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Recognize and reinforce the rights of communities, Indigenous Peoples and traditional owners by including access and engagement in participatory governance of the cultural and natural heritage commons used in tourism
Exponential growth in international tourism has exposed blind spots and lack of sensitivity towards the vulnerability of many tourism-dependent communities and those who have experienced tourist visitation imposed on them without their ‘free, prior and informed consent’ (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007). Indigenous peoples, traditional owners and host communities have a right to express their views on heritage and to manage it according to their established practices and meanings.
Cultural tourism has offered and will continue to promise economic opportunities and employment, but in the future, community engagement in tourism development must be facilitated. Tourism benefits must be equitably shared and include fair and decent tourism employment.
Growth in tourism has also caused an unintended decline in cultural and traditional contribution to local economic diversity. While individually these sectors may be economically marginal, diversity is necessary for the economic resilience of local communities.
An important principle in the responsible development and management of cultural heritage and tourism is inclusive involvement and access to economic opportunities, as well as recreation and enjoyment. Cultural heritage management authorities need to be aware of and sensitive towards communities’ rights, needs and desires for more diverse heritage activities, experiences and programmes, increasing cultural heritage relevance for local people. While transition towards a more circular and sharing based economy may reduce the environmental footprint of economic activities, its application must also consider potential unintended consequences such as weakened worker rights. Use of incentives may encourage desired behaviours and outcomes.
Against the backdrop of rapid and ongoing global change and related cross-cutting issues, tourism cannot continue in an unsustainable perpetual growth paradigm. Marginal improvements will not suffice. The development of responsible cultural tourism must go beyond local stakeholder consultation and involve governance and benefit share. It must embrace the fundamental recognition of human, collective, community and indigenous rights embedded in the cultural and natural heritage commons. It must also involve broad based participation with gender equality and inclusion of traditional owners, minorities and disadvantaged groups in cultural heritage stewardship and decision making, including tourism management and destination development strategies.
Case 1
Case 1
Coming
Case 2
Case 2
Coming
Case 3
Case 3
Coming
Webinar on principle 4
Webinar on principle 4
Recording of webinar on principle 4 & 5 organised 27 May 2026
Organised in collaboration with ICOMOS Africa.
Resources
Resources
ICOMOS, Our Common Dignity: advancing rights-based approaches to heritage conservation, 2016.
ICOMOS, Buenos Aires Declaration marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2018.
UNESCO, UNWTO, Istanbul Declaration on Tourism and Culture: For the Benefit of All, 2018.
European Commission, Heritage Commons: Towards a participative heritage governance in the third millennium, International Conference sponsored by the European Commission, Turin, Italy, 2014.
UNWTO, Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics, 2020.
OWHC, Community Involvement in Heritage Management, 2017.
World Tourism Organization and World Indigenous Tourism Alliance 2023
Resource 3
Resource 3
Coming
Implementation
Implementation
To ensure ‘free, prior and informed consent’ from local communities and indigenous peoples in practice, while achieving equitable distribution of economic benefits and sustainable management, the following steps can be taken:
Establish clear procedures for obtaining free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) by conducting thorough consultations with local communities and indigenous peoples' representatives before tourism projects begin. This involves transparent dialogue processes in which all relevant parties have access to full information and can influence decisions.
Develop and implement equitable economic distribution models that ensure that revenues from tourism development provide decent employment and economic diversity in the local community, for example by supporting local food production, crafts, services and small-scale entrepreneurship.
Identify risk factors for the degradation of local cultural and economic values, and implement concrete measures that regulate tourist flows, limit harmful development, protect cultural heritage and the environment, and promote local control over tourism development.
Promote broad inclusion and participation in decision-making and management processes, with a particular focus on traditional owners, minorities and marginalised groups, by strengthening gender equality and equal representation in tourism networks and governing bodies.
Implement responsible economic frameworks that balance environmental sustainability, labour rights and the protection of local culture. This may include transitioning to a circular economy, sharing economy and strategies for sustainable resource use that safeguard the interests of local communities.
Reflection questions
Reflection questions
The following reflection questions can help promote an ethical, inclusive and sustainable approach to cultural heritage and tourism management that safeguards both the rights and development opportunities of local communities and indigenous peoples:
Establishing procedures for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)
How do we ensure that consultation processes are transparent and include all relevant parties?
How can we ensure that the information provided is complete, understandable and tailored to different groups in the local community?
How do we deal with situations where there is disagreement or resistance in the decision-making process?
Fair economic distribution models
How can we develop models that ensure that revenues create lasting employment and economic diversity in the local community?
How can local food production, crafts and small-scale entrepreneurship be strengthened through tourism revenues?
How do we measure fairness in distribution, and who is responsible for ensuring it?
Identifying and managing risk factors
Which local values are most vulnerable to negative impacts from tourism?
What concrete measures can be taken to regulate tourist flows and protect cultural heritage and the environment?
How can the local population participate in developing and implementing these measures?
Promoting broad inclusion and participation
How do we ensure that traditional owners, minorities and marginalised groups are equally represented in decision-making processes?
What kind of measures can strengthen equality and equal participation in governing bodies and networks?
How do we monitor and evaluate inclusion to ensure that it is real and not just symbolic?
Inclusive economic innovation
How can we integrate principles of the circular economy and the sharing economy into local tourism management?
How can identifying and developing network-based economic infrastructure help make the local community more economically resilient?
How can economic and financial innovation be part of a “blended finance” approach that benefits both the local community and cultural heritage sites?
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