ABSTRACT
Traditionally, developing tropical islands such as Mauritius have concentrated their promotional efforts on boosting their tourism economies via the Sun, Sea and Sand (three Ss). However, with the realization that cultural heritage is a resource for tourism; many traditional beach destinations are refocusing their planning and marketing efforts to include heritage attractions (Bennet 1993; Dallen and Nyaupane 2009; Luxner 1999; McCabe 1992). Due to the perceived potential of increasing tourism revenues through world recognized United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Heritage Sites; many countries are vying to have their own sites inscribed. However, this tacit assumption has not been substantiated so far according to Hall and Piggin (2007) and for Li et al. (2008).
