From iron to tourism: The reconversion of an old mining-industrial area

Abstract

The mining-industrial heritage plays an important role in the evolution of domestic tourism, contributing to developing creativity, revitalizing local cultural values and enhancing natural and anthropic tourism potential of the area. At the same time this activity represents a real opportunity for economic, social and cultural recovery. In Central and Eastern Europe there are a growing number of former industrial areas where the development of tourism can actively contribute to the regeneration of settlements and economic development. The purpose of our research was to identify, classify and discuss the main attributes of the development of industrial heritage tourism in the scientific literature and their application in the elaboration of a model of integration in the tourism circuit of an old steel area in Romania. The iron ore deposits in the Harghita Mountains (Eastern Carpathians) have been known for 2000 years and the first iron processing plant was mentioned in 1561. The Vlăhița steel plant operated almost without interruption between 1825 and 2006, when it was permanently closed. In connection with the reconversion of the former steel plant, our research evaluated the tourism system in the area using tools specific to spatial analysis in tourism (Defert’s tourist function index, average length of stay, index of use of tourist accommodation capacity etc.). The results show that the capitalization of industrial heritage can contribute to consolidating regional identity and increasing tourism potential, and the reconversion of the former iron plant into a space for entertainment and education is a way to preserve and reintegrate the historical heritage of the area. The study provides suggestions for future improvements in the development of the heritage tourism industry and emphasizes the importance of adopting sustainable development policies and strategies that also include tourism, an important component in a modern economy.