restoration of heritage sites.

Overall, heritage tourism plays a vital role in preserving our collective history and shaping our understanding of the world. By exploring historical sites, engaging with local communities, and supporting cultural conservation efforts, we can bridge the gap between the past and present, fostering a sense of connection, appreciation, and continuity with the generations that came before us.

Different Types of Heritage Tourism

Heritage tourism encompasses a wide range of experiences, each offering a unique opportunity to explore and appreciate the diverse aspects of our global heritage. Here are some of the different types of heritage tourism:

Cultural Heritage Tourism: This type of heritage tourism focuses on exploring the customs, traditions, and cultural practices of a specific region. It includes visits to museums, art galleries, theaters, and participation in cultural festivals and events. Cultural heritage tourism allows travelers to immerse themselves in the vibrant traditions and artistic expressions of a community.
Historical Heritage Tourism: Historical heritage tourism involves visiting sites with historical significance, including ancient ruins, historic monuments, and landmarks. It offers opportunities to learn about historical events, influential individuals, and the evolution of societies. Historical heritage tourism allows travelers to walk in the footsteps of the past and gain a deeper understanding of the narrative of a destination.
Natural Heritage Tourism: Natural heritage tourism focuses on exploring and conserving the natural landscapes, ecosystems, and biodiversity of a region. It includes activities such as national park visits, wildlife safaris, and nature walks. Natural heritage tourism allows travelers to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of natural environments while promoting their protection and conservation.
Archaeological Heritage Tourism: Archaeological heritage tourism involves visiting archaeological sites and excavations to understand the civilizations and cultures that existed in the past. It offers opportunities to witness ancient artifacts, ruins, and learn about the archaeological techniques employed to uncover historic treasures. Archaeological heritage tourism provides insights into the lives and achievements of ancient societies.
Industrial Heritage Tourism: Industrial heritage tourism focuses on sites related to industrial advancements, such as factories, mills, and mining sites. It offers a glimpse into the history of industrialization and the impact it had on society. Industrial heritage tourism allows travelers to learn about the technological advancements, labor conditions, and economic transformations that shaped a region.
Religious Heritage Tourism: Religious heritage tourism centers around sites of religious significance, including temples, churches, mosques, and pilgrimage routes. It offers opportunities for spiritual reflection, cultural exchange, and understanding of religious practices and beliefs. Religious heritage tourism allows travelers to explore the religious diversity and traditions of different communities.

These are just a few examples of the different types of heritage tourism available. Many destinations offer a combination of these experiences, providing a rich tapestry of heritage for travelers to explore and appreciate.

Benefits of Heritage Tourism

Heritage tourism offers a multitude of benefits for both travelers and the destinations they visit. Let’s explore some of the key advantages of engaging in heritage tourism:

Educational Opportunities: Heritage tourism provides valuable educational opportunities to learn about history, culture, and the natural world. The immersive experiences offered by heritage sites, museums, and cultural activities allow travelers to gain a deeper understanding of the past and present, fostering a lifelong love for learning.
Cultural Exchange: Heritage tourism encourages cultural exchange and promotes intercultural understanding. By engaging with local communities, participating in traditional festivals, and experiencing authentic cuisine and art forms, travelers gain insights into different ways of life. This promotes respect, appreciation, and tolerance for diverse cultures, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and interconnected world.
Economic Growth: Heritage tourism has a positive impact on local economies. It creates job opportunities in sectors such as accommodation, transportation, and hospitality. Heritage sites and attractions also generate revenue through entrance fees, supporting the preservation and maintenance of these sites. Additionally, heritage tourism stimulates spending by visitors on local businesses, such as restaurants, shops, and craft markets, further contributing to economic growth.
Preservation of Heritage: By generating interest and demand, heritage tourism plays a vital role in the preservation and conservation of historical sites, cultural traditions, and natural landscapes. Income generated from tourism can be invested in restoration projects, maintenance efforts, and ongoing research. This ensures that future generations can continue to enjoy and learn from these valuable heritage resources.
Community Empowerment: Heritage tourism provides opportunities for local communities to showcase their traditions, crafts, and cultural practices. By actively participating in the tourism industry, communities can take pride in their heritage, preserve their unique identities, and benefit economically. This empowers local communities to be active participants in the preservation and promotion of their heritage, fostering a sense of ownership and pride.
Environmental Conservation: Many heritage sites are also natural landscapes, encompassing diverse ecosystems and biodiversity. Heritage tourism encourages sustainable practices and raises awareness about the importance of environmental conservation. By promoting responsible tourism, destinations can minimize the impact on fragile ecosystems, protect endangered species, and preserve the natural beauty for future generations.

These benefits highlight the significant positive impact of heritage tourism on individuals, communities, and destinations. By engaging in heritage tourism, we not only gain personal enrichment but also contribute to the preservation and celebration of our diverse and remarkable global heritage.

Challenges in Heritage Tourism Development

While heritage tourism offers numerous benefits, it is not without its challenges. The development and management of heritage tourism sites and experiences can be complex and require careful consideration. Here are some of the key challenges faced in heritage tourism development:

Preservation and Conservation: The preservation and conservation of heritage sites and artifacts require ongoing resources and expertise. Insufficient funding, lack of maintenance, and natural disasters pose a significant threat to the longevity and integrity of these sites. Balancing tourism demands with the need for preservation can be a delicate and challenging task.
Sustainable Management: Managing the influx of tourists while maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the heritage site can be challenging. Overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure can lead to environmental degradation, loss of cultural value, and impact on local communities. Striking a balance between tourist numbers, infrastructure development, and preserving the essence of the heritage site is crucial.
Community Engagement and Benefits: Involving local communities in the planning, management, and benefits of heritage tourism is essential. However, there can be challenges in ensuring that local communities have a say in decision-making processes and receive equitable economic benefits. Balancing tourism impacts with the needs and aspirations of local communities is necessary for sustainable and inclusive heritage tourism development.
Balancing Commercialization and Authenticity: The commercialization and mass tourism associated with heritage sites can sometimes compromise their authenticity and cultural value. The pressure to cater to tourist demands and maximize profits can lead to the dilution of the genuine experience and loss of cultural significance. Finding a balance between commercial viability and maintaining the authentic essence of the heritage site is a persistent challenge.
Political Stability and Conflict: Political instability, conflicts, and wars can severely impact heritage tourism. Historical sites and cultural practices may be damaged or destroyed in such situations, rendering them inaccessible or unsafe for visitors. Ensuring political stability and resolving conflicts are fundamental to preserving and promoting heritage tourism.
Accessibility and Infrastructure: Inadequate transportation, accommodation, and infrastructure can limit the accessibility of heritage sites, particularly in remote or less developed areas. Improving infrastructure, including transportation links, visitor facilities, and accommodations, is crucial for attracting tourists and ensuring a positive experience.

Addressing these challenges requires collaboration between government bodies, local communities, tourism organizations, and relevant stakeholders. By adopting sustainable practices, engaging in community partnerships, and prioritizing heritage preservation, we can overcome these challenges and promote responsible and inclusive heritage tourism.

Sustainable Practices in Heritage Tourism

Sustainable practices are essential in heritage tourism to ensure the long-term preservation of cultural and natural heritage, minimize negative impacts, and create a positive and enriching experience for both visitors and host communities. Here are some key sustainable practices in heritage tourism:

Conservation and Restoration: Prioritizing the conservation and restoration of heritage sites and structures is vital. This involves using sustainable materials and techniques that respect the historical and cultural integrity of the site. Long-term preservation plans should be put in place to ensure the ongoing care and maintenance of the heritage assets.
Educational Interpretation: Providing accurate and engaging educational interpretation of heritage sites allows visitors to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for their cultural and historical significance. Interpretive signage, guided tours, and interactive exhibits can enhance the visitor experience and foster a sense of connection to the heritage site.
Community Involvement: Engaging local communities in the planning, management, and benefits of heritage tourism is crucial. This can be achieved through partnerships and collaborations, involving community members as guides, artisans, and storytellers. Empowering local communities helps preserve their cultural traditions and ensures that the benefits of tourism are shared equitably.
Visitor Management: Implementing sustainable visitor management practices is essential to prevent overcrowding, minimize negative environmental impacts, and preserve the visitor experience. This can include measures such as limiting visitor numbers, implementing timed entry systems, and creating designated paths and viewing areas to protect sensitive ecosystems and cultural heritage.
Sustainable Transportation: Promoting sustainable transportation options can help reduce the carbon footprint of heritage tourism. Encouraging visitors to use public transportation, offering shuttle services, and promoting cycling and walking tours not only minimize environmental impact but also enhance the visitor experience by allowing them to immerse themselves in the destination.
Supporting Local Enterprises: Encouraging visitors to support local businesses, including accommodations, restaurants, and craft markets, can contribute to the economic sustainability of the destination. Highlighting locally sourced products, promoting fair trade practices, and providing opportunities for local artisans to showcase and sell their crafts can help generate economic benefits for the host community.
Environmental Stewardship: Promoting environmental stewardship involves raising awareness among visitors about the importance of conserving natural resources, reducing waste, and respecting the natural environment. Implementing waste management systems, promoting recycling, and encouraging responsible use of water and energy resources are key steps in reducing the environmental impact of heritage tourism.

By implementing these sustainable practices, heritage tourism can be a positive force for the preservation of cultural heritage, the empowerment of local communities, and the enhancement of visitor experiences. It is vital to strike a balance between economic development, visitor satisfaction, and the long-term sustainability of our valuable heritage resources.

Case Studies of Successful Heritage Tourism Projects

Several heritage tourism projects around the world have successfully preserved, promoted, and revitalized cultural and historical sites. These case studies exemplify the positive impact of heritage tourism on local communities, economies, and the overall conservation of our global heritage:

Machu Picchu, Peru: Machu Picchu is an iconic archaeological site and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Peruvian government, in collaboration with international organizations, has implemented sustainable practices to manage the influx of visitors while preserving the integrity of the site. Measures such as visitor limits, guided tours, and waste management systems have helped protect the fragile ecosystem and ensure an authentic experience for visitors.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia: Angkor Wat, a magnificent temple complex in Cambodia, has seen a significant increase in visitors in recent years. The local authorities have implemented a community-based tourism model that involves training local villagers as guides, providing employment opportunities, and supporting community projects. This approach has not only enhanced the visitor experience but also empowered local communities to actively participate in the preservation and promotion of their heritage.
The Historic Center of Florence, Italy: The historic center of Florence, renowned for its Renaissance art and architecture, has implemented strict regulations on building renovations and urban planning to preserve the architectural integrity of the city. The city government has collaborated with local businesses to promote sustainable tourism, encourage responsible visitor behavior, and protect the unique cultural heritage of Florence.
Hoi An, Vietnam: The ancient town of Hoi An in Vietnam has successfully preserved its traditional architecture and cultural heritage. The local government has implemented pedestrian-only zones, limiting vehicular traffic in the town center to preserve its unique character. Hoi An has also established programs to support local artisans and traditional craft industries, creating economic opportunities and ensuring the transmission of traditional skills to future generations.
Tikal National Park, Guatemala: Tikal National Park, home to the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, has introduced sustainable tourism practices to protect the natural and cultural significance of the site. Strict visitor management measures, including limited daily visitor numbers, designated trails, and trained guides, have minimized the impact on the archaeological and natural resources. Income generated from tourism has been reinvested in local communities to support education and conservation efforts.

