ABSTRACT
Cultural heritage is a key resource for many countries that have either embraced, or want to embrace, tourism as a tool for their economic development. Although the use of cultural heritage as a tourism resource is not a new phenomenon (Chhabra 2010; Timothy and Boyd 2006), ‘culture and heritage are becoming more important in the product mix’ for tourism, especially in the less-developed countries (Timothy and Nyaupane 2009: 7). Several factors influence the growing interest in heritage-based tourism in these countries: there is a natural demand for cultural experience by the tourists (Chhabra 2010); nationally or regionally important heritage sites in general, and those with international recognition, such as UNESCO World Heritage status, already enjoy a certain level of popularity and therefore require relatively less promotion for tourism purposes (Timothy and Nyaupane 2009). Tourism as a vehicle for poverty alleviation in the less-developed world is widely endorsed and supported by almost all major international and regional developmental organizations including the World Bank, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) (ADB 2005; Hawkins and Mann 2007; Luke and Riva 2011; Nonis 1996; Zhao and Ritchie 2007). But tourism development can come at a cost. Tourism, when not managed properly, can have many negative impacts that easily outweigh its benefits and render heritage protection measures ineffective. Tourism can also have an adverse impact on the socio-cultural, physical, and natural environment at the destination.
