Utilizing Historical and Cultural Tourism Resources for Sustainable Regional Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51699/cajitmf.v7i2.1199Keywords:
cultural heritage tourism, historical and cultural resources, regional development, sustainable tourism, heritage corridors, authenticity, stakeholder collaboration, territorial development, tourism management, local economic developmentAbstract
Penetration of Historical and Cultural Tourism Historical and cultural tourism resources have been recognized as key products for sustainable regional development in the coupling of heritage preservation with economic growth and social profit. But most regions continue to underexploit these resources, hindered by fragmented management, little integration with local economies, and inadequate strategic planning. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by exploring how systematic access to historical and cultural tourism resources contributes towards sustainable regional development. This research utilises a qualitative literature synthesis based on new academic works (2023-2025) and its approach includes comparative analysis, content analysis, and systems perspective to show mechanisms connecting cultural heritage, tourism development, and territorial growth. Results show that an efficient use of cultural heritage tourism resources is related with a network of interdependent characteristics, since digital inventory of heritage stock, spatial zoning, heritage corridors and thematic routes definition, integration into local value chains (i.e. handicrafts and gastronomy), authenticity, and strong stakeholders interrelations. The findings also reinforce that heritage tourism works best as a integrated development cycle–from identification and protection of the resource, through the development of products and marketing, to ongoing monitoring of visitation and heritage condition. The paper presents an integrated management framework to demonstrate the ways that cultural heritage resources can best yield economic returns while enhancing regional identity and potentially playing a role in sustainable tourism development. For coordinated governance, sustainable tourism visitor management and digital heritage interpretation as catalysts for the conversion of historical and cultural resources into sustainable economic and social development drivers.
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