Description
Short abstract (max 250)
This study empirically investigates tourism as a threat to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, given their characteristics and location. The main contribution of the study is a new measure that relates the time from inscription to the occurrence of a threat, based on data from the State of Conservation reports. In this database, there is information on 1,200 World Heritage sites for the period 1978-2023 with 29,000 observations. Two indicators relating to tourism as a threat are used: One relating to demand and the other to supply. Estimation results reveal that the occurrence of a tourism threat is highest for religious sites. Forest areas and marine and coastal areas are the ones most threatened in the group of natural sites. In the group of cultural properties, religious sites are most affected. World Heritage sites in Europe and North America have the lowest risk of being threatened by tourism. The size and year of the inscription are not relevant in these cases.
Keywords: World Heritage Sites, Tourism, Accommodations, Threat, Duration model
Included in
Pressure from tourism hardest for religious World Heritage Sites and those in forest and coastal areas
Short abstract (max 250)
This study empirically investigates tourism as a threat to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, given their characteristics and location. The main contribution of the study is a new measure that relates the time from inscription to the occurrence of a threat, based on data from the State of Conservation reports. In this database, there is information on 1,200 World Heritage sites for the period 1978-2023 with 29,000 observations. Two indicators relating to tourism as a threat are used: One relating to demand and the other to supply. Estimation results reveal that the occurrence of a tourism threat is highest for religious sites. Forest areas and marine and coastal areas are the ones most threatened in the group of natural sites. In the group of cultural properties, religious sites are most affected. World Heritage sites in Europe and North America have the lowest risk of being threatened by tourism. The size and year of the inscription are not relevant in these cases.
Keywords: World Heritage Sites, Tourism, Accommodations, Threat, Duration model
Comments
Keywords: World Heritage Sites, Tourism, Accommodations, Threat, Duration model