Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Socio-economic Development - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 241

development, but some of the most common indicators relate directly to resi-
dent quality of life, including community solidarity and cultural identity.
Heritage tourism has been shown to improve social indicators such as these
at different times and in various settings (Girard & Nijkamp, 2009;
Kaltenborn et al. , 2013; see Chapter 7).
The provision of cultural heritage for tourist consumption simultane-
ously affords destination residents increased recreational and tourism oppor-
tunities, and a chance to understand their own heritage better (McKercher &
Ho, 2012; Phillips & Budruk, 2011). Heritage tourism is a prevailing force in
fostering and reinforcing national and regional identities because it may pre-
serve elements of the past that might have been on the verge of disappearing,
but ideally it also embodies what citizens see as their most important and
representative stories, places and events.
Living culture and built heritage are instrumental tools for developing
social solidarity within a region or country. Common struggles to survive
oppressive outside control or environmental vagaries are expressed in national
narratives, literary and artistic representations, cultural landscapes and built
environments. Cultural heritage and its tourist uses form the cultural core
for many diasporic and other migrant communities, who utilize language,
cuisine, music, dance and architecture to maintain a sense of identity in an
adopted country (Holtzman, 2006; Kaftanoglu & Timothy, 2013). In most
societies heritage helps build solidarity, community esteem and common
purpose, especially when it is shared by its owners with visitors (Timothy &
Ron, 2013). Increased opportunities for residents to experience their own
cultural heritage result in a sense of security and familiarity, and will result
in more widespread support for it and reinforce collective values (Ashworth
& Tunbridge, 2012; Phillips & Budruk, 2011).
Emerging Trends
There are a number of emerging research trends in heritage tourism that
have salient implications for social and economic development. A few of
these are the scaling of the past, valuing intangible patrimony, the democra-
tization of heritage, the heritage of religious tourism and heritage trails.
Heritage scales and branding
During the past quarter of a century, heritage has undergone a scaling
process that has redefined how it is viewed and utilized as a tourism resource.
Heritage may be understood at various scales, which have significant impli-
cations for marketing and management (Timothy, 1997). The most basic
level is personal or familial heritage. At this scale, heritage is a very intimate
part of an individual's own past. It encompasses places, events and people