These case studies demonstrate that successful heritage tourism projects are based on a combination of sustainable practices, community engagement, and proactive conservation efforts. By learning from these examples, destinations can strive to create a harmonious balance between tourism development and heritage preservation.

Future Trends in Heritage Tourism

The future of heritage tourism promises exciting developments and trends that will shape the way we experience and engage with our global heritage. Here are some key future trends in heritage tourism:

Technology Integration: Technology will play a significant role in enhancing the visitor experience in heritage tourism. Virtual and augmented reality will allow visitors to immerse themselves in virtual reconstructions of historical sites, bringing the past to life. Mobile applications and interactive guides will provide personalized and interactive experiences, offering engaging narratives and historical context to enhance understanding.
Sustainable and Responsible Practices: The focus on sustainability and responsible tourism will continue to grow in heritage tourism. Travelers will put more emphasis on supporting destinations that prioritize environmental preservation, social inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity. Destinations will implement sustainable practices such as renewable energy use, waste reduction, and community-based tourism to minimize negative impacts and create positive outcomes.
Community Empowerment: Future heritage tourism will increasingly focus on empowering local communities. Rather than being passive spectators, visitors will actively participate in cultural exchanges, interactions, and learning experiences offered by local communities. Visitors will contribute to community-based projects, support local artisans, and engage in cultural activities to foster a deeper connection with the destination.
Culinary and Food Tourism: Culinary and food tourism will continue to gain prominence in heritage tourism. Travelers will seek authentic culinary experiences, exploring traditional recipes, local ingredients, and dining in heritage buildings. Food-related festivals, cooking classes, and farm-to-table experiences will become popular, enabling visitors to engage with local food traditions and support local producers.
Cross-cultural Experiences: With the advancement of transportation and communication, heritage tourism will increasingly facilitate cross-cultural exchanges. Travelers will seek authentic interactions with local communities, fostering mutual understanding, appreciation, and respect for diverse cultures. Homestays, cultural immersion programs, and community-led tours will allow for meaningful cross-cultural experiences beyond traditional tourist attractions.
Heritage Tourism for Sustainable Development: Heritage tourism will be recognized as a powerful tool for sustainable development, particularly in rural and less-developed areas. Governments and organizations will invest in heritage preservation, infrastructure development, and capacity building to enhance the economic, social, and environmental benefits of heritage tourism for local communities.

The future of heritage tourism is marked by a commitment to sustainability, community empowerment, and the preservation of our global heritage. With advancements in technology, a growing focus on responsible practices, and a desire for immersive and authentic experiences, the future of heritage tourism holds great promise for both travelers and destinations.

Heritage tourism offers a rich and immersive experience that allows us to connect with the past, appreciate diverse cultures, and protect our global heritage for future generations. As we have explored throughout this article, heritage tourism holds immense significance, providing educational, cultural, and economic benefits to both visitors and host communities.

From exploring ancient ruins and historical landmarks to engaging with local traditions and natural landscapes, heritage tourism allows us to learn from the past, celebrate cultural diversity, and foster sustainable practices. By preserving and promoting heritage sites, we can ensure that the stories of our ancestors continue to be told, and the immense value of our shared heritage is recognized and appreciated.

However, heritage tourism also presents its fair share of challenges, from ensuring sustainable practices and community involvement to balancing commercialization with authenticity. It is essential for destinations to address these challenges by adopting responsible and sustainable approaches that prioritize the preservation of cultural heritage, the empowerment of local communities, and the protection of the natural environment.

Looking ahead, future trends in heritage tourism show great promise. Technology integration will enhance the visitor experience, while sustainability and responsible practices will become increasingly important. Community empowerment, cross-cultural exchanges, and culinary experiences will shape the way we engage with heritage tourism, creating more meaningful and authentic connections between travelers and local communities.

As individuals, travel enthusiasts, and authorities involved in tourism development, we have a collective responsibility to ensure the preservation, appreciation, and sustainable growth of heritage tourism. By embracing heritage tourism, we contribute to the protection of our global heritage, promote intercultural understanding, empower local communities, and foster a more sustainable and inclusive tourism industry.

Let us continue to explore, learn, and celebrate our diverse heritage through responsible and immersive heritage tourism, creating lasting memories and leaving a positive impact on the destinations we visit.

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Heritage Tourism’s History: Past as Prologue for the Anthropocene

First Online: 15 November 2023

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Uzi Baram 4

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Merchants and pilgrims, travelers, tourists are the types and phases in the history of travel. With the Anthropocene, heritage tourism is changing due to the recursive relationship between tourism and heritage destinations. Heritage locales, subject to political and increasing environmental pressures, tell of significant moments for a community (whether local, regional, global) and tourists engage the presented past and the experience can inspire knowledge to be shared with their home communities. This chapter recognizes those going to Anthropocene heritage sights as visitors and explore their potential in documenting climate change, as part of an archaeology that looks to potential futures.

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Acknowledgments

The October 2016 Toronto Workshop opened new scholarly frontiers for my research in heritage tourism. The 2018 Tidally United Summit in Sarasota stressed community engagement for meeting the challenges of rising sea levels in coastal Florida; the 2021 Tidally United Summit on Zoom provided the venue for sharing the evolving New College coastline program. Thanks to Thanik, Pei-Lin, and George for the invitation to Bangkok even if COVID-19 meant we could not gather in person.

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Baram, U. (2023). Heritage Tourism’s History: Past as Prologue for the Anthropocene. In: Yu, PL., Lertcharnrit, T., Smith, G.S. (eds) Heritage and Cultural Heritage Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44800-3_7

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Why Heritage Tourism Is More Popular Than Ever

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In the years before every waking moment of our lives was documented online, knowledge of our ancestors was far more limited, with stories of one's heritage more often reserved to the confines of family lore. But now, today's access to technology is actually increasing our curiosity about the past—and making it easier than ever to physically retrace our heritage in destinations around the world.

For some travelers, turning to their family tree for inspiration has become the latest—and most interesting—way to plan a trip. And while the idea of traveling to investigate your legacy and culture isn’t exactly something new, there are more tools now to make it a reality. “Once pegged as the stereotypical Irish Americans pursing their lips to kiss the Blarney Stone, Americans are spreading far and wide to experience their cultural and spiritual roots and catalyzing the rise of operators, agencies, and guides dedicated to this segment,” Christina Tunnah, Regional Manager for the Americas at World Nomads , told Condé Nast Traveler .

She added, “Not just for the bucket list boomer crowd, this theme serves as a significant thread of self-discovery amongst millennials who choose to study abroad and become digital nomads in places where they have a tendril of familial connection in search of generational sense of self.”

The rise in popularity of family genealogy as a TV genre (TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are , PBS’ Finding Your Roots and Genealogy Roadshow , and CNN’s Roots ) has helped spark this interest in family history, with people taking advantage of genealogy research via sites like Ancestry.com and even DNA testing companies like 23andme and National Geographic’s Genographic project. In fact, according to a multi-country study done by Ancestry.com in November 2014, online family history research in the U.S. has grown fourteen-fold in the past decade.

Kesha Robertson, 30, an Amsterdam-based blogger, told Traveler her reasons for visiting Slovakia. “I was always enchanted by my grandfather. There was no one else I knew quite like him. I grew up in New Zealand, a world away from Europe,” she said. “I was the only person I knew with Slovakian heritage. It seemed like such an exotic faraway place, I couldn't even fathom what it would be like. The lure to go there was always strong, it was like the piece of a puzzle I needed to put in place.”

In particular, destinations with large diaspora populations in the U.S., such as Ireland, Italy, and China, have seen an uptick in visitors looking to connect with their ancestral homes directly, according to World Nomad. Whole countries like Scotland have fully embraced this concept calling 2017 the Year of History, Heritage, and Archaeology, encouraging visitors to uncover their Scottish roots all the way back to the Neolithic era.

Touring companies are seeing a boom as well. Audley Travel revealed to Traveler that they've been getting increased requests for custom itineraries exploring family ties to different destinations. In particular, they've worked with a lot of second generation Japanese Americans heading back to Japan, especially to Okinawa . And World Nomads just partnered with Ancestry.com to offer one winner (and a guest) the opportunity to trace their family history and take a trip to walk in the footsteps of their ancestors with their Relative Distance campaign .

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Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is launching a Jewish Heritage cruise down the Danube later this year with stops in Wertheim, Germany (pictured).

So, how can you take advantage of this growing trend and embark on a journey of your own? Here are some tips.

1. Do some research beforehand

Don’t get overwhelmed at the daunting prospect of having to tackle a tidal wave of family information, archives, photos, or talks with your immediate and extended family members (though it helps to have that all as a starting point). At a most basic level, a little bit of search engine snooping can identify the basics: country, province/state and towns where you know for a fact you have a connection.

Assemble maiden names of parents and grandparents and search on maps for any street names that may have the family name, you’d be surprised at what you find. For more robust family tracing, you can pay for more access to records on sites like Ancestry.com, or join the National Geographic’s Genographic project where you have the option to be connected with people who share your DNA and family name.

2. Rent a car and make your own itinerary

It’s best for adventures like this to build out spots where you want to stop and rent a car to visit on your own time. It allows you to detour and take as much time as you need in any particular destination. Historical societies of that town are a great source as well, so set up an appointment or set aside a few hours to rummage through the artifacts. Also, try to book through Airbnb or local lodges as much as possible. This gives another opportunity to meet locals who may offer some insight into your family background.

3. Or use a tour company for a more general background

If you’re not so focused on the details of your family history, but would rather have a deeper understanding of your heritage, then consider a themed tour. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is launching its Jewish Heritage themed cruises in May, where guests will travel from Munich to Cologne, passing through Dachau, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Wertheim, towns and cities renowned for their centuries-old Jewish legacy. Andy Fraser, the Tartan Butler at The Balmoral , helps guests with ancestral ties to Scotland trace their heritage during their stay by chatting with the city’s foremost experts before your arrival. And those who have traced their roots to South Africa can explore them in-depth on South African Airways Vacations’ 12-Day Cultural Roots of South Africa tour , which visits Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal Province, where Durban (home to the largest Indian population outside of India) is situated.

