Revitalizing Heritage Places and Memories for Sustainable Tourism

Dear Colleagues,

Heritage, tangible or intangible, is a vital expression of societies, revealed in the generational transmission of material testimonies, customs, traditions, and values. Revitalizing places through heritage and cultural memories for sustainable tourism not only centers on preserving cultural, historical, and natural landmarks but also holds the potential to significantly foster economic growth and promote cultural, environmental, and social sustainability, offering a promising and prosperous future for these places.

Heritage places, as the historical actions of societies over time, embody the collective knowledge passed down through generations, giving places identity, diversity, and uniqueness. Similarly, memories play a crucial and emotional role in preserving collective identity and reinforcing the cultural significance of heritage. These elements serve as an educational tool, a means of conveying historical knowledge, and a way to strengthen emotional connections to places. However, the responsibility for preserving cultural heritage lies with us all. Fragile, irreplaceable, and non-renewable cultural heritage is increasingly vulnerable to threats such as rapid urbanization, climate change, globalization, and destructive and transformative pressures. Historical landscapes with tourism potential, which are facing decline, degradation, or destruction, urgently require stronger protection measures and policies aimed at regeneration, preservation, and conservation. In regions impacted by the destruction from modern socio-economic activities and policies that often overlook heritage values, regenerating and safeguarding historical landscapes is a key priority.

This Special Issue aims to present methodological approaches for revitalizing, conserving, and safeguarding endangered historical places and their significant cultural heritage and natural landmarks. This approach not only intends to use dynamic safeguard and (re)generative processes for place development but also to support local communities, enrich visitor experiences, and help protect cultural heritage for the benefit of future generations. This initiative seeks to cultivate a common vision rooted in a sustainable viewpoint that supports sustainable living, preserves local culture, and promotes collaborative engagement in regenerative activities, offering hope for a brighter future.

Preserving historical knowledge and intrinsic cultural values, such as authenticity and originality, enables the discovery of sustainable uses and promotes local development, which is closely connected to heritage. Planning and managing tourism and, at the same time, revitalizing and promoting historical sites while adapting to the local social and cultural environment is a challenging mission.

In conclusion, revitalizing heritage places and memories for sustainable tourism requires a holistic strategy, combining cultural preservation with innovative tourism practices to ensure long-term benefits for heritage and local populations. This approach integrates the conservation of physical sites and their intangible memories and traditions. This aligns with global sustainability goals, improving cultural understanding and protecting our shared history.

Prof. Dr. Fátima Matos Silva
Prof. Dr. Isabel Vaz de Freitas
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 1800 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.