URBAN HERITAGE SITES IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS AS A SUSTAINABLE TOURISTIC DESTINATION ASSESSMENT STUDY OF ARAB MODELS.

Abstract

The Most of Arab countries have rich heritage assets، as the Arab region is the origin of civilizations and the culture interaction area during ages، which produces these assets that attracting tourists from all over the world. Some of the urban heritage sites in Arab countries located in mountainous areas. These sites characterized by their attractive features for their heritage value، and the natural environment as well as their charming views. The heritage sites that are located in mountainous areas placed in the circle of concern of their governments، and they put them on the priorities list in the national plans of development compared to the heritage sites that aren't located in mountainous areas. The governments also seek for some of these sites to be in the world heritage list of UNESCO. The current global trend for applying of the concept of sustainable in the tourism، as well as the concern of governments and international tourism agencies lead to set new policies to promote sustainable practices in the tourism sector and to transform important touristic destinations into sustainable tourism destinations. For that، the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) set a group of global criteria for sustainable tourism that can be applicable by the administrations of touristic destinations to transform these destinations to sustainable touristic heritage sites. The research analyses three Arab heritage sites that are located in mountainous areas as: saint Catherine monastery and Moussa Mountain in Sinai- Egypt، Rijal Almaa' Village in Assir- Saudi Arabia، and the lady of Lebanon site in Harissa- Lebanon. The research aims to assess these heritage touristic destinations according to the global tourism sustainable criteria، to assess the current state of these destinations، then set a recommendations to transform these heritage sites to be sustainable touristic destinations. The results and the recommendations of the research also can be applicable on the other heritage sites that are located in mountainous areas.