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Written by: Judith Anderson Tue 18 July 2017

A Brief History of Heritage Tourism

Did you know people have been visiting historic sites for fun for nearly 300 years? Judith Anderson explains, and makes a plea for your family photos to help her prove it…

Black and white image of a bearded man in a bowler hat under a carved arch

You’re probably familiar with the idea of visiting historic sites for fun. Maybe you’ve headed to Linlithgow Palace to watch Spectacular Jousting? Perhaps you’ve explored Edinburgh Castle with an Easter-egg hunt? You might even have hiked through the countryside to a hill fort. Even if you haven’t done any of these things since your school days heritage tourism, or the idea of going to a historic attraction on a day out, is quite common.

It’s not unusual to visit a historic place like Craigmillar Castle for a family day out

But when did we start visiting historic sites for fun?

It may surprise you to hear that folk have been taking tours round Scotland or making day trips to see historic sites for nearly three hundred years.

Visitors to Crichton Castle, somewhere between 1860 and 1880 © Courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland (Photograph album 42).

The key routes were described in Tours and Journals published by early travellers, like Mrs Sarah Murray. In 1799, she published A Companion and Useful Guide to the Beauties of Scotland .

Mrs M was mainly wowed by the Scottish landscape, but also visited many historic sites – including Dumbarton Castle . She wasn’t overly impressed with her welcome though! In fact, she wrote of her visit:

“A farcical fuss in time of war is made to gain admittance into it. The sketchbook and pencil of such an innocent draughtswoman as myself, was, with great solemnity, ordered to be left in custody whilst I walked to the top of the castle, lest I should run away with the plan of this Important Post of Defence. I obeyed orders but laughed in my sleeve at the prohibition of my innocent portfolio.”

A set of steps lead visitors through an archway to the top of Dumbarton Castle

Given Dumbarton was an active military base and Britain was at war with France and Spain, she shouldn’t have been surprised there were some restrictions! Clearly though, whatever Sarah thought about security, Dumbarton was an attraction not to be missed.

A booming industry

By the 19 th century the Scottish tourism trade was firmly established. Better transport links made the critical difference to visitor numbers. As one London observer remarked in 1840,

“See what it has done for Scotland.. every summer ..what thousands pour into that beautiful country, exploring every valley, climbing every mountain, sailing on every firth and loch, and spreading themselves and their money through the land. And what roads and steam-vessels, what cars and coaches are prepared for them! What inns erected !” – Howitt Visits to Remarkable Places , quoted in The Polite Tourist by A. Tinneswood (1998).

Visitor to Jedburgh Abbey © Courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland (John Hay Collection)

Historic Hot Spots

Edinburgh Castle has long been a tourist honey-pot, with former soldiers originally acting as Guides and Wardens. In 1933 access to large parts of the castle was free, with a sixpence charged for entry the Historical Rooms and David’s Tower. Each year around 200,000 people paid for entry and of course far more visited the free areas.

Mons Meg has long been the star attraction at Edinburgh Castle – here she is in 1958 with visitors grouped around her. Do you recognise any relatives here? © HES (Tom and Sybil Gray Collection).

Doune Castle is another one that has been a fixture on the tourist map of Scotland since Sarah Murray visited in 1790s. In the 1880s, a former soldier served as Doune’s custodian printing his own guidebook and selling tourists souvenirs carved from the remains of the Gallows Tree .

A crowd of young visitors at Doune Castle in 1929. Did any of your relations ever visit the castle as part of a school or Sunday school outing? © Courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland (BC Clayton)

A Room of One’s Own

As well as being tourist destinations, some of the sites in our care provided visitor accommodation in the past.

In the 1920s, Duff House was a grand country hotel. It was advertised as ‘the sportsman’s paradise’ and boasted golf, shootin’ and fishin’, a billiard room, and a smoking room.

Duff House Hotel boasted golf, shootin’ and fishin’, billiards and a smoking room – a holiday worthy of Bertie Wooster!

At the other end of the scale, Sunnybrae Cottage in Pitlochry was a B&B in the 1950s and 1960s.

Mrs Jean MacDonald lived at Sunnybrae from 1945 until about 1986. She provided B & B in the cottage and in a wooden chalet in the garden.

And finally – an appeal for help!

Later in the year, I’m giving a talk about this topic as part of our Journey Through Scotland’s Past lecture series .

I’d love to include images of tourists enjoying days out at our historic sites. Taking photographs to record the day out is second nature, and often we can’t resist the cheeky shot. For instance, below you can see me and two pals inside a mystery fireplace in 1988. Bonus points if you can anyone identify it – but what I’d really like is for you to share your own snaps from the pre-digital era.

Taking photographs to record the day out is second nature – and often we can’t resist the cheeky shot!

Do you have any photographs from days out to historic sites in the 1960s, 70s or 80s? Send Judith an email for the chance to feature in her talk, A Journey Through Scotland’s Past: Age of Leisure and Pleasure , on 19 October.

About Author

Judith Anderson

Judith is part of the Cultural Resources Team based in Longmore House. She works with a variety of in-house and external experts to update the Statements of Significance for HES Properties in Care. The Statements try to capture the many different reasons why these places are important, and help to guide their management and interpretation. You can find them on our website. View all posts by Judith Anderson

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What is Heritage (Historical) Tourism?

What is Heritage tourism?

Countries famous for historical tourism.

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Heritage Traveler

History, Travel, Heritage, Inspiration

What is Heritage Tourism?

Heritage tourism refers to the practice of traveling to places that possess historical, cultural, or natural significance. It involves exploring and experiencing the tangible and intangible elements of a region’s heritage, including historical sites, museums, monuments, traditional festivals, cultural traditions, and natural landscapes. This form of tourism allows individuals to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of a community’s past and present, connecting with its unique identity and preserving its legacy for future generations.

One of the primary aspects of heritage tourism is the exploration of historical sites and landmarks. These can include ancient ruins, architectural marvels, castles, forts, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. By visiting these locations, tourists can witness firsthand the remnants of past civilizations, gaining insights into their history, architecture, and cultural practices. Exploring historical sites provides a sense of timelessness and allows individuals to appreciate the achievements and struggles of those who came before them.

In addition to historical sites, museums play a significant role in heritage tourism. Museums house collections of artifacts, artworks, and documents that showcase a region’s history, art, science, and culture. Visitors can engage with these exhibits, learning about the cultural and social context of a place. Museums often offer interactive displays, guided tours, and educational programs that enhance the visitor’s understanding and appreciation of the heritage being presented.

Cultural festivals and traditions also form an integral part of heritage tourism. These events celebrate a community’s customs, rituals, music, dance, cuisine, and attire. They provide an opportunity for tourists to witness and participate in vibrant cultural expressions, fostering a deeper understanding and respect for different ways of life. Cultural festivals often showcase traditional performances, craft demonstrations, and culinary experiences, allowing visitors to engage with the local traditions on a personal level.

Natural heritage tourism focuses on the exploration of natural landscapes and conservation areas. It involves activities such as hiking, wildlife spotting, bird watching, and eco-tours. Natural heritage sites, including national parks, protected areas, and scenic landscapes, offer opportunities for individuals to reconnect with nature, appreciate biodiversity, and learn about sustainable practices. These experiences promote environmental awareness and encourage responsible tourism.

Overall, heritage tourism serves as a means to preserve, promote, and celebrate the diverse and unique aspects of a region’s heritage. It enables individuals to connect with their roots, gain knowledge, and develop a sense of cultural identity. Heritage tourism also contributes to economic growth by generating employment and income for local communities. Furthermore, it plays a vital role in the preservation of historical sites, artifacts, and traditions, ensuring their longevity for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.

Image Attribution: Marco Almbauer , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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How Culture and Heritage Tourism Boosts More Than A Visitor Economy

by Carolyn Childs 43 Comments

Culture and heritage tourism plays a critical role in building the visitor economy and goes even beyond that. A recent survey showed that over 50% of respondents polled agreed that history and culture are strong influences on their choice of holiday destination.

Culture and heritage tourism is a fast-growing and high-yielding sector

Statistics also indicate that culture and heritage tourism continues to grow rapidly, especially in OECD and APEC regions. We estimate the direct global value of culture and heritage tourism to be well over $1billion dollars, with that of the Asia Pacific region being approximately $327 million.

It is already directly responsible for more than 50 million jobs in APEC countries. And what’s more, the indirect benefits of culture and heritage tourism are thought to be of the order of $1 billion and account for further 75 million jobs across the region.

There is no denying the fact that culture and heritage tourism tends to attract high-yield tourists. While global figures can be hard to obtain, all available statistics on tourism in various individual markets like the UK, New Zealand, Australia, India , etc. reveal a consistent pattern.

Culture and heritage tourists often stay longer and spend a lot more money in general than other tourists do. In fact, one study showed that a culture and heritage tourist spent as much as 38% higher per day and they stayed 22% longer overall compared to other kinds of travellers.

Culture and Heritage Tourism image Taj Mahal image

Taj Mahal, Indian Symbol

Although the statistical evidence doesn’t show consistency regarding repeat visitors, tourism data on United States’ Culture and Heritage visitors indicates that the level of repeat visitation amongst this group of travellers is higher than that of traditional tourists.

It builds engagement

Culture and heritage tourists usually visit cultural heritage attractions such as historic buildings and other historic attractions; archaeological sites; state, local, or national parks; art galleries or museums; concerts, plays, or musicals; ethnic or ecological heritage sites; and such attractions. These travellers say that these trips are more memorable than conventional holiday trips since they allow them to learn something new. This focus on learning skills and gain enrichment has been identified by Trendwatching as a core global trend in travel (and links to broader macro trends in consumer needs).

Culture and Heritage Tourism cycle graph image

The benefits of culture and heritage tourism are amplified through the economy, so their impact is much wider than just the direct spending levels. As Simon Thurley of English Heritage has shown in his Heritage Cycle, heritage tourism has benefits that extend beyond the solely economic.

What are the benefits of heritage tourism?

Generally, the benefits of heritage tourism can be categorized into three groups: economic, social, and environmental. As they tend to be the highest focus for destinations and policymakers we have focused on the economic benefits first

Economic Benefits of Cultural and Heritage Tourism

Injects new money into the economy, boosting businesses and tax revenues
Creates new jobs, businesses, events, and attractions, thus helping diversify the local economy
Supports small businesses and enables them to expand
Promotes the active preservation and protection of important local resources
Builds vital relationships among and within local communities
Helps encourage the development and maintenance of new/existing community amenities

Social Benefits of Cultural and Heritage Tourism

Helps build social capital

Promotes positive behaviour
Helps improve the community’s image and pride
Promotes community beautification
Builds opportunities for healthy and useful community relationships and partnerships
Provides research, education, and work-placement opportunities for students
Creates enjoyable opportunities for both local residents and visitors attracted to the cultural arts, history, and preservation
Boosts local investment in heritage resources and amenities that support tourism services

There is evidence that helping maintain buildings of character culture and heritage tourism can contribute to precincts’ innovation and business diversification. Small businesses based in amazing buildings are typically innovators and provide a core for other larger businesses.

