Cultural Landscape and Sustainable Heritage Tourism

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 875

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Geography, National University of Distance Education, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: industrial heritage; cultural landscape; cultural heritage; sustainable tourism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The landscape is a visual result existing in a territory, whose characteristics are derived from the combination of different elements, both natural and cultural. Cultural elements are of great importance to understand the concept of landscape and its dynamics of evolution and transformation.

The cultural landscape is a perceptual result in which there are aesthetic connotations, associated with the "artistic" combination of material elements on the territory, and dynamic connotations, associated with the variation in the distribution of material elements over time, or associated with the change in values, attitudes, and preferences of individuals or societies in each period.

In relation to the above, the concept of heritage is understood as a set of elements inherited from previous generations that are currently the object of conservation and appreciation by society.

The growing incorporation of landscape heritage into tourism development strategies is linked to the essential principles of sustainability. The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) that provide insights into the actions undertaken in the field of sustainable heritage tourism, the strategies developed for innovation and tourism intelligence, and the projects aimed at linking sustainable heritage tourism with the cultural landscape. The intention is to highlight good practices and the achievement of objectives that reinforce the character of tourism and heritage sustainability.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Sustainable heritage tourism and tourism intelligence.
  • Sustainable practices based on the tourist use of the cultural landscape.
  • Cultural heritage as an object of responsible tourist consumption.
  • New forms of heritage and sustainable tourism.
  • Linking heritage and sustainable tourism to economic, cultural, social, and territorial criteria.
  • Heritage tourism, sustainability, and new Information Technologies.
  • Heritage, sustainability, tourism, and Geographic Information Systems.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Carlos J. Pardo Abad
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cultural landscape
  • heritage tourism
  • tourism sustainability
  • territorial heritage
  • challenges and opportunities of sustainable heritage tourism

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 3569 KiB  
Article
Do Medieval Castles Drive Heritage-Based Development in Low-Density Areas?
by Isabel Vaz de Freitas, Paulo Jorge Reis Mourão and Helena Albuquerque
Heritage 2025, 8(6), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8060197 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 520
Abstract
Historical monuments enrich lives by connecting people to their community and heritage. They are key to understanding population movements and local development. This study analyzes how the presence of castles classified as National Monuments or of Public Interest can attract tourists, extend their [...] Read more.
Historical monuments enrich lives by connecting people to their community and heritage. They are key to understanding population movements and local development. This study analyzes how the presence of castles classified as National Monuments or of Public Interest can attract tourists, extend their stay, and motivate local authorities to invest in cultural activities, in particular in low-density areas. Heritage and tourism connect through economic, cultural, social, and territorial goals. They boost local economies, preserve cultural traditions, empower communities, and protect landscapes. Thoughtful planning ensures that regional character is maintained and a balance is struck between growth, preservation, equity, and safeguarding for the future. To evaluate the economic and touristic impact of classified castles in Portuguese municipalities, we started by analyzing the ‘Existence of Castle’ variable against three key factors: tourism flows (number of guests and average stay) and municipal expenditure on cultural activities Additionally, we considered other important explanatory variables from alternative studies, including the following: the number of parishes, maximum and minimum altitude, cultural heritage and sports activity expenses, resident population, density, monthly earnings, commercial firms, Tourism Carrying Capacity, tourism revenues, and overnight stays. Our empirical results reveal that medieval castles generate diverse effects on cultural activities managed by municipalities. Quantile regressions demonstrate that municipalities with fewer resources but with a castle invest more in cultural activities, regardless of how expenditure is measured. Additionally, the presence of a castle attracts more tourists and extends their stay, indicating significant potential for economic and tourist development which is not yet fully realized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cultural Landscape and Sustainable Heritage Tourism)
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