ABSTRACT
Year after year, the tourism and travel industries proudly present global statistics showing steady increases in international tourist arrivals and receipts (UNWTO 2008), and a growing contribution to the world total GNP (WTTC 2008). Even if the collection of these figures is fraught with methodological problems, the numbers are illustrative of the trend: tourism, or travel-for-leisure, is on the rise across the globe (albeit unevenly). Given the pervasiveness and local particularity of heritage, it is not surprising that heritage tourism is among those niches growing most rapidly (Timothy and Boyd 2006). Such special interest tourism is being developed, both as a primary objective and as a by-product of other leisure activities, by a wide variety of stakeholders on local-to-global levels. While people have journeyed to witness historic places of cultural importance since ancient times, what is new is the everincreasing speed, intensity and extent of travel and tourism. Private and public sectors worldwide, whether or not in collaboration, are converting cultural heritage resources into destinations and attractions, in a bid to obtain a piece of the lucrative global tourism pie.1 The money visitors spend on admission fees, souvenirs, transport, and food and accommodation contributes billions every year to the global economy and employs millions of people directly and indirectly (Timothy and Boyd 2003).