Environmental Benefits of Cultural and Heritage Tourism

Heritage tourism helps encourage a culture of preservation
Boost awareness of the tourist site, attraction, or area’s significance
Helps encourage local residents and visitors to be mindful of their impact on the natural and built environment

Although there is a risk that this type of tourism can lead to a place being ‘loved to death (think the Taj Mahal or the Sistine Chapel ), properly handled it can provide a reason to invest in things like sewage and water resources in areas.

So that is why we think Cultural and Heritage Tourism is vital to the visitor economy – and destinations should seek to maximise the opportunities it brings. In future articles, we will be delving more deeply into practical opportunities on how to do that. (If you are an MTR member then you can also access more detailed content via the Members Only HomePage .)

Looking for more Culture and Heritage tourism information? You can check out our blog about defining cultural and heritage tourism and cultural tourism opportunities .

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About Carolyn Childs

Carolyn has spent more than 25 years’ helping businesses achieve their goals by using research and other evidence to guide strategy and planning – mainly in the aviation, travel and tourism fields. She has worked in more than 35 countries on every inhabited continent and brings a detailed understanding of customers and how to connect with them. As well as running her own businesses, she has worked for organisations such as the International Air Transport Association, TNS (the world’s largest custom research company) and the Travel Research Centre.

August 30, 2024 at 7:04 pm

Hi Carolyn,

thank you for this very interesting article. I was wondering, could you perhaps share the source for the study that found out that heritage tourists stay longer and spend more than other kinds of tourists? That would be great!

September 6, 2024 at 4:44 pm

Thanks for the feedback. There are actually a number of studies .. for example https://www.ttf.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/TTF-Cultural-Tourism-2016.pdf https://diasporafordevelopment.eu/draft-heritage-tourism-in-the-digital-era/ https://history.sd.gov/preservation/docs/CHTBenefits.pdf

February 24, 2024 at 12:36 am

Hello, nice article! Really beneficial for my research. Which year was this published please?

September 6, 2024 at 4:50 pm

Eva I originally wrote this article about 8 or 9 years ago. But the reason that it is still on our website and still features so prominently on Google is that the insights it contains are still bang up to date… (actually without boasting too much we find that with a lot of our research)

November 28, 2023 at 7:58 am

Your blog, ‘How Culture and Heritage Tourism Boosts More Than A Visitor Economy,’ brilliantly unveils the multifaceted impact of cultural and heritage tourism. The depth of your analysis and compelling narrative style make this a must-read. It’s a commendable exploration of the broader positive influence that goes beyond economic aspects, showcasing the richness and importance of cultural exploration. Excellent work!

December 22, 2023 at 11:14 am

Thanks Kenny!

June 12, 2023 at 12:00 pm

What are the pros of heritage tourism?

June 12, 2023 at 12:40 pm

We try to outline these in the article but this type of tourism helps us preserve our vital cultural assets, gives communities pride and helps build economic opportunity. You can also find out more at the website of the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage and at that of ICOMOS .

Of course you have to do it right! This starts by the community understanding what they have, then deciding what they want to share finally finding visitors who want that.

One challenge is the concept of heritage has some negative connotations in that it can seem ‘fusty’ but by showcasing culture and immersion it becomes incredibly engaging. In our work with SHP we are working to overcome this.

Travellers say that they want to get under the skin of a destination – culture and heritage tourism does just that.

June 17, 2024 at 11:25 pm

‘It can be incredibly engaging’. From my experience in Amsterdam, where we lived for a few months, your answer to Eve is spot on. Living in Haarlem now – where like Amsterdam the cultural heritage is so well preserved – I have been amazed at how many tourists visit this country. I’m not talking about the weed trend, but the museums and similar cultural attractions, and in all the towns, whether Leiden, Alkmaar, Gouda, Utrecht etc. It makes me think of my home South Africa, where people flock to see Cape Town, the Garden Route and our wildlife – the historic tourist attractions – yet authorities ignore our significant cultural and architectural attractions. Old buildings and structures – whether the 1657 castle of Good Hope in CT, or the buildings reflecting Johannesburg’s 19th century gold mining boom, or famous battlefields – are largely left to rot and decay. There is a racial past, and the (university) Fees Must Fall campaign saw statues of significant historical characters pulled down by students who didn’t even grow up in apartheid. Gone forever. Yet they could’ve been used to tell the story of slavery or colonialism, as an example.

September 6, 2024 at 4:48 pm

Angus I think that this is changing. The next World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage summit will be in South Africa as the country recognises the value of it. It is also strong in some places like Stellenbosch, but I feel that there is so much more that could be told. The statues one is difficult. I feel we do need to update them, but I have sympathy with the anger that propels this. I also feel it is why culture and heritage needs to recognise difficult or contested histories before they build up to that kind of pressure.

November 23, 2022 at 8:58 am

Hello. Thank you for the great blog today. Have a nice day 강남호빠

June 12, 2023 at 12:45 pm

Glad you liked it…

December 30, 2021 at 1:52 am

Thank you for this interesting piece. Can you clarify time frame for stats like this: “We estimate the direct global value of culture and heritage tourism to be well over $1billion dollars, with that of the Asia Pacific region being approximately $327 million.” Is this an annual figure? I am citing your work and want to be sure I am doing so accurately.

October 4, 2022 at 1:57 pm

Dolly it is an annual number. I think this number is now well exceeded though as this has been a huge growth area

October 12, 2021 at 7:49 pm

I would like to know on how can we able to preserve our cultural heritage so as we can ensure imcrease of coming tourists especially to the developing countries, since it has mostly be an obstacle to those nations.

November 29, 2021 at 2:38 pm

I think there is a need to engage your local community and to demonstrate the benefits to them, including opportunities for employment. Community is important as we also need to make sure that the way we promote it benefits the community.

One simple framewok I have seen in Canada is

1) work out what you have. What do you have to share. This doesn’t have to be buildings, intangible culture like cuisine and arts are important to. Audit what you have, collect your stories 2) Agree what you want to share. Agree what you want to share with visitors 3) work out what visitors want. Identify what demand there is for what you have to offer, what customers are interested? then find out about how they book and plan travel (lots of resources in our blog on this) then create a destination management plan (guidance on what to use can be found at https://www.austrade.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/5499/DM_Guide.pdf.aspx ) This will help you work out how and what to do

March 2, 2023 at 12:10 am

we are having different activities that we can do as our culture-heritage but due to financial constrain we get it difficult tp practices such kind of activities to promote our culture and also to act as tourism attraction for other continent .

June 12, 2023 at 12:34 pm

Not all culture and heritage activities have to cost a lot. Community-based tourism generally starts small scale and is built by the community asking what it can do rather. This could be simply opportunities for visitors to meet members of the local community or come for a meal at their homes. Talking to visitors already coming (if any) is a good place to start.

May 6, 2021 at 12:16 pm

Hi that is a question how heritage attractions make global marketing in order to attract more foreign tourists and enhance their popularities all over the world. Is it possible for the heritage attraction make efforts oversea? like participating in exhibition.

June 15, 2021 at 2:00 pm

Hi Cindy we definitely think attractions can promote overseas, but it depends on the attraction and whether it is likely to appeal to individual visitors. Our advice on promotion for an attraction is normally to do so in partnership with their host destination

October 27, 2021 at 6:15 pm

Hie We appreciate what you are doing. We are also trying to come up with a plan to establish a Cultural Heritage and Adventure tourism resort in our rural area in Hwedza. If you are ininterested in helping us please be intouch and will post to pictures of the magnificent sites we wish to show the world. Thank you in advance.

Best Regards Tsungai Maphosa

November 29, 2021 at 2:39 pm

Tsungai … will be in touch soon

April 9, 2021 at 7:55 pm

In which year you published it? I need it for my research paper

August 19, 2021 at 3:59 pm

April 2015… we review it each year and it still holds true and is our most read post!

January 25, 2021 at 5:39 pm

I have a question in what way how leisure helps the tourism industry?

I’m not sure I understand your question. Can you explain a bit more

December 4, 2020 at 5:15 am

I have a question, How to use tourism culture element to attract tourists ?

April 22, 2021 at 11:01 am

It was updated in 2020 but initially published on Apri 18, 2015. We revisit it reqgularly and it still holds true

September 14, 2020 at 8:57 pm

Culture or heritage consumption requires understanding how tourist’ emotions and reasons interacting in experiencing these products to ensure long-term sustainability?

October 12, 2020 at 10:33 am

It does indeed. It also means encouraging the right tourists.

September 13, 2020 at 12:52 am

I have a question explain the economic benefits, social benefits and environmental benefits of heritage tourism. Specify specific examples /situation

October 12, 2020 at 10:31 am

This could honestly be a whole text book Natalia! The three are highly linked as in what brings money in gets valued and what is valued is protected. It is called the heritage cycle. The UK Lottery fund has a report on the value of conserving and adapting heritage buildings that shows they bring in GDP.

August 17, 2020 at 11:50 pm

What are the possible objects of cultural interest that may entice or impact tourist arrivals?

October 12, 2020 at 10:29 am

Krister… the process is a three step one. Identify what you have, Agree with the community what can be shared, identify if there are enough visitors who might be interested and who they are? There isn’t a one size fits all on this.

February 4, 2020 at 11:34 pm

In your own words what are the advantages of heritage tourism and what are the disadvantages or challenges of heritage tourism?

March 3, 2020 at 5:57 pm

Mark Great question. I don’t see any disadvantages if it is managed well. The challenges come when it isn’t developed with local buy on, people fail to plan for tourism and culture together and where you don’t let the story lead. The advantages are almost too numerous to mention: social capital, civic pride, economic benefit, a clear case for protecting assets.

January 19, 2020 at 11:22 am

I have a question how does cultural heritage promotes tourism?

January 24, 2020 at 11:12 am

Cultural heritage provides a compelling reason to visit. As more people have the ability to travel we see that the desire to understand other cultures grows. Cultural heritage often includes compelling human stories and provokes a sense of wonder. Who hasn’t stood in front of the pyramids and ‘gone wow!’?

There is strong supporting evidence. Research on the impact of gaining World Heritage status indicates that it boosts visitation. It’s a way of curating the ‘best of’ that anyone can understand.

July 4, 2019 at 12:37 am

Now, that’s a great question. All places are heritage destinations since all of them have their histories. However, some places are more historically significant than others. In that sense, all travel can be classified as heritage travel.

Attractions can be either heritage attractions or otherwise. In other words, non-heritage attractions like scenery, national parks, nightclubs, safaris, adventure are also reasons why people travel. In this case, heritage has no place.

I would like to ask one question of my own: How important do you think it is for travelers going to heritage destinations, to be acquainted with the history of the place?

