International Cultural Tourism Charter: Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance (1999)

2016-02-19 denggang Collections, ORCP 0

ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter – Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance, adopted by ICOMOS General Assembly, Mexico, 1999, identifies the mission and focus of ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee.

Preface: The International Cultural Tourism Charter: Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance was adopted by the ICOMOS 12th General Assembly, Mexico, October, 1999.

Tourism can widely contribute to the wealth of a country in promoting its cultural heritage. Unfortunately, it can also endanger it, especially in the more vulnerable regions.

The charter comprises six principles and introductory paragraphs on the dynamic interaction between tourism and cultural heritage and the ethos and objectives of the charter. The objectives of this charter are to promote and manage tourism in ways that respect and enhance the heritage and living cultures of the host communities, and to encourage a dialogue between conservation interests and the tourism industry. It outlines six principles of cultural tourism:

  • conservation should provide well-managed opportunities for tourists and members of the host community to experience and understand the local heritage and culture at first hand;
  • the relationship between heritage places and tourism is dynamic and should be managed in a sustainable way for present and future generations;
  • conservation and tourism planning should create a visitor experience that is enjoyable, respectful, and educational;
  • host communities and indigenous people should be involved in planning for conservation and tourism;
  • tourism and conservation activities should benefit the host community, improving development and encouraging local employment;
  • tourism programs should protect and enhance natural and cultural heritage characteristics.

Based upon the principle that all cultural and natural heritage belongs to all mankind and therefore all of us have rights and duties in what concerns its understanding and protection, the international charter on cultural tourism reflects on the need, in a globalization era, to transmit and respect the values that constitute the identity of a community.

The cultural tourism, an increasingly complex phenomenon, is a privileged media for cultural spreading, representing the economic return of the investment done in cultural heritage, contributing to its continuous preservation and valuation, but the other side of this activity is the massive flows of people or it’s inexistence, that can threat the integrity and accelerate the degradation of cultural heritage. The balance between the different principles that rule an economic activity and the principles undertaken in heritage preservation must be a team work between the community and experts of the several areas.

The charter details it Objectives, introducing its role to facilitate and encourage those involved with heritage conservation and management to make the significance of that heritage accessible to the host community and visitors.

Likewise it encourages and details a set of activities that can contribute to improve the management and conservation conditions of cultural heritage.

Category
Charter
Date

1999

Promulgation

The 12th ICOMOS  General Assembly, Mexico, October, 1999.

Descriptions

  • The objectives of this charter are to promote and manage tourism in ways that respect and enhance the heritage and living cultures of the host communities, and to encourage a dialogue between conservation interests and the tourism industry.
  • It outlines six principles of cultural tourism: conservation should provide well-managed opportunities for tourists and members of the host community to experience and understand the local heritage and culture at first hand; the relationship between heritage places and tourism is dynamic and should be managed in a sustainable way for present and future generations; conservation and tourism planning should create a visitor experience that is enjoyable, respectful, and educational; host communities and indigenous people should be involved in planning for conservation and tourism; tourism and conservation activities should benefit the host community, improving development and encouraging local employment; tourism programs should protect and enhance natural and cultural heritage characteristics.

Source

http://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/image-menu-about-icomos/179-articles-en-francais/ressources/charters-and-standards/162-international-cultural-tourism-charter

Download

http://www.international.icomos.org/charters/tourism_e.pdf

References

Intellectual Property

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