The World Heritage Convention arose from the need to identify and protect outstanding natural and cultural sites for future generations. Over time, the effectiveness of the Convention has resulted in more and more properties being added to the World Heritage List, resulting not only in the list including more properties around the world, but also in information about them. sites that match their global interests.
With the recognition of our heritage – and the attraction of these sites, often heightened by their World Heritage listing – the tourism industry has grown at a phenomenal rate, drawing unprecedented numbers of visitors to both accessible and remote areas, and even exacerbating the problem of protected areas. . We thank them.
Therefore, a sustainable approach to tourism planning and management is needed, an industry that takes into account the needs of the places we visit and the sustainability of visitors, the needs of local communities and the impact that mass tourism can have. have on them. The rapid growth of tourism in recent decades has been both a challenge and an opportunity - a completely unexpected phenomenon with far-reaching consequences. Poorly managed and unmanaged tourism can seriously threaten heritage values and long-term economic development through damaged, less attractive and less competitive destinations. However, when site managers and government agencies partner with local communities, tourism can benefit both sites and citizens by spurring economic growth, meeting conservation needs, and enhancing identity and well-being. When managed effectively, tourism allows communities to thrive and attractions to remain intact. Everyone wins.
This is the theme of this issue of World Heritage magazine, and the articles provide an interesting insight into the issues that need to be constantly addressed. On the one hand, site operators must prevent damage or destruction of their exclusive sites. But local residents must be spared a similar fate: sustainable tourism must be managed in a way that brings social, economic and environmental benefits to those who live in and around the area. Planning and managing sustainable tourism is a major challenge for those working to protect World Heritage, and the articles in this issue highlight some of the good practices that have been adopted.
The key articles in this issue are a powerful testament to the complexity of the issue, as well as the extraordinary ingenuity of the authors of the various World Heritage properties. Consider how the city of Amsterdam currently handles the millions of tourists that come every year; but also the steps taken by the Japanese authorities so that visitors can enjoy the beauty of Mount Fuji without harming it; or the ingenuity shown by the team managing the cultural landscape of Tequila in Mexico or Mount Kenya in Africa. Finally, an interview with Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), explains the rise of tourism and its role in heritage conservation; and entrepreneur and philanthropist Juan Nobu discuss the role of business in maintaining and protecting World Heritage properties, suggesting two interesting aspects of the relationship between tourism and World Heritage properties.
Editorial
Kishore Rao
Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center
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