Opportunities for Future Sustainable Management

tourist services. Although management plans and protection agendas have been established to limit the number of tourists and visitor facilities within the area, there is no long-term plan for sustainable development at the site, without which the damage from increased tourism could cause irreversible damage.

4.6. Dresden Elbe Valley

In the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany, a lack of commitment of authorities to control development around the site resulted in the delisting of the World Heritage property. Inscribed in 2004, this con-tinuing cultural landscape was identified as a “crossroads of Europe in culture, science and technology”, providing extremely rich exam-ples of 16^th-20^th century parks, architecture, gardens and land-scapes (UNESCO, 2019a). It was inscribed under criteria (ii) as an important crossroads for European developments from the 18^th-19^th centuries, (iii) for the examples of court architecture depicting urban development in Europe, (iv) as an outstanding cultural landscape, and (v) as land use showing development of a Central-European city. This site showed evidence of multiple time periods ranging from a “steel bridge, the single-rail suspension cable railway (…), and the funicular railway” from the Industrial Revolution in Loschwitz, to the fortified Middle Ages city of Dresden, which includes Baroque, Rococo and late Berlin Classicism features (UNESCO, 2019a). Part of the OUV of the site was its aesthetic link to the landscape based on its impact as a source of inspiration for 18^th century artists and writers, as well as its influence on the development of Romantic landscape painting during the 19^th century (ICOMOS, 2003). In 2006, the site was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of developments to increase site access that included the planned construction of a bridge which threatened the aesthetic of the site. Despite the World Heritage Committee, ICOMOS and other heritage authorities repeatedly warning that the OUV was under serious threat, the State Party submitted a report that development would go ahead as planned. By 2009, with many visual character-istics of the site being irreversibly damaged, the site was removed from the World Heritage List.

-Community involvement: The importance of including local people and communities in site management and protection is an integral element to sustainability that has been recognised in a variety of international heritage documents (Ringbeck, 2008;

UNESCO, 2013). Guaranteeing that local communities are involved in decisions around tourism practices creates better cooperation and collaboration between the community and the tourism sector, which is critical to sustaining a community’s resources in connection with cultural tourism (Leslie and Sigala, 2005). Local individuals and groups should not only be involved in management, conservation and monitoring at site-level, but they should also be recognised for their intrinsic, and often intangible connection to the area. This directly relates to the concept of authenticity, where the site’s value is considered to be credible and truthful, and where ‘real’ and unique cultural

experiences are provided, even with increasing numbers of tourists in these areas (Timothy and Boyd, 2003). Local communities and their interaction with sites are important for sustainability because “at its heart sustainable cultural tourism recognizes the value of cultural diversity, and needs to provide local cultures with a forum in which they can participate in decisions that affect the future of their culture” (Robinson, 1999, p. 23). Richards (2013) proposes the concept of ‘creative tourism’ as a niche cultural tourism market based on ‘traditional’

experiences provided by local people. This could involve traditional crafts, skills, events or unique experiences that are important to the area and, by association, are desired by the cultural tourist. The recognition of the skills and traditions of local groups allows local individuals and communities to be at the centre of the tourism industry and economy in their society, with the idea that “individuals who possess unique creative skills are placed in a new position of power as the purveyors of knowledge and the teachers of skills” (Richards, 2013, p. 14).

-Inclusion of all stakeholders: An important concept in ensuring the creation of sustainable management practices is the inclusion of all relevant stakeholders at the site. This includes cooperation between local communities and authorities in terms of legislation and laws, regulations, and frameworks for

protection of the site. Guidelines for sustainability in heritage and tourism should be integrated in planning at all levels, and should include representatives from local, regional, national and

International organisations such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, IUCN, ICCROM, ICOM, the World Heritage Committee and Blue Shield recognize the threats created by increasing tourism and have been working to mitigate harm done to the World Heritage sites.

Tourists as stakeholders in World Heritage are also an important consideration, as a high level of satisfaction for tourists is

necessary for increased awareness of site issues and

enhancement of sustainable tourism practices (UNWTO, 2005).

-Continued monitoring and proactive management of the site:

Monitoring systems are necessary to ensure a continuing review of management plans as a result of adaptations and changes from cultural tourism. Monitoring can include a review of

available resources, funding and finances at the site, the number of employees and stakeholders, marketing and site promotion, tourism statistics and numbers, and the implementation of

management plans. For tourism specifically, monitoring relates to site access, being the extent to which visitors are allowed into the site and the level of contact between tourists and local communities (Timothy and Boyd, 2003). This directly affects the site’s carrying capacity and the limits of acceptable change for the site which include physical, social, economic, environmental and political elements. This can sometimes be managed through control of visitor flow and traffic and limiting visitor access to protect the site’s tangible and intangible elements (Timothy and Boyd, 2003).

-Holistic management: The implementation of holistic

management and mechanisms at World Heritage sites is also important to ensure sustainable use. A holistic approach includes a full appreciation and acknowledgement of all natural, cultural and social values, and also considers the different tangible and intangible elements at site-level. In connection to this holistic management, the continuing use and responsible development of sites, as shown in the examples above, are important

elements for consideration. These sites are not static structures without human interference, but instead are dynamic and evolving areas which are constantly changing, and which

continue to be used as living and working spaces by local people (UNESCO, 2013).

-Increased education and promotion: Recent trends in cultural tourism have been linked to a desire for educational experiences while travelling (Petroman et al, 2013), as well as a desire to learn from ‘authentic’ sources of knowledge. This requires

increased programs and facilities such as interpretation centres and audio/visual tours at sites as tools for the education of tourists. Opportunities for marketing and promotion, as well as branding goods and services from a World Heritage Site, are additional means of reaching a larger population of cultural tourists, while continuing to maintain and promote sustainable practices on-site.