September 11, 2019 at 2:18 pm

I am not sure we could police that. Maybe more like encourage it but great interpretation on site can do the same job

December 6, 2018 at 4:47 am

I have a great question if you can answer the question by my email address Does tourism exist without heritage or attraction? if you say yes how? if you say no how?

September 11, 2019 at 2:21 pm

It depends what you mean by an attraction … many holidays are about relaxation. They may include sightseeing, but the classic ‘fly and flop’ holiday is still tourism. We now know that even this type of holiday can help with mental and physical health

September 21, 2019 at 5:40 pm

YES you are absolutely right that tourism has a lot of advantage for health. Tourism is one which bring happiness in our life and enjoy Full moments. even through it we feel something fresh and new observation.

Heritage Travel: What it is & How it Can Benefit You

Madison Jackson lives in Pittsburgh, PA and is the Director of Jewish Student Life at Carne...

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Door post after door post was pointed out to me. We stopped in a court yard that had tenement style houses surrounding it on all sides. We stepped inside what seemed nothing more than a run down, dingy entrance looking practically near collapse. Peering closely at the entrances, I saw an empty carved out space, diagonal in the shape of a mezuzah (a scroll with Hebrew verses on it from the Torah, inside a decorated case). I saw two circles placed perfectly across from each other, showing where once a mezuzah had hung.

Learn about your family history & heritage while doing programs abroad—you’ll love the experience!

This was Praga. Located across the Vistula River opposite Warsaw’s Old Town, this area, sometimes referred to as “alternative Warsaw,” has been called dangerous. But, in years past, this was also the home of Warsaw’s Jews. As a Jew myself, I didn’t expect to learn about this place while interning abroad in Warsaw—a place where the majority of my people once lived. We walked through Praga and our tour guide pointed out different types of traces on doorposts of former Jewish family homes. Unlike the rest of the city, this area was barely destroyed during the war, leaving the homes of families in tact and the authentic representation of Jewish life in Warsaw prior to the war still in existence.

Exploring the mezuzah traces through heritage travel allowed me to learn the stories of Jewish families who had lived in Warsaw, not from the structure of something that was rebuilt, but from the actual traces of what remained.

There’s never been a better time to participate in heritage travel—and participating in historical travel during travel programs abroad just makes sense. Read on to learn how YOU can incorporate heritage tourism into your next great international adventure, like I did.

FAQs on heritage travel

Get up close and personal with hundreds of years of history.

What is Heritage Tourism?

According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Heritage Tourism is “traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural, historic, and natural resources.” In other words, Heritage Tourism is a type of travel where you search for an authentic understanding of how something, or a people, was like.

The three main types of Heritage Tourism sites are natural, cultural, and built. Natural heritage sites include landforms and rural scenery, cultural heritage tourism involves attending festivals or a place that sells traditional products, and built heritage sites encompass places such as monuments and historic homes. Through studying, volunteering, interning and teaching abroad there are several different ways in which you can engage with the different types of historic travel and heritage tourism.

Study Abroad . Studying abroad provides a unique opportunity to live what you are studying. For example, instead of sitting in school reading about the Holocaust, if you study abroad in Europe, your classroom becomes your surroundings and you can visit places from a textbook firsthand. You can walk on the natural grounds where your ancestors once lived and enter still standing historic synagogues and other places of worship. Study abroad is a great time to explore cultural heritage tourism!
Volunteer Abroad . Protecting special places is valuable to humanity. If you hope to spend time volunteering abroad maybe consider volunteering on a conservation project anywhere in the world, that assists in protecting a heritage site for generations of travelers to come. This type of volunteering will be beneficial as it ensures that heritage travel can continue to provide meaningful experiences for others.
Intern Abroad . During my time doing an internship in Warsaw, I went with the office I worked for to a cemetery clean up at the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw, to a day of memorial ceremonies in Jedwabne, Poland at seven different memorials, and on a bike ride from the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau to the Jewish Community Center in Krakow. Naturally, internships you do abroad will come with similar opportunities to visit heritage sites as part of your work hours. Additionally, you can take advantage of your temporary backyard to spend weekends traveling to visit heritage sites and learning as much as possible about the people who live or lived in the country you are working in. You will benefit from seeing a full dimension view of the country.
Teach Abroad . You can learn about your own heritage by fully integrating into a local community! In teaching abroad you can craft your own experience by specifically signing up for an English teaching program that places you with indigenous people at a heritage site. There, you can preserve their culture and help to sustain their local environment, while also getting to know your own family history through cultural heritage tourism.

Who participates in heritage travel?

Add more context to some of those random traditions grandma forces around the holidays.

Anyone and everyone with a desire to learn can participate in heritage travel! People of all ages and backgrounds can think about doing heritage tourism during short school breaks, gap years, or family trips.

Popular examples of heritage tourism involve religious travel or pilgramages. For instance, many Catholic students might enjoy visiting the Vatican while studying abroad in Italy, or some Muslim volunteers might tack on a hajj to Mecca while volunteering abroad in the Middle East. If you're a first generation immigrant from Latin America or East Asia, you might double-dip your internship abroad to learn your family's native tongue or get to know your family's culture or history in a new way. As a Jewish student abroad, I was keen to learn more about Jewish history—visiting pre-war synagogues and learning the stories of Jewish families past.

The major benefits of heritage travel

1. memorability.

Whenever you return from a trip, you are bound to face the question: So, what did you do on your trip? Usually, people are looking for more than just a general answer, but want an example of something specific you experienced and why you enjoyed it. Heritage travel will provide you with an instant, and ongoing, answer! Travelers say that trips with heritage activities are more memorable than trips without them, because they learn something concrete and new.

2. Strengthens local economies

Heritage tourism isn’t always pretty, but it always has an important impact.

A study conducted by the Travel Industry Association showed that heritage travelers spend more time and money at their destinations than other types of travelers. This helps to develop sustainable local economies which often don’t get as much popularity as large tourist attractions. Visiting heritage sites creates jobs in local organizations while simultaneously promoting community pride through the opportunities locals have to work together to improve cultural development.

3. Diversifies the tourism experience

Relaxing at the beach is nice, but think how many more stories there are to tell when there is content and substance involved in a trip. Beyond the traditional ocean and sand vacation, heritage travel allows you to expand your horizons and spread the places people visit beyond a few locations.

4. Reinforces identity and creates understanding

Heritage tourism provides a whole new angle to traveling and can make an experience both fun and educational. You can learn more about yourself, your ancestors, and people of your race, religion, or culture, while also learning more about cultures and backgrounds different than your own. What we learn in a classroom can be difficult to understand; when you interact with sites in person you have the opportunity to really comprehend what a specific identity means.

You might even find new things to love and appreciate about your personal history!

5. Increases your learning capacity—especially when done in conjunction with a program abroad

The best part of formal programs abroad isn’t that your itinerary is taken care of (although being free of planning those logistics IS pretty great!), it’s the fact that you have the right container for doing deep thinking and reflecting on what you’re learning. Instead of just witnessing and observing during culture heritage tourism, a program abroad might be able to offer you a stronger framework to participate in the culture. Translating interactions into hard-won lessons is much easier with the help of a trusty mentor or dedicated time for reflection.

That’s why pairing heritage tourism with a program abroad can be a win-win on all fronts!

Walk the footsteps of your family

Get to know yourself—and your family—on a whole new level through heritage travel.

Soon, I started looking for mezuzah traces wherever I went in Europe. I didn't want to ever again walk by a place that had so many hidden stories—that could have been my relatives’ home, or the home of my friends grandparents. Each mezuzah trace told a story that came to life through the Jewish item.

Looking for mezuzah traces throughout Europe was just one way I was able to connect to the heritage of the Jewish people and learn what Jewish life was like in countries prior to World War II. There are so many ways that heritage travel can enhance your time on programs abroad, even for a short trip, and it will make a difference in how you remember a place once you return home.

Get Matched with 5 Programs to Enhance Heritage Travel Today

KAHAL Your Jewish Home Abroad is a non-profit organization which connects Jewish students studying abroad to Jewish opportunities, resources and connections abroad. KAHAL aims to create meaningful Jewish experiences for study abroad students, allowing them to interact with local Jewish communities and deepen their Jewish identities. Wherever students travel, KAHAL arranges chances to attend Shabbat dinners, meet Jewish students, attend holiday meals, volunteer and advocate, and provides grant funding and travel assistance.

Look for the Perfect Program Abroad Now

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How Heritage Tourism Helps People Unlock the Past

Heritage tourism provides a great way to learn about the past, but what exactly is it? Check out this guide to learn about this new travel trend!

Throughout the past decade or so, people have begun to look at travel in a completely different way. Experiential travel has become a new buzzword to describe travel with that little extra something to it. This new way of traveling looks different for everyone whether you prefer outdoor activities, cultural exchanges, history, or a bit of everything!

This travel revolution means there are more and more opportunities to shape a trip around your particular interests. History buffs will be happy to know that heritage tourism has emerged as one of the new types of travel, and many different destinations and private organizations are focusing on creating their own heritage tourism programs to help cater to this growing tourism market!

Take a step back in time with Let’s Roam .

Here at Let’s Roam, we have no shortage of history buffs on our staff! Our knowledgeable team has created a range of exciting scavenger hunts that will help you explore the biggest tourist attractions and the hidden gems in a destination. These are all accessible via our handy Let’s Roam app . Plus, the Let’s Roam Explorer blog features hundreds of articles to help make trip planning easy!

Exploring the Past through Heritage Tourism

Below you’ll find a guide to heritage tourism and how it can help you unlock the past. We’ve included a description of what heritage tourism is and how it helps local communities. In addition, we’ve included a short list of some of our favorite heritage travel destinations!

What is heritage tourism?

The term heritage tourism has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years. However, you may find yourself wondering what exactly heritage tourism is. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, heritage tourism is “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” This means spending time visiting historic places, museums, and archeological attractions.

However, heritage tourism is more than simply visiting an attraction and checking it off a long to-do list. It means taking the time to truly understand what you’re seeing as well as the impact it has on people. Who lived or worked there? What did their daily lives look like? How did they interact with others?

Heritage tourism is often linked with sustainability since it conveys a more conscious way of traveling. This type of travel generally goes hand in hand with using fewer natural resources. It can also be a great opportunity for tourism development in off-the-beaten-track destinations. This can then be a major contributor to broader economic development and a higher quality of life. Since this type of travel is generally different than mass travel, it also helps promote sustainable development and caring responsibly for cultural resources, historic resources, and natural resources.

What is the purpose of heritage tourism?

In the words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Heritage tourism serves as a way to connect us to the past. It helps us understand how people lived, loved, and laughed. Knowing this can help us better understand the world that we are currently living in. It can also help us analyze why certain things happened in history and how we can learn from it.

