Cultural heritage management - cultural industries and tourism development

Specific Foundation

•to understand the importance and dynamics of cultural resources in tourism and local sustainable development • to get in touch with the principles and methodology of cultural resources management • to develop the conditions for creative participation in the strategic planning and design of tourist destinations and innovative tourist products • to have the precocities to participate in cultural heritage management bodies with the aim of tourism sustainable development • to be competent to manage synergies between different cultural expressions for the benefit of innovation, sustainable tourism and sustainable local development • to be proficient to contribute to the creation of the cultural identity of a place, the branding and marketing of its touristic appeal. • to develop skills to participate in issues of planning, design and management of tourism and creative industries.

The cultural resources are the main factor of the tourist interest for a place, its tourist interest and its well-being. Their exploitation is the necessary condition for any development. But unfortunately this exploitation often leads to their exhaustion, degradation, destruction and disappearance and abolishes the terms and conditions of any type of sustainable development. The cultural heritage management course deals with this sensitive and vital issue, which refers to two sectors: on the one hand the protection of the cultural resources and on the other, their promotion and communication with today’s society. As cultural heritage is declared a social right and the non-destructive exploitation of its resources concerns the international community, their management obeys international conventions, maps and rules that try to protect them from irresponsible handling, guarantee their sustainability and make them accessible to anyone. These rules define the current institutional framework for the management of cultural resources and reflect society's attitude towards culture. The course deals with the presentation of international theoretical positions and attitudes for the protection and promotion of cultural resources, which formed the contemporary specifications and the relevant institutional framework for their management, with the understanding and interpretation of this framework as well as with the methodology of its implementation . This knowledge is the necessary condition for the planning and designing of a tourist destination, as the cultural resources shape its spatial identity, i.e. the driving force of its tourist traffic. As cultural resources are insufficient but inexhaustible, the knowledge for their management is an occasion and a basis for designing innovative tourism products that can contribute to sustainable tourism and local development. It is also a condition for strengthening local identity, the comparative advantages of a place, synergies between local cultural expressions, it is a condition for planning cultural routes, development of tourist and creative industries. The course presents the principles of the theory of material culture, the principles and goals of monument protection and the multi-meaningful intertwinings that govern it, analyses the conditions for the sustainability of cultural resources and safeguarding their attractiveness, communication ability and tourist dynamics, as well as the their contribution to the creation of local identity, branding and marketing of a place. The management of cultural resources is also presented not only through the currently applicable institutional framework but also through institutions and important tourist poles such as museums, or through the highlighting of monumental ensembles, traditional settlements and cultural routes. Finally, issues of dissemination and promotion of cultural resources through the tourist industries and creative employment are presented.

management of cultural heritage, cultural resources, planning and designing of innovative tourist products and places, cultural industries

09-01-2025