Uso y lectura turística de los grandes conjuntos arqueológicos. Reflexiones a partir del Estudio de Público de Medina Azahara / Madinat al-Zahra (Córdoba)

Abstract

Heritage managers have realized a great effort in order to prepare archaeological sites for the public visit. In a context of rapid growth of the tourist cultural flows, many of the archaeological elements have been incorporated as tourist resources to the strategies of socioeconomic local deve- lopment. Nevertheless visitor studies has been one of the aspects least treated in Spain though it is one of the most important parts of projects of museology. This paper containts a few reflections on the guidelines of cultural consumption of tourist type in archaeological heritage sites. It has been ela- borated from the conclusions of the Visitor Study of Madinat Al-Zahra / Medina Azahara (Cordova, Spain). We try to provide keys to understand the characteristics of the visitors of archaeological sites: use and tourist reading. We also try to understand the role that plays this type of heritage in the tourist destinations of which it forms a part.