On a more personal level, heritage tourism can help people more closely identify with their own ancestors and heritage. There are many different tour operators that offer itineraries full of cultivated experiences that have a special emphasis on culture and history. A good example of this is Birthright, the program that sends young Jewish people to Israel to learn more about Judaism.

However, you don’t need to go on an organized tour for this. Instead, you can shape your own itinerary so that it incorporates certain aspects that you want to learn more about. For instance, as an American of German and British descent, I’ve made many trips to Germany and the United Kingdom to learn more about my family background.

How does heritage tourism impact destinations?

When placed under the stewardship of ethical institutions, nonprofit organizations, and partnerships with key stakeholders, heritage tourism has a much gentler approach than other types of tourism. It can offer many economic benefits to destinations. Case studies have shown that heritage tourists tend to stay longer in a destination. They also spend more money while they’re there. This means the economic impact of heritage tourists is greater than other types of tourists.

One of the most obvious economic benefits is that heritage tourism provides employment opportunities. These could range from historians to tour guides as well as support employees at the heritage sites. The tourism industry has one of the lowest barriers to entry when it comes to employment. Heritage tourism can create jobs that are likely to go to the local population. This means that the money stays in the local communities that need it most.

This, in turn, helps the local economy in numerous ways by allowing more money to be spent at local businesses. In some parts of the world, this could mean the difference between someone being able to stay in their hometown with their friends and family vs. having to go to a big city and look for work. This usually ensures that people have a wider support network nearby which is crucial to their well-being.

The money generated from tickets can also help preserve the monuments, artifacts, and heritage sites that you’re seeing. This is an incredibly important aspect of conservation. Many of the world’s most important historic sites are falling into disrepair due to unstable economies, civil wars, and other domestic issues. The revenue from ticket sales could make a huge difference in the upkeep and maintenance of the monuments.

What are some tips and tricks for heritage tourism?

If you’re trying to learn more about the past when visiting historic sites, make sure that you have at least a rough idea as to why the site is important. Although most places will provide enough information to piece together a basic idea, spending the time to read up on it before you go will make your experience much more fulfilling.

It’s also important to allow yourself plenty of time at each destination. This is the only way that you can truly immerse yourself in it. Also, try to avoid going to historic sites during peak travel hours. Having fewer tourists around makes it much easier to imagine what the places would have looked like.

What are some of the best destinations for heritage tourism?

Below you’ll find a list of some of our favorite heritage tourism destinations. While this list is in no way exhaustive, it does give you an idea of what types of things fall under the umbrella of heritage tourism. We’ve also included a short section on important things that you should know when visiting any of these destinations.

As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, India has a slew of heritage sites. These can give a comprehensive look into how it transformed from the Indus Valley civilization to the livable, chaotic country we know and love today. The country is full of UNESCO World Heritage sites so this is a good place to start your planning.

Where to go?

Most visitors begin their trip in Delhi. This is perfect for history buffs. Not only is Delhi the capital of India, but it’s also the location of many previous ancient cities. You can still find vestiges of these in the many forts and tombs in South Delhi as well as the winding streets of Old Delhi.

Old Delhi was designed by Shah Jahan of Taj Mahal fame. As you wander through the tiny streets crammed full of shops, eateries, and chai-wallahs, it feels like little has changed in the past few centuries. From Delhi, you can easily get on a train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal or Jaipur within a few hours. If you’re interested in religious history, you should also check out Amritsar in the northern state of Punjab. This is the heart of Sikhism and is the home of the breathtaking Golden Temple.

Alternatively, an overnight train ride will get you to the lakeside city of Udaipur or the spiritual capital of Varanasi where people deposit the bodies or ashes of their deceased family members in the holy Ganges River.

If you’re willing to brave the overnight bus, you can also head to Rishikesh. Sitting in the foothills of the Himalayas, Rishikesh was the birthplace of yoga and a very popular destination for spiritual and yoga-oriented retreats.

A short flight from Delhi will get you to Mumbai or Calcutta. These two cities were important economic and political centers for the British Raj. This is where you’ll find many colonial-era buildings that look like they could be straight out of London.

Important things to know .

The history of India is very long and complex. As you travel, it’s a good idea to jot things down as you go. This is particularly useful for keeping track of Hinduism’s most important gods and kings.

Also, India can be an extremely stressful and uncomfortable country to travel through. Virtually everywhere you go will be crowded, and it will feel like half of the population is trying to get a photo with you. Rather than stressing out about it, just try and take a deep breath and learn to enjoy the chaos. It will make your experience there much more enjoyable. With a more laid-back attitude, you’re also more likely to see how incredibly kind and welcoming most Indians are and what a great sense of humor they have.

Why go?

When it comes to tourist destinations, Thailand has pretty much everything you could possibly want. With the beaches of Koh Samui, the vibrant nightlife of Bangkok, and the green rolling hills of Chiang Mai, there is something for everyone here. Best of all, it’s full of amazing heritage sites that give a fascinating look into Thailand’s history and culture.

As one of the only countries in Southeast Asia that was never colonized, Thailand doesn’t really have the same European-style architecture that you find in neighboring countries. Bangkok is a vibrant capital city that is as sparkly as they come. The city is also home to incredible palaces and temples, including the famous Wat Pho which holds an enormous reclining Buddha. While you’re there, make sure not to miss the vibrant Grand Palace. We guarantee it’s not like any palace you have ever seen before!

Lying just a short train ride from Bangkok, the former capital city of Ayutthaya. It was once one of the biggest cities in the world with a population of nearly one million people. Today, you’ll find it mostly destroyed but even in its current state, it’s still breathtaking. The complex is famous for its 67 temples and ruins.

In the northern section of the country, Chiang Mai is famous for its myriad of temples. These tell an important story of the impact that Buddhism has had on the local population. This bustling city is the largest urban area in northern Thailand and has been a hub for remote workers and backpackers for decades. It’s a great place to base yourself if you want to enjoy some of Thailand’s gorgeous natural landscapes or visit one of the local hill tribes.

Important things to know.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, Thailand basically exploded onto the tourism scene. This huge influx of mass tourism brought with it a few problems. Sex tourism has become very prevalent and can sometimes include underage people. It also comes with drugs and other social issues. When you travel there, it’s best to avoid any of these things. This not only keeps you out of possible trouble but also shows respect for Thai culture.

New Zealand

New Zealand has long been famous for its beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Despite its location in the middle of nowhere, they have also managed to develop into one of the world’s bucket list destinations.

There are many reasons to visit the Land of the Long White Cloud. Perhaps one of the world leaders when it comes to cultural heritage tourism, New Zealand proudly embraces its Maori culture, and the government has created many initiatives to help educate people on the country’s history. You will be greeted with a hearty Kia Ora from the moment your flight lands at Auckland Airport, and the opportunities to learn more about the indigenous population are endless.

Where to go?

Most long-haul flights fly into the city of Auckland on New Zealand’s North Island. Although there’s little in the way of historic sites here, a quick visit to the imposing Auckland Museum will teach you some important aspects of Maori culture.

From Auckland, you can take a bus or rent a car to visit various Maori sites located across the North Island. These include the Te Pā Tū Māori Village , the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where one of New Zealand’s founding documents was signed, and the Waipoua Forest, one of the oldest forests in New Zealand which plays an important role in Maori culture.

New Zealand is an amazing destination to visit but it can be painfully expensive to travel through. If you’re traveling on a budget, we highly recommend renting a campervan that you can sleep in. This can help save a lot of money rather than staying in expensive hotel rooms.

It’s hard to think of heritage tourism and not imagine Italy. The ancient ruins of the Coliseum and the Roman Forum stand testament to an advanced society that thrived over two millennia ago. Meanwhile, the Duomo and Uffizi Museum in Florence holds some of the world’s most spectacular art.

One of the great things about traveling through Italy is that it has a little bit of everything. And everything they have is magical. From small towns lined with cobblestone streets that have barely changed for hundreds of years to bustling metropolises that have historic sites hidden behind every corner, there is always something interesting for history buffs to explore. As the icing on the cake, the gastronomic scene is incomparable.

The major cities of Rome, Venice, and Florence should be the first stop on a heritage tourism tour. If you want to focus on smaller towns and villages, you can always visit the spell-binding villages of Cinque Terre National Park or hang around some of the smaller towns of Tuscany. Italy has heritage sites virtually everywhere so you really can’t go wrong! Find out more about exploring this beautiful country on our detailed guide of how to spend a week in Italy !

Italy is full of tourists all year round. However, it’s literally bursting at the seams during the high season. Try to avoid going in the summer if you can. It will make your overall trip much more enjoyable since you won’t be battling crowds or wasting precious vacation time standing in lines.

What other places should you go?

While we’ve provided just a short list of great destinations for heritage tourism, there are still many more! Mexico , Egypt, Morocco, Japan, the Czech Republic, Sudan, and Iran are also all great options. They’re all full of cultural heritage sites that are sure to wow even the most jaded history buff!

Are you ready to roam?

We hope this guide to heritage tourism has left you inspired to take a step back into the past! As always, we would love to hear your feedback, and please let us know of any tips, tricks, or destinations we may have missed!

If you’d like to find more information about these destinations mentioned above, make sure to check out the Let’s Roam Explorer blog . Here you’ll find hundreds of destination guides, must-see lists, and travel blogs that will help make your vacation planning easier. Don’t forget to download the Let’s Roam app before you go. This gives you access to all of our great scavenger hunts , ghost walks, art tours, and pub crawls.

Frequently Asked Questions

The purpose of heritage tourism is to explore the past by visiting archeological sites, museums, and historic attractions. Read more about heritage tourism at the Let’s Roam Explorer blog !

Activities normally associated with heritage tourism could be visiting the ancient ruins of Rome or Mexico , going to a local museum, or even going on a walking tour focusing on unique architecture.

Heritage tourism is different than tourism because it focuses on activities and attractions that are dedicated to preserving the past.

Understanding our heritage is important because it’s easier to understand the world around us. Heritage tourism can play a key role in unlocking the past and bringing it back to life.

If you’re looking for a fascinating heritage tourism destination , look no further than India, Thailand, Italy , New Zealand, Mexico, Morocco, or Egypt!

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Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information.

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Unesco social media, the great vasyugan mire.

The Tentative Lists of States Parties are published by the World Heritage Centre at its website and/or in working documents in order to ensure transparency, access to information and to facilitate harmonization of Tentative Lists at regional and thematic levels.

The sole responsibility for the content of each Tentative List lies with the State Party concerned. The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries.

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party

Description

The area of the Great Vasyugan Mire is over 55 000 m*, which is about 2% of the whole area of peat bogs of the world. The landscape structure of the Great Vasyugan Mire includes bogs (32%), fens (35%) and forested mires (33%).

