Cultural Heritage, Sense of Place and Tourism: An Analysis of Cultural Ecosystem Services in Rural Hungary

Bernadett Csurgó and Melanie K. Smith
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Bernadett Csurgó: Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
Melanie K. Smith: Department of Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality, Budapest Metropolitan University, 1148 Budapest, Hungary

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-24

Abstract: The paper focuses on three dimensions of Cultural Ecosystem Services—cultural heritage, sense of place and tourism—and examines the relationships between them in a rural landscape context. Sense of place connects to landscapes that foster authentic human attachment, cultural heritage values and elements of local history and culture. This suggests that a sense of place cannot be considered in isolation from cultural heritage. However, cultural heritage has been relatively under-researched in the context of cultural ecosystem services, where it is defined as the tangible and intangible benefits that are derived mostly from landscapes. Researchers in rural development have highlighted the importance of sense of place and cultural heritage in both place-making and tourism development. This study explores these relationships further using three case studies from rural Hungary based on in-depth interviews with local stakeholders. The findings demonstrate that cultural heritage is an inherent part of rural place-making in Hungary and that cultural heritage values strongly shape a sense of place. Social and intangible aspects of cultural heritage are the most important for place-making, especially authentic local traditions. The findings suggest that even though a strong sense of place based on cultural heritage is a pre-requisite for tourism development, initiatives have often been more successful in strengthening social cohesion and cultural identity rather than attracting tourists.

Keywords: cultural heritage; sense of place; cultural ecosystem services; place-making; rural tourism; Hungary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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