Abstract
In 2000, UNESCO included a linear cultural landscape along a 200 kilometre stretch in the middle reaches of the Loire Valley, between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire. The management of this extensive cultural landscape is exemplary, innovative but also complicated. The aim of this article is to explore the challenges faced and strategies adopted by the Loire Valley as a World Heritage Site in the development of tourism. Quantitative and qualitative data were both used to enhance the depth and breadth of analysis. The work presented refers to three sources of data. The findings reveal that tourism development in the Loire Valley has some challengers, such as short stays of tourists, slow growth in tourist numbers, uneven visitor numbers between castles, and the blurred role of World Heritage status in destination image. However, three different aspects of strategies have been applied by the authorities to enhance tourism development, including governance and marketing, attraction development and activation, as well as synergies of local communities.
Highlights
The World Heritage Convention signed in 1972 reflects the aim of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage
WHS status is granted by UNESCO, which is a recognition of authenticity and quality and an important source of support for tourism development
This article focuses on three aspects: tourism governance and marketing, attraction development and activation, as well as considering community and tourism development
Summary
The World Heritage Convention signed in 1972 reflects the aim of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage. As of 2019, a total of 1,121 World Heritage Sites (hereinafter referred to as WHS), including 869 cultural, 213 natural and 39 mixed properties, exist across 167 countries (UNESCO, 2018). With the impact of globalisation and increased income and leisure time in the second half of the 20th century, the scale of heritage tourism has expanded from a small stream to a great river (Ryan & Silvanto, 2009). Gravari-Barbas et al (2015) and others revealed the weak existence of “tourism” in the WHS Convention. In recent years, UNESCO, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), academics and practitioners have become more aware of the scale of WHS tourism (Jimura, 2019). Different scholars, Gravari-Barbas et al (2015), Meskell (2013) and Pedersen et al (2007) have studied tourism management in WHS from many different perspectives
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