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Raise awareness and reinforce cooperation for cultural heritage conservation among all stakeholders involved in tourism
Cultural heritage is a significant resource for tourism and plays a major role in the attraction of travel, but its fragility and conservation requirements are insufficiently recognized. Awareness and understanding of long-term protection and conservation requirements of heritage places is necessary in tourism planning and management.
Cross sectoral collaboration, learning and capacity development need to be encouraged and implemented in order to increase engagement, understanding and participation around cultural heritage and tourism planning.
The limitations and/or vulnerabilities of heritage need to inform and shape tourism decision making and communication. Tourists and visitors should not be considered passive observers or simply consumers; they are active participants who should be made aware of their responsibility to behave respectfully and the ways in which they can contribute towards heritage protection and local sustainability.
Cultural tourism cannot be considered an economic activity detached from the place where it occurs. Visitor activities and services must be part of and compatible with everyday life and social activity, contributing to a sustained local sense of place and pride. Cultural and tourism products and services including events and festivals have to be consistent with the identity of places and their communities. To achieve a more cooperative framework in heritage conservation and tourism development, heritage administrators need to develop their knowledge and awareness of tourism sustainability principles and dynamics. Tourism professionals and practitioners must be trained on heritage protection and administration. Heritage managers, public tourism managers, private tourism operators, entrepreneurs and people involved in cultural and creative industries need to generate and/or maintain formal and informal networks for communication and collaboration.
Participatory governance through shared ownership and stewardship of cultural and natural heritage allows for new perspectives and collaborative efforts in the reorientation of practice, and it can therefore lead towards new and more resilient pathways for sustainable development.
Case 1
Case 1
Coming
Case 2
Case 2
Coming
Case 3
Case 3
Coming
Webinar on principle 5
Webinar on principle 5
Recording of webinar on principle 4 & 5 organised 27 May 2026
Organised in collaboration with ICOMOS Africa.
Resources
Resources
Implementation
Implementation
To raise awareness of the vulnerability of cultural heritage and the need for long-term preservation, as well as to promote cross-sectoral cooperation, the following steps can be taken:
Develop training and competence programmes for all actors in the tourism industry, including guide services, accommodation providers and transport operators, with a focus on vulnerability and cultural heritage preservation requirements. Use workshops, seminars and digital learning platforms.
Establish formal cooperation structures and networks across sectors such as culture, tourism, planning and the environment to share knowledge, build common understanding and coordinate sustainable destination development. Prioritise regular meetings and joint projects.
Develop information campaigns and materials aimed at visitors to raise awareness of their responsibility for respectful behaviour and cultural heritage preservation, including the use of signage, digital channels and meetings with local residents.
Support the development of culture-based products and services from local communities that preserve and promote local identity and pride, while also providing economic opportunities for local businesses.
Promote shared ownership and participatory governance by including local actors in decision-making processes, for example through cooperatives, neighbourhood associations or interest groups, to ensure innovation and long-term development based on local roots.
Reflection questions
Reflection questions
The following reflection questions can help to specify measures to strengthen awareness, sustainability and cooperation across sectors in the tourism industry, in line with national strategies and principles for responsible cultural tourism:
Training and competence programmes
How can we design training that effectively communicates the vulnerability of cultural heritage to all tourism stakeholders?
What methods and learning platforms are most appropriate for reaching different stakeholder groups, including digital tools?
How can training help to integrate cultural heritage preservation as a natural part of tourism operations?
Cooperation structures and networks across sectors
How can we ensure that cooperation structures are inclusive and that different sectors share knowledge and responsibility?
In what ways can regular meetings and joint projects strengthen the coordination of sustainable destination development?
How can the impact of cross-sectoral cooperation be monitored and evaluated in practice?
Information campaigns and materials for visitors
How can messages and channels be designed to make visitors aware of their responsibility for cultural heritage preservation?
What forms of communication – such as signage, digital media or local meetings – are most effective in different contexts?
How can the local population be involved in communication to strengthen credibility and authenticity?
Support for culture-based products and services
How can product development help to communicate local identity while creating economic opportunities?
In what ways can local actors be supported in developing sustainable culture-based industries?
How can commercialisation be balanced with the preservation of authenticity and cultural pride?
Promoting shared ownership and participatory governance
How can we ensure that local actors have real influence in decision-making processes related to tourism and cultural heritage?
Which models for participation, such as cooperatives or interest organisations, are most appropriate in different contexts?
How can innovation and long-term development based on local roots be stimulated and maintained?
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