The Importance of Stakeholder Involvement in Promoting the Cherchell Aqueducts as Tourist Attractions: Current Situation and Prospects

Abstract

The Roman aqueducts in Cherchell, built in the second century AD, are a remarkable engineering achievement that spans over 130 kilometers and has historical significance. Today, the aqueducts have five easily accessible bridges. However, there is a lack of coordination among stakeholders involved in managing the cultural heritage in Cherchell. The 2014 strategic plan aimed to safeguard and enhance archaeological monuments and historic buildings by promoting and advertising the Cherchell aqueducts. The Protection and Enhancement Plan for Archaeological Sites with their protected zones (PPMVSAZP) focuses on tackling tourism through various measures and attributes. Two methodological techniques were used for this case study: Researching accounting values through design (RtD) and the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach. Consulting examples of Gallo-Roman aqueducts in France allowed for a critical comparison of strategies required for managing development projects with all stakeholders. The main focus of this paper is to establish a critical analysis of the current situation by situating dysfunctions in the collaborative relationships between different stakeholders. The paper aims to emphasize how stakeholders, community organizations, and professionals can work together to designate, enhance, and manage the case study, proposing an efficient collaborative assessment as a potential opportunity for the future.