Tourism and Trafficking of Cultural Goods: An Overview of Regulatory Initiatives

Abstract

Culture and cultural heritage are important assets for cultural tourism as they attract millions of tourists every year to visit culture-related destinations; yet, the integrity and preservation of culture and cultural heritage can be threatened by the negative impact of tourism too. Cultural tourism does not always bring benefits; if poorly managed or regulated, cultural tourism can turn into a form of “yellow tourism” causing short-term and long-term negative impacts on culture and heritage. One of the major threats posed by cultural tourism is the trafficking (illicit trade) of antiquities and cultural goods from source to market. The paper presents policies and laws introduced by international organisations in tackling the problem of illicit trade of cultural goods which can be a by-product of cultural tourism and discusses relevant initiatives at regional (European) level.