A Practical Vision of Heritage Tourism in Low-Population-Density Areas. The Spanish Mediterranean as a Case Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- The personal emotion and the direct link with a heritage site directly relate to the visitor’s experience.
- It is possible to enhance the most fragile heritage value if cohesion and a tangible link between the different heritage actors exist.
- There is a heritage without monumental value that can attract visitors.
- It is possible to revalue the hidden intangible heritage through citizen participation.
- The visitors can understand the life and relationship with the heritage of mountain villages through visits.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area
2.2. Methodology
3. Results
3.1. Step-by-Step Results
3.2. General Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Park, E.; Choi, B.K.; Lee, T.J. The role and dimensions of authenticity in heritage tourism. Tour. Manag. 2019, 74, 99–109. [Google Scholar]
- Bec, A.; Moyle, B.; Timms, K.; Schaffer, V.; Skavronskaya, L.; Little, C. Management of immersive heritage tourism experiences: A conceptual model. Tour. Manag. 2019, 72, 117–120. [Google Scholar]
- Su, R.; Bramwell, B.; Whalley, P.A. Cultural political economy and urban heritage tourism. Ann. Tour. Res. 2018, 68, 30–40. [Google Scholar]
- Light, D. Progress in dark tourism and thanatourism research: An uneasy relationship with heritage tourism. Tour. Manag. 2017, 61, 275–301. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mitchell, C.J.; Shannon, M. Exploring cultural heritage tourism in rural Newfoundland through the lens of the evolutionary economic geographer. J. Rural Stud. 2018, 59, 21–34. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jung, T.H.; Lee, H.; Chung, N.; Dieck, M.C. Cross-cultural differences in adopting mobile augmented reality at cultural heritage tourism sites. Int. J. Cont. Hos. Manag. 2018, 30, 1621–1645. [Google Scholar]
- Timothy, D.J. Making sense of heritage tourism: Research trends in a maturing field of study. Tour. Manag. Pers. 2018, 25, 177–180. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Santa, E.D.; Tiatco, A. Tourism, heritage and cultural performance: Developing a modality of heritage tourism. Tour. Manag. Pers. 2019, 31, 301–309. [Google Scholar]
- Garrod, B.; Fyall, A. Managing heritage tourism. Ann. Tour. Res. 2000, 27, 682–708. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stebbins, R.A. Cultural tourism as serious leisure. Ann. Tour. Res. 1996, 23, 948–950. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- García-Esparza, J.A.; Altaba, P. Time, Cognition, and Approach: Sustainable Tourism Strategies for Abandoned Vernacular Landscapes. Sustainability 2018, 10, 2712. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Jovicic, D. Cultural tourism in the context of relations between mass and alternative tourism. Curr. Issues Tour. 2014, 19, 605–612. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tiberghien, G.; Bremner, H.; Milne, S. Performance and visitors’ perception of authenticity in eco-cultural tourism. Tourism Geographies. Int. J. Tour. Space Place Environ. 2017, 19, 287–300. [Google Scholar]
- Matsuoka, R.H.; Kaplan, R. People needs in the urban landscape: Analysis of Landscape and Urban Planning contributions. Landsc. Urban Plan. 2008, 84, 7–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Marull, J.; Tello, E.; Wilcox, P.T.; Wilcox, J.; Coll, F.; Pons, M.; Warde, P.; Ollés, A. Recovering the landscape history behind a Mediterranean edge environment (The Congost Valley, Catalonia, 1854–2005): The importance of agroforestry systems in biological conservation. Appl. Geogr. 2014, 54, 1–17. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Beel, D.E.; Wallace, C.D.; Webster, G.; Nguyen, H.; Tait, E.; Macleod, M.; Mellish, C. Cultural resilience: The production of rural community heritage, digital archives and the role of volunteers. J. Rural Stud. 2017, 54, 459–468. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Buonincontri, P.; Marasco, A.; Rmakissoon, H. Visitors’ Experience, Place Attachment and Sustainable Behaviour at Cultural Heritage Sites: A Conceptual Framework. Sustainability 2017, 9, 1112. