Sustainable Cultural Heritage Planning and Management of Overtourism in Art Cities: Lessons from Atlas World Heritage

Giuseppe De Luca, Ahmadreza Shirvani Dastgerdi, Carlo Francini and Giovanni Liberatore
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Giuseppe De Luca: Department of Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning Section, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Ahmadreza Shirvani Dastgerdi: Department of Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning Section, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Carlo Francini: Florence World Heritage and UNESCO Relationship Office at the Municipality of Florence, 50123 Florence, Italy
Giovanni Liberatore: Department of Economics and Business Sciences, University of Florence, 50127 Florence, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increase in international tourist arrivals worldwide. In this respect, Art Cities are among the most favorable tourist destinations, as they exhibit masterpieces of art and architecture in a cultural environment. However, the so-called phenomenon of overtourism has emerged as a significant threat to the residents’ quality of life, and, consequently, the sustainability of Art Cites. This research aims to develop a management toolkit that assists site managers to control tourism flows in Art Cities and World Heritage Sites and promotes the residents’ quality of life. The research methodology was developed within the framework of the Atlas Project in 2019. In this project, five European Art Cities, including Florence, Edinburgh, Bordeaux, Porto, and Santiago de Compostela, discussed their common management challenges through the shared learning method. After developing selection criteria, the Atlas’ partners suggested a total of nine strategies as best practices for managing overtourism in Art Cities in multiple sections of accommodation policies, monitoring tactics, and promotional offerings. The Atlas project was conducted before the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Based on the current data, it is somehow uncertain when and how tourism activities will return to normal. The analysis of the Atlas findings also highlights some neglected dimensions in the current strategies in terms of environmental concerns, climate change impacts, crisis management, and cultural development plans, which require further research to boost the heritage planning process.

Keywords: overtourism; Art Cities; World Heritage Sites; management strategy; heritage planning; sustainability; Atlas World Heritage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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