Heritage_sites_and_tourism_two_sides_of.pdf[latest document graded A+]

Abstract: In recent years a debate has been unfolding on the relationship between heritage sites and tourism. While it is generally accepted that archaeological and other cultural sites need to be preserved and protect ...

Abstract: In recent years a debate has been unfolding on the relationship between heritage sites and tourism. While it is generally accepted that archaeological and other cultural sites need to be preserved and protected, it is also stressed that these should be sustainably managed, and this requires substantial funding. While the discussion continues, cultural and touristic activities cannot be sidelined as both are realities of strategic importance. Countries with much to offer and several sites to conserve, have embarked on studies and management projects focussing on striking a balance between preserving heritage sites for future generations while concurrently offering them for the cultural enjoyment and education of the presentday visitor, obtaining much needed funds in the process. Malta, an island wealthy in archaeological and other heritage sites, has done no less. The challenge is huge and the management and conservation aspects are thus on the daily agenda. environments. This thus becomes an industry and heritage tourism becomes an important pillar of that country’s economy. Of course, with the advantage of deriving funds to enhance further this heritage there are also various pressures which may lead to endangering its stability and value, indeed its very existence. Though a tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean, 316 km2 (121 sq miles), Malta can boast of a vast and rich heritage. Its oldest archaeological sites date back to around 5000 B.C. The country’s population is less than half a million persons, and the visitor numbers thus far outstrip the locals as 2012, for example, registered an all-time high with 1,443,973 tourists (The Malta Independent 2013; National Statistics Office 2013). Archaeological heritage and tourism – a tricky mix? When speaking of archaeological heritage sites, one may point out right away that these may be listed under either one of two distinct yet related categories. As Willems (2012) has observed, there are World Heritage archaeological sites and global archaeological heritage sites. Each category has its own specific attributes. Each also faces particular pressures. The author outlines such challenges and hastens to underline that these may sometimes be similar though at other times emerge as diametrically opposed. World Heritage archaeological sites typically face the risk of over-exploitation due to their economic potential and which may lead to their degradation consequent to the exaggerated number of visitors they have to sustain. Other global archaeological sites, to the contrary, may face a different reality, totally contrasting to that experienced by the former – as only a few people would know of their existence these places are relegated to insignificance and utter degradation with little done for their conservation and preservation (Willems 2012). While the second circumstance is utterly damning for heritage sites, conversely the former group are also very much at risk, this time not because of their anonymity but rather due to their extensive popularity 7 | Heritage sites and tourism: two sides of the same coin? George Cassar Introduction Societies are complex structures built via human interactions and operate through a shared social heritage and a particular cultural legacy. Each human group can boast of a distinct heritage and a culture peculiar to itself; a reality which has, from many centuries ago, enticed others to visit, experience and write about (authors and travellers such as, Thompson 1940; Slade 1837; Senior 1882). Heritage tourism was thus born, the origins of which go back to antiquity. Though others may have travelled before him to see where history occurred, it is generally accepted that the honour of first ‘heritage tourist’ should be bestowed on the Greek Herodotus. He travelled around the eastern Mediterranean in the fifth century B.C. to experience landscapes, sites, cities and buildings and comment on the food, the architecture and the history (Museum of the city.com n.d.). One needs only to look, as an example, at the richness of architecture which developed from the earliest organised civilisations and those that followed, to grasp the spread and worth of the heritage which humanity possesses, and this has been recognised and accentuated throughout history (see for e.g., Malizia 1785). The modern world acknowledges this vast and precious wealth which belongs to all humanity. ICOMOS during its 12th General Assembly, which took place in Mexico in October 1999, adopted a Charter that describes the wide spectrum of cultural heritage with which contemporary societies have to deal. Thus: “Heritage is a broad concept and includes the natural as well as the cultural environment. It encompasses landscapes, historic places, sites and built environments, as well as biodiversity, collections, past and continuing cultural practices, knowledge and living experiences. It records and expresses the long processes of historic development, forming the essence of diverse national, regional, indigenous and local identities and is an integral part of modern life” (ICOMOS 2002, 4). It stands to reason, therefore, that many nations endeavour to conserve and enhance their heritage for posterity. A by-product of its upkeep and preservation is a predictable urge to visit and explore this cultural wealth by those coming from other cultural 68 EAC OCCASIONAL PAPER NO. 9