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Pérez, Y.; González, R.C. Sustainability and visitor management in tourist historic cities: The case of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. J. Her. Tour. 2018, 13, 489–505. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jaafar, M.; Rasoolimanesh, S.M. Tourism growth and entrepreneurship: Empirical analysis of development of rural highlands. Tour. Manag. Pers. 2015, 14, 17–24. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liutikas, D. The manifestation of values and identity in travelling: The social engagement of pilgrimage. Tour. Manag. Pers. 2017, 24, 217–224. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mionel, V. (Not so) Dark tourism: The Merry Cemetery in Săpânţa (Romania)–An expression of folk culture. Tour. Manag. Pers. 2020, 34, 100656. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Prat, J.M.; Canoves, G. Cultural change and industrial heritage tourism: Material heritage of the industries of food and beverage in Catalonia (Spain). J. Tour. Cult. Chan. 2017, 15, 265–286. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Knight, D.W.; Cottrell, S.P. Evaluating tourism-linked empowerment in Cuzco, Peru. Ann. Tour. Res. 2016, 56, 32–47. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Weng, L.; He, B.J.; Liu, L.; Li, C.; Zhang, X. Sustainability assessment of cultural heritage tourism: Case study of pingyao ancient city in China. Sustainability 2019, 11, 1392. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- García-Hernández, M.; la Calle-Vaquero, D.; Yubero, C. Cultural heritage and urban tourism: Historic city centres under pressure. Sustainability 2017, 9, 1346. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Huete-Alcocer, N.; López-Ruiz, V.R.; Grigorescu, A. Measurement of satisfaction in sustainable tourism: A cultural heritage site in Spain. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6774. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Tintěra, J.; Kotval, Z.; Ruus, A.; Tohvri, E. Inadequacies of heritage protection regulations in an era of shrinking communities: A case study of Valga, Estonia. Eur. Plan. Stu. 2018, 26, 2448–2469. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kastenholz, E.; Carneiro, M.J.; Marques, C.P.; Lima, J. Understanding and managing the rural tourism experience—The case of a historical village in Portugal. Tour. Manag. Pers. 2012, 4, 207–214. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- UNESCO. UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme; UNESCO: Paris, France, 2013. [Google Scholar]
- ICOMOS. Guidelines for Education and Training in the Conservation of Monuments, Ensembles and Sites; ICOMOS: Paris, France, 1993. [Google Scholar]
- De la Torre, M. Values and Heritage Conservation. Herit. Soc. 2013, 6, 155–166. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stenseke, M. Integrated landscape management and the complicating issue of temporality. Landsc. Res. 2016, 41, 199–211. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Altaba, P.; García-Esparza, J.A. The Heritagization of a Mediterranean Vernacular Mountain Landscape: Concepts, Problems and Processes. Herit. Soc. 2018, 11, 189–210. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Richards, G. Cultural tourism: A review of recent research and trends. J. Hosp. Tour. Manag. 2018, 36, 12–21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Smith, M.K.; Sziva, I.P.; Olt, G. Overtourism and resident resistance in Budapest. Tour. Plan. Dev. 2019, 16, 376–392. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Nilsson, J.H. Conceptualizing and contextualizing overtourism: The dynamics of accelerating urban tourism. Int. J. Tour. Cit. 2020, 6, 657–671. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Eckert, C.; Zacher, D.; Pechlaner, H.; Namberger, P.; Schmude, J. Strategies and measures directed towards overtourism: A perspective of European DMOs. Int. J. Tour. Cit. 2019, 5, 639–655. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Micelli, E.; Pellegrini, P. Wasting heritage. The slow abandonment of the Italian Historic Centers. J. Cult. Herit. 