The Great Vasyugan Mire is located within boundary of four regions of Russian Federation: Tyumen, Omsk, Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions (mainly Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions). The system of registration of land resources categorizes the mires as the land belonging to forest fund. The western part of the mire till about 78' E meridian is involved into the area of exploration and exploitation of oil and gas fields.

The eastern part of the Great Vasyugan mire with adjoining forested mires and forest landscapes (5090.45 km2) is suggested to be nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. The largest extent of the nominated territory in the direction from the north-west to the south-east is 180 km, from the north to the south - 55 km.

Nature conditions of the region of the Great Vasyugan mire (climate, relief and geological structure) are determined by its position in temperate latitudes in the central part of Eurasian continent and within the West Siberian plain, and are typical for swamp regions of Western Siberia. However, the structure of local landscapes, their lithogenic foundation and biological components have their own specificity, which is caused by location of the swamp in the southern part of West Siberian plain as well as processes of its development and functioning.

Geological structure and relief

The nominated property is located in the central part of the rivers Ob and Irtysh watershed within the Vasyugan plain, that was formed in last-Pleistocene mid-Quarterly period and accumulated lake and swamp sediment during last-Quarterly and Holocene epochs. The nominated property includes the most elevated parts of the Vasyugan plain where the watershed line between the rivers Ob and Irtysh goes. Absolute marks of the surface of watershed area occupied by mires reach 130-150 meters. Slopes of the watershed plain with absolute marks 125- 140 m are also occupied by swamps and become complicated because of valleys of small rivers, springs and temporary water canals, running from vast waterlogged interfluves.

Modern meso- and micro relief of the surface is formed with a determining role of swamp process, leveling unevenness of the relief of mineral sediment due to large bedding of peat and creating complicated specific relief of the surface of swamp landscapes of different types. Basing on the morphology of micro relief and the character of present relief-creating processes one can point out sections of developing upper, transitional and low-lying swamps, plots with progressive swamping, the surface of which is often covered with mounds on the border of waterless valleys and peat-beds, in sections of large rivers and river-heads of small ones. The rise of central parts of protuberant upper swamps relative to periphery parts and "ryam" islands (moss high bog with pine) relative to transitional and low-lying swamps surrounding them reaches 6-10 m. Slope surfaces with good drainage which are subjected to erosion processes take rather small area and are located in river valleys and lower parts of watershed slopes.

In tectonic respect the nominated territory belongs to Shegarskiy arch-like rising of Vasyugan ridge with the total amplitude of latest rises 100-125 m. pre-jurassic formations of the basis of West Siberian plate according to the data obtained through drilling and geophysical examinations are at a depth of 2400 to 3500 m. The platform cover overlapping them is built of Mesozoic and Kajnozoic deposits. The lower part of the cover is a massive (more than 2000 meters) thickness of alternating sea and continental Jurassic sediments (sandstone, limestone) and chalk (clay, sand, sandstone).

Palaeogene system in the location of the nominated territory with total thickness of the sediment 145-500 m begins with sea clays and finishes with continental lake, lake-and-swamp and alluvial sediments presented by sands, clays and alevrolits. Neocene's system with the thickness of 17-55 m is built by alevrolits, clays and sands with interlayer of brown coal. Quaternary sediment is widely spread, it consists of mainly loam and clay and sometimes sandy loam and sand.

The present link is represented by lake-and-swamp interfluve sediment (1bIV) and alluvial sediment of flood-lands and river-beds (aIV). The present lake-and-swamp sediment is mainly peat and sometimes clay and loam. The thickness of lake-and-swamp sediment reaches 8 meters, age - 8-11 thousand years. The average thickness of peat at some plots within the nominated territory is from 2 m to 4 m.

The climate of the territory is continental-cyclonic with a long cold winter and a short hot summer. The average temperature for many years according to the data of meteorological service in Bakchar is -1.1 'C. The coldest month of the year is January. The average temperature in January is -20.5 'C. The absolute minimal temperature is stated in December and is -56 "C. Maximum temperatures are observed in June and July. The average temperature in July is +17.6 0 C. The absolute maximum temperature is +37"C.

A period without light frosts starts in the third decade of May and lasts up to the second decade of September. The average duration of a period without frosts is 112 days, of a period with average daily temperatures more than 10°C - 102-107 days. The sum of air temperatures more than 10°C is 1450-1650, the sum of positive air temperatures during a year is about 20oo0c.

The average annual amount of precipitation is 440-480 mm. Up to 70% of annual amount of precipitation falls during a warm period of a year. The average maximum height of snow cover on protected plots reaches 70 sm. The average annual wind speed is 3.6 m/sec.

Hydrograghy

The nominated territory includes regions of forming drainage of large tributaries of the Ob and Irtysh flowing in opposite directions. There lie upper reaches of the rivers of the Parabel (the rivers Emelich, Kenga) and Chaia (the rivers Parbig, Andarma, Galka, Teterinka, Bakchar, Ixa) basins of the river system of the Ob. There are three large mainland lakes (Targatch, Bolshoe Beloe and Srednee Beloe).

The inner hydrographic system of the swamp includes rivers, streams, lakes and marshes. Rivers and streams start in inner lakes and marshes of the swamp and feed the drainage of bigger rivers with swamp water. In upper reaches small inner rivers of the swamp run in peat river-beds and sometimes disappear inside peat deposit. Down the stream with the increase of their draining role along the banks of the rivers appearing within open swamps develop forested mires, then come zones on mineral soils with forest vegetation, attached to the rivers.

The soil cover of the nominated territory reflects characteristic features of the structure of soil in the southern part of the Vasyugan plain, formed on surface with weak drainage, built with clay carbonate soil-forming rocks under the hydrologic influence of the Great Vasyugan mire.

At the adjacent area prevail hydro-morph semi-hydro-morph soils which are at different stages of swamp-forming process. Auto-morph soils are found near the most drained locations as small islands among vast stretches of over wet ground. Soil cover of auto-morph locations to the north and south of the swamp differs greatly and is represented by various zone types of soils. The structure of hydro-morph and semi-hydro-morph soils being formed in the belt around the swamp is also different.

To the north of the swamp in the landscapes of southern taiga prevails the taiga type of soil-forming. Drained locations in the northern part of the nominated territory under moss-herb dark-coniferous forests and secondary small-leaves forests are taken by soddy podzols soils. On less drained plain locations on the periphery of the swamp soddy gley soils are formed.

Drainage weakened and the level of subsoil swamp waters in auto-morph plots risen, indications of a gley process appear, and a peat horizon is formed on the soil surface. In case of hydro-morph transformation soddy podzols soils are replaced by soddy podzols gley, turf podzols gley, turf gley and, at last, peat oligotroph soils.

Main area within the swamp in the southern part of the nominated'territory is taken by peat swamp intermediate and low soils. Turf bog soil of upper type are developed in the northern part of the territory, between tributaries of the river Ob.

On the southern periphery of the Great Vasyugan mire, caused by increased drainage of sub-taiga landscapes with small-leaves forests on washed from carbonate soil forming rocks grey forest soils are formed. The level of subsoil waters risen, grey forest soils change into grey gley soils, and with surface accumulation of organic horizon transform into humus gley and turf humus gley ones.

The nominated territory is situated on the joint of 2 botanical-geographical sub-zones (southern taiga and sub taiga or sub-zone of birch and aspen wood) of the forest zone and 2 swamp zones - the zone of protuberant hummock-ridge bogs and the zone of different swamps.

The vegetation on the territory is mainly presented by different complexes of swamp associations. Forest ecosystems take a relatively small area and are found on plots near rivers.

Small tracts of native south taiga spruce-fir-cedar forests developing on drained plots with soddy podzols soils, are found in north-western part of the nominated territory along the rivers Kenga, Parbig, Andarma. The secondary aspen-birch forests mixed with the dark coniferous ones are more widely spread.

Total over wetting results in wide spread of forest associations of hydro-morph series. Pine-spruce-cedar forests develop on areas with weak drainage and soddy podzols gley soils.Large periphery swamp areas with soddy gley and turf gley soils are taken by cedar- pine -birch and pine forests with a number of transitional hydro morph forest associations between them.

Vegetation associations of open swamps take about 60% of the nominated territory.

In the southern part of the territory, on the surface of the watershed between the rivers Ob and Irtysh one can find Carex-Hypnum water bogs with bush-hypnum-sphagnum row ("veretja") Veretja 1-3 m wide and tens of meters long are located across the inclination of the swamp surface. Width of marshes between different "veretjas" reaches 200 m.

On plain tops of the watershed with practically total absence of a surface drainage "veretjas" go in different directions and, joining with each other, form a net pattern of surface microrelief with diameter of grounds from 50 to 100 m. On "veretjas" meso-trophic bushhypnum- sphagnum associations with sparse wood layer of birches and single pines are developed. The mosses Sphagnum warnstorjii, S. magellanicum, S. @scum, Tomentypnum nitens, Aulacomnium palustre dominate here.

Marshes inside grounds are taken by intensively irrigated eutrophic hypnum-carex associations. Dominants of moss layer are Hamatocaulis vernicosus, Drepanocladus sendtneri, Scorpidium scorpioides, Meesia triquetra. Prevailing carexes are Carex lasiocarpa, C. diandra, C. limosa,C. chordorrhiza, C. omskiana.

The necessary element is thicket of birch: Menyanthes trifoliata, Comarum palustre, Equisetum fluviatile.

Because of stagnant wetting and oligotrophication of swamp waters in the axial part of the Great Vasyugan mire among oligotrophic peat bogs develop marshes with Carex rostrata and C. omskiana with Comarum palustre, Menyanthes trifoliata, Naumburgia thyrsiflora, Cicuta virosa, Warnstor-a exannulata, Sphagnum teres, Calliergon stramineum, intensively irrigated with secondary lakes.

On the background of open irrigated carex-hypnum swamps one can encounter rather numerous moss high bog with pine ("ryams"), with domination of Sphagnum fuscum, S. angustifolium, S. magellanicum, Carex globularis.

"Ryams" associations, which occupy larger areas, are a part of oligotrophic swamps on the northern macro-slope of the Great Vasyugan mire. They occupy the most drained areas of upper watershed swamps. On slopes of such swamps are formed, and on the periphery develop mesotrophic complexes. In depressions except for Eriophorum vaginatum grow Carex, Sphagnum balticum, S. majus. In periphery associations of the meso-trophic belt prevail Sphagnum obtusum, S. falax, S. magellanicum, S. angustifolium, different species of Carex, Oxycoccus palustris, 0. microcarpus. On the main area and in island "ryams" Sphagnum fuscum, S. magellanicum, S. angustifolium, an Pinus silvestris dominate. Typical elements of "ryam" associations are complexes of lichens ( Cladinia).