2018, 31, 180–188. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Alonso, P. Heritage and rural gentrification in Spain: The case of Santiago Millas. Int. J. Herit. Stud. 2017, 23, 125–140. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Nelson, P.B. Spatial and temporal scale in comparative approaches to rural gentrification. Dial. Hum. Geog. 2018, 8, 40–46. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Roxas, F.M.Y.; Rivera, J.P.R.; Gutierrez, E.L.M. Framework for creating sustainable tourism using systems thinking. Curr. Issues Tour. 2020, 23, 280–296. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ribera, F.; Nesticò, A.; Cucco, P.; Maselli, G. A multicriteria approach to identify the Highest and Best Use for historical buildings. J. Cult. Herit. 2020, 41, 166–177. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wang, J. Problems and solutions in the protection of historical urban areas. Front. Arch. Res. 2012, 1, 40–43. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Ruda, G. Rural buildings and environment. Landsc. Urban Plan. 1998, 41, 93–97. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kneubühler, M. Handbook on the European Heritage Days. A Practical Guide; Council of Europe and European Comission: Rhone-Alpes, France, 2009. [Google Scholar]
- Nomura, R.; Shan, S.; Mori, S. Analyzing Spatial Structure of Traditional Houses in Old Towns with Tourism Development and Its Transformation toward Sustainable Development of Residential Environments in Hexia Old Town, in China. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3809. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Ferretti, V.; Bottero, M.; Mondini, G. Decision making and cultural heritage: An application of the Multi-Attribute Value Theory for the reuse of historical buildings. J. Cult. Herit. 2014, 15, 644–655. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yildirim, M. Assessment of the decision-making process for re-use of a historical asset: The example of Diyarbakir Hasan Pasha Khan, Turkey. J. Cult. Herit. 2012, 13, 379–388. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ruiz, R.; Rodríguez, F.J.; Coronado, J.M. Identification and assessment of engineered road heritage: A methodological approach. J. Cult. Herit. 2014, 15, 36–43. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Blanco, A.; De Bustamante, I.; Pascual-Aguilar, J.A. Using old cartography for the inventory of a forgotten heritage: The hydraulic heritage of the Community of Madrid. Sci. Tot. Env. 2019, 665, 314–328. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- García-Esparza, J.A.; Altaba, P. A GIS-based methodology for the appraisal of historical, architectural, and social values in historic urban cores. Front. Arch. Res. 2020, 9, 900–913. [Google Scholar]
- Tilden, F. Interpreting Our Heritage: Principles and Practices for Visitor Services in Parks; University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 1957. [Google Scholar]
- Olwig, K.R. Performing on the landscape versus doing landscape: Perambulatory practice, sight and the sense of belonging. In Ways of Walking; Vergunst, J.L., Ingold, T., Eds.; Routledge: London, UK, 2016; pp. 93–104. [Google Scholar]
- UNESCO. Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape; UNESCO: Paris, France, 2011. [Google Scholar]
- English Heritage. Understanding Place: Historic Area Assessments: Principles and Practice; Institute of Historic Building and Conservation: Swindon, London, UK, 2010. [Google Scholar]
- Fredheim, L.H.; Khalaf, M. The significance of values: Heritage value typologies re-examined. Int. J. Herit. Stud. 2016, 22, 466–481. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kryder-Reid, E.; Foutz, J.W.; Wood, E.; Zimmerman, L.J. ‘I just don’t ever use that word’: Investigating stakeholders’ understanding of heritage. Int. J. Herit. Stud. 2018, 24, 743–763. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- García-Esparza, J.A. Barracas on the Mediterranean coast. Int. J. of Arch. Herit. 2011, 5, 27–47. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Del, M.S.T.T.; Tabrizi, S.K. A methodological assessment of the importance of physical values in architectural conservation using Shannon entropy method. J. Cult. Herit. 2020, 44, 135–151. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Vik, M. Self-mobilisation and lived landscape democracy: Local initiatives as democratic landscape practices. Landsc. Res. 2017, 42, 400–411. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Almeida, J.; Costa, C.; da Silva, F.N. A framework for conflict analysis in spatial planning for tourism. Tour. Manag. Pers. 2017, 24, 94–106. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhang, C.; Fyall, A.; Zheng, Y. Heritage and tourism conflict within world heritage sites in China: A longitudinal study. Curr. Issues Tour. 2015, 18, 110–136. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Landorf, C. Managing for sustainable tourism: A review of six cultural World Heritage Sites. J. Sustain. Tour. 2009, 17, 53–70. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ruiz-Ballesteros, E.; Cáceres-Feria, R. Community-building and amenity migration in community-based tourism development. An approach from southwest Spain. Tour. Manag. 2016, 54, 513–523. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Timothy, D.J.; Tosun, C. Arguments for community participation in the tourism development process. J. Tour. Stud. 2003, 14, 2–15. [Google Scholar]
- Okazaki, E. A community-based tourism model: Its conception and use. J. Sustain. Tour. 2008, 16, 511–529. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Costa, M.; Carneiro, M.J. The influence of interpretation on learning about architectural heritage and on the perception of cultural significance. J. Tour. Cult. Chang. 2020, 19, 1–20. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Villages | Km2 | 1910 | 2020 | 1910–2017 | Density (Inhabitants/Km2) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1910 | 2020 | |||||
Atzeneta del Maestrat | 71.2 | 3223 | 1304 | −1919 | 45.27 | 18.31 |
Castillo de Villamalefa | 37.7 | 1455 | 101 | −1354 | 38.59 | 2.68 |
Xodos | 44.3 | 954 | 106 | −848 | 21.53 | 2.39 |
Culla | 116.3 | 3079 | 481 | −2598 | 26.47 | 4.14 |
Llucena | 137 | 4446 | 1315 | −3131 | 32.45 | 9.60 |
Ludiente | 31.4 | 1220 | 149 | −1071 | 38.85 | 4.75 |
Puertomingalvo | 103.6 | 1272 | 117 | −1155 | 12.28 | 1.13 |
les Useres | 80.7 | 3464 | 959 | −2505 | 42.92 | 11.88 |
Villahermosa del Río | 108.9 | 2741 | 484 | −2257 | 25.17 | 4.44 |
Vistabella del Maestrat | 151 | 2541 | 333 | −2208 | 16.83 | 2.21 |
Total | 882.1 | 24,395 | 5349 | −19,046 | 27.66 | 6.06 |
Field Name | Description | Field Type | Example |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Identifies the municipality, street and building number. | Alphanumeric | RFVH011033 |
Openings | Express the heritage typology of each construction element selected, grouped, and catalogued previously. | Alphabetic | Curved arch of masonry |
Balconies | Alphabetic | Not applicable | |
Carpentry | Alphabetic | Two horizontal wooden doors | |
Eaves | Alphabetic | Decorated ceramic brick | |
Stairs | Alphabetic | Not applicable | |
Coatings | Alphabetic | Lime and sand mortar | |
Other signs | Indicates the less visible values extracted from the interviews through numerical coding. | Alphanumeric | 1, 2, 4, 6 |
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. |
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Altaba, P.; García-Esparza, J.A. A Practical Vision of Heritage Tourism in Low-Population-Density Areas. The Spanish Mediterranean as a Case Study. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5144. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095144
Altaba P, García-Esparza JA. A Practical Vision of Heritage Tourism in Low-Population-Density Areas. The Spanish Mediterranean as a Case Study. Sustainability. 2021; 13(9):5144. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095144
Chicago/Turabian StyleAltaba, Pablo, and Juan A. García-Esparza. 2021. "A Practical Vision of Heritage Tourism in Low-Population-Density Areas. The Spanish Mediterranean as a Case Study" Sustainability 13, no. 9: 5144. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095144