Large areas on the northern macroslope of the country between the rivers Ob and Irtysh are occupied by complex hummock ridge bogs, which develop in central parts of oligotrophic upper swamps with stagnant wetting. Their slopes are formed by fragments of low "ryams" associations. Vegetation cover of irrigated marshes and depression form different variants of plant associations. Dominating species in depressions are Sphagnum balticum, S. papillosum, S. jensenii, S. majus, Sphagnum fuscum, Scheuchzeria palustris, Rhynchospora alba, Eriophorum vaginatum, Carex limosa, Cladopodiellajluitans, Calypogeia sphagnicola.

Vegetation associations of transitional swamps are characterized by great diversity. In contact zones between carex-hypnum depressions and masses of protuberant upper swamps develop forested low birch and pine. Carex-sphagnum associations are included into complex of hummock ridge bogs and develop on the periphery of upper swamps. The important element of upper swamps of the nominated territory is meso-oligotrophic depressions. On the periphery of the massif of the Great Vasyugan mire and in valleys of rivers running from it forest swamps develop.

Animal world

In all the types of ecosystems different species of invertebrates are widely spread. In grass and bush layer of forested swamps and forests Ixodes ticks (Ixodidae) are usual, sometimes numerous. In these types of vegetation associations one can find nocturnal butterflies (Geometridae, Noctuidae ect,), beetles (Cerambycidae, Chrysomelidae, Ipidue, Carabidae, Staphylinidae ect.), different Hymenoptera. Along the banks of slowly running rivers a lot of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Diptera happen to fly in great amounts. A lot of small flying insects leads to appearance here different representatives of Odonata. In bogs Odonata served as insect-eating birds. Because of presence some big animals there are a lot of blood-sucker flies (Hipoderma bovis, Oestris ovis and Hippoboscidae) in bogs.

The main biomass of invertebrates in small lakes of bog territory consist of larva of different flies (Culicidae, Tipulidae, Tendipendidae) and others, and water Oligochaeta as well. These larva serve as the main food for birds living in bogs. The fauna of blood-sucker insects included 121 species: 28 species of Simuliidae, 31 species of Ceratopogonidae, 27 species of Culiseta and 35 species of Tabanidae.

There are three species of amphibian (Siberian salamander, true frog and common toad) and two reptile species (common lizard and viper) met at the nominated property.

The avifauna consists of 195 bird species belonging to 15 orders. As a whole, local fauna of birds consists of Siberian and European species but trans-pale artic species includes in fauna as essential element too. On the territories of open low bogs and high bogs the trans-palaeartic species dominate.

The mammal fauna is rather typical for south part of taiga zone. More than half of mammals' bio-diversity consists of insectivores and rodents. Among small mammals Siberian and European species are the most common. Nevertheless, on this territory there are some transpale artic species, tundra-forests relicts and Mediterranean-China species as well.

The presence of suitable ecological conditions and a rather good food base leads to appearance some big mammals here. The mammals as follows: elk, brown bear, lynx, sable, squirrels are very common here. Most part of animals is concentrated in the border between bogs and forests near the lakes and rivers. Most part of elks wintering in the upper parts and valleys of all big rivers (Kenga, Parbig, Andarrna, Bakchar and others). The most valuable fur mammal - sable - is concentrated within these places, too.

The bogs landscapes and forest-bogs landscapes of nominated territory play the important role for protection of rare animals' species. From the other hand, these landscapes served for development of the common ungulate species of taiga fauna.

The nominated territory is situated in the zone of migration flow of birds. Most part of birds use this territory for rest while migrating. The combination of large open space with the closed ones accompanying with the different lakes, rivers and streams create very favorable conditions for birds' temporary living during season migrations. Some species of water birds and carnivorous birds (including Falco peregrinus Tunstall, Strix nebulosa Forster) are nesting here. The density of Falco peregrinus population on the lake bogs is 0.12 specimen per km2. Over this area have been reported reliable encounters of aquatic warbler and slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) - almost disappeared specie of the world fauna.

On the high bogs of nominated territory there are some populations of forest form of wild northern elk (Rangifer tarandus). The density of this animal is not stable because of illegal hunting and predator pressure (firstly of wolf). Here pass the main routes of elks seasonal migrations through the Great Vasyugan mire from winter pastures to calving places. Elks density at winter pastures is approximately 10 specimen per km2.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

- reflects the processes of development and evolution of swamp ecosystems from the

beginning of Holocene period till nowadays;

- includes habitats of typical flora and fauna of the region, rare plant and animal species,

as well as key habitats of migrating animal species;

- is a keeper of valuable paleogeographic and paleoecological information;

- is a natural landscape complex of unique beauty.

The absence of settlements at this difficult of access territory provides a high level of safety of the ecosystems and their biodiversity. Economic activity is not carried in the area. There is no state timber purchasing, neither proven oil and gas fields.

Traditional ways of development on the territory are connected with wild herb gathering and licensed hunting which are coordinated by Vasyugan reserve administration. The territory of the reserve is protected by reserve administration according to the law of specially protected natural territories of Russian Federation and the regulations of the reserve confirmed by the resolution of Tomsk oblast authorities.

Gaining the status of the object of UNESCO world heritage will allow enhancing guarantees of safety of the nominated territory and protecting it from possible threats to its integrity because of economic activity.

Comparison with other similar properties

Being a natural reserve for a large range of forest and swamp landscapes and the concerned associations, population and species of plants and animals, including rare ones, the Great Vasyugan mire simultaneously fulfills important biosphere functions connected with depositing carbon into peat deposit and producing oxygen with the help of swamp vegetation. Being a region of forming water collectors of big tributaries of the Ob and the Irtysh the Great Vasyugan mire is a zone of extreme environmental importance on the territory of West Siberian plain. Its biosphere role and regional functions taken into consideration the territory "the Great Vasyugan mire" suggested for nomination does not yield to the world-known complex of reserves in the Central Amazon area in this respect.

Both Russian and the World Heritage Lists do not contain similar objects. Most mineraltrophy swamps boreal landscapes of the northern hemisphere still found in their natural state within the Great Vasyugan mire, are transformed due to human economic activity. Many nominations include peat bogs, but they do not have principal significance in determining outstanding world value of these objects.

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cradle cradle exploring our collective history heritage month

Cradle to Cradle: Exploring our collective history this Heritage Month

South Africa is home to two extraordinary cradles that stand as pillars of our shared human heritage: the Cradle of Humankind and the Cradle of Human Culture. Heritage Month offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the importance of these cradles in understanding our shared heritage.

The Cradle of Humankind, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, located just 50 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg, is one of the world’s most important palaeontological sites. Spanning over 47,000 hectares, this network of limestone caves has yielded some of the oldest and most important hominid fossils ever discovered. It’s here, in these ancient caves, that our understanding of human evolution has been reshaped time and time again. Notable finds include “Mrs. Ples,” a well-preserved Australopithecus skull, and the nearly complete 3.6-million-year-old skeleton known as “Little Foot.” In fact, over a third of the world’s early hominid fossils have been uncovered in the Sterkfontein Caves, one of the key sites within the Cradle.

The Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST) has been at the forefront of supporting excavations in this region for over 30 years. These fossils provide critical insights into the physical and behavioural evolution of early humans, revealing how our ancestors walked upright, adapted to their environment, and eventually gave rise to modern Homo sapiens. A visit to the Cradle of Humankind is not just an opportunity to witness this groundbreaking science—it’s an invitation to reconnect with our earliest roots. The Maropeng Visitor Centre , with its engaging, interactive exhibits, brings the story of human evolution to life for visitors of all ages. Here, the African origins of humanity are celebrated, reminding us all of the deep, unifying heritage we share.

But the significance of the Cradle goes beyond its scientific value. The site also offers crucial lessons about biodiversity, adaptation, and the environment. The early human fossils unearthed here tell us how our ancestors responded to environmental changes, providing insights that resonate deeply today, especially as we face modern global challenges such as climate change. The Cradle’s dedication to education, conservation, and community involvement ensures that these lessons will inspire future generations.

From the Cradle of Humankind the journey continues through the Cradle of Human Culture , designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024, under the title “The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa”. The Cradle of Human Culture traces the origins and development of human culture over the past 160 000 years, showcasing humanity’s first steps toward abstract thought, symbolic expression, and complex innovation. The sites within the Cradle of Human Culture hold evidence of how our ancestors started to manifest abstract and complex thinking.

Pinnacle Point Site Complex in Mossel Bay, Diepkloof Rock Shelter in Elands Bay are two key sites in the Western Cape, while Sibhudu Cave is the anchor site in KwaZulu-Natal. The most compelling evidence from these sites include engraved ostrich eggshell and bone tools, shell beads, and extensive use of ochre both for functional and symbolic uses. These sites also recorded some of the first evidence of the use of bow-and-arrow technology and consistent use of shellfish.

The Cradle of Human Culture heritage route in the Western Cape, and in the process of being expanded to KwaZulu-Natal, is an enriching exploration of South Africa's deep-rooted human history and cultural evolution.

Together, these two cradles—one focused on the physical evolution of humanity, the other on the cultural and intellectual flowering of our species—paint a rich and vibrant picture of our past. They remind us that South Africa is not just a place to visit but a place where our collective human story begins and thrives. By weaving together these narratives, this initiative not only underscores South Africa's place as a vital contributor to human history but also exemplifies a collaborative approach to positioning the country as the "Cradle of Africa."

Celebrating Heritage Month, there is no better time to embark on a journey through time, to discover the incredible landscapes, fossils, and stories that make up these cradles. Whether you are a history buff, a nature lover, or simply a curious traveller, the Cradle of Humankind and the Cradle of Human Culture offer a deep connection to our roots, encouraging us to appreciate the profound contributions that South Africa has made to the history of humanity.

As the sun sets over these landscapes, one thing becomes clear: the Cradles of Humankind and Human Culture are not just sites of historical importance; they are living, breathing testimonies to the enduring spirit of humanity. By visiting these cradles, you’re not just exploring history—you’re stepping into the story of us all.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs, Mogale City, Gauteng
Makapan Valley, Mokopane, Limpopo
Taung Skull Fossil Site, Taung, NorthWest
Pinnacle Point, Garden Route & Klein Karoo, Western Cape
Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Weskus, Western Cape
Sibhudu Cave, KwaZulu-Natal

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Heritage Tourism

Heritage in Tourism

Organizing Heritage Tourism

Conflict as Cultural Heritage

Built Heritage and Tourism

Postwar Heritage Tourism

Made or Experienced?

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Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

What Is Heritage Tourism

Introduction

Definition of Heritage Tourism

Historical Significance of Heritage Tourism

Different Types of Heritage Tourism

Benefits of Heritage Tourism

Challenges in Heritage Tourism Development

Sustainable Practices in Heritage Tourism

Case Studies of Successful Heritage Tourism Projects

Future Trends in Heritage Tourism

Heritage Tourism’s History: Past as Prologue for the Anthropocene

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Why Heritage Tourism Is More Popular Than Ever

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