ICOMOS International Charter for Cultural Heritage Tourism (2022): A Guidebook

  

 

ICOMOS International Charter for Cultural Heritage Tourism (2022): A Guidebook[1]

 

Preamble 

Imagine a super popular museum getting worn down because too many people visit. That's a concern for cultural heritage sites around the world. To address this, a group called ICOMOS updated their guidebook for responsible cultural tourism.

The new guide, released in 2021, focuses on two main goals: protecting historical places and helping the communities that live near them. It recognizes that tourism can be both good and bad, and it aims to make sure it's mostly good.

This updated guide also considers the rights of people who live near these sites, and the impact tourism has on the environment. It encourages a type of tourism that benefits everyone involved, while still allowing people to experience amazing historical places.

The objectives of this Charter are: 

This guide is like a rulebook for responsible cultural tourism. It has three main goals:

1. Protect historical places and local communities: This means making sure tourism doesn't damage historical sites and helps the people who live nearby.
2. Work together for the best results: Everyone involved in tourism, from governments to visitors, should work together to make it a positive experience.
3. Support a healthy planet: Tourism shouldn't hurt the environment.

 

Who is this Charter for?  

Anyone who cares about cultural tourism can use this guide! This includes people who work in tourism like tour operators, museum staff, and government officials. Students, teachers, and even tourists themselves can benefit from this guide to make travel more responsible.

 

 

 

Background 

Cultural destinations around the world are booming with tourists! This is great for raising awareness of these amazing places, but it can also bring problems.

Here's why:

• Too many visitors: Sometimes, there are just too many tourists, which can damage historical sites and overwhelm local communities.
• Unequal benefits: Tourism doesn't always benefit everyone equally. Local people might struggle to afford housing or see their traditions become commercialized.
• Environmental impact: Lots of tourists can also hurt the environment.

This new guide aims to address these issues. It encourages a new kind of cultural tourism that's:

• Sustainable: Protects historical places and the environment.
• Responsible: Benefits local communities and respects their traditions.
• Fair: Shares the benefits of tourism with everyone involved.

This guide is for everyone who cares about cultural tourism, from government officials to tourists themselves. By working together, we can make sure cultural tourism is a positive experience for everyone.

 

The Principles of the Charter  

Imagine a rulebook for visiting historical places in a way that protects them and helps the local people. That's what the principles of this cultural tourism guide are like! Here are the 7 key rules:

1. Protect the Past: Always put protecting historical places first when planning tourism.
2. Manage Crowds: Make sure there aren't too many visitors at once, to avoid damaging sites.
3. Bring History to Life: Make learning about history fun and interesting for visitors.
4. Respect Local People: Include local communities in decisions and ensure they benefit from tourism.
5. Work Together: Everyone involved in tourism, from businesses to tourists, should cooperate.
6. Prepare for Change: Help communities adapt to tourism and protect themselves from challenges.
7. Protect the Planet: Be mindful of the environment and take steps to reduce tourism's impact.

By following these rules, we can all experience amazing historical places while making sure they're around for future generations.

Principle 1: Place cultural heritage protection and conservation at the centre of responsible cultural tourism planning and management 

Imagine a guidebook that helps us enjoy historical places while protecting them. That's what Principle 1 of this cultural tourism guide is all about! Here's the key idea:

Tourism shouldn't hurt historical places or the communities that live near them.

Here's how this principle works:

• Planning is Key: Communities and governments need to work together to make plans for managing tourists at historical sites. These plans consider how many visitors a place can handle without damage.
• Respect the Culture: Tourism should respect the traditions and way of life of local communities.
• Money for Good: Income from tourism should be used to maintain historical places and benefit the local people.
• Think Big: Everyone involved in tourism, from governments to visitors, needs to work together to make it a positive experience.

By following these steps, we can all enjoy amazing historical places while making sure they're around for future generations, and that the people who live there benefit too.

 

 

 

Principle 2: Manage tourism at cultural heritage places  through management plans informed by monitoring,  carrying capacity and other planning instruments 

Imagine a historical site that gets too many visitors. This guide is like a traffic light for tourists, to avoid overcrowding and damage. Here's how it works:

• Counting Visitors: People need to track how many tourists visit historical places.
• Limits for Good: Each place can handle a certain number of visitors without being hurt. This is called "carrying capacity."
• Different Limits: There are different types of carrying capacity, like how many people a fragile building can hold, or how many visitors a local community can comfortably handle.
• Working Together: Everyone involved in tourism, from governments to local communities, needs to work together to decide how many visitors are okay.

By following these steps, we can make sure historical places aren't overrun with tourists, and that everyone has a good experience.

 

Principle 3: Enhance public awareness and visitor experience through sensitive interpretation and presentation of cultural heritage

This principle is all about making historical places interesting and understandable for visitors. Here's the plan:

• Tell the Story: Historical sites should be explained in a way that's fun and engaging, using different methods like exhibits or even technology.
• Be Respectful: The explanations should be accurate and honor the history of the place.
• Everyone Included: These explanations should be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.
• Local Voices: The people who live near historical places should have a chance to share their stories too.

By making history come alive, this principle helps visitors appreciate historical places even more.

 

 

 

Principle 4: Recognize and reinforce the rights of communities, Indigenous Peoples and traditional owners by including access and engagement in participatory governance of the cultural and natural heritage commons used in tourism  

This principle is about making sure local communities benefit from tourism, not just tourists and businesses. Here's what it means:

• Local Voices Matter: People who live near historical places should have a say in how tourism is managed.
• Fairness First: The economic benefits of tourism should be shared with local communities, creating jobs and opportunities.
• Respect Traditions: Tourism should respect the culture and traditions of local people.
• Everyone Included: Everyone in the community should have a chance to benefit from tourism, including women and minorities.

By following this principle, we can make sure historical places are a positive force for the communities around them.

 

 

 

Principle 5: Raise awareness and reinforce cooperation for cultural heritage conservation among all stakeholders involved in tourism 

Imagine historical places as treasures we all share. This principle is about everyone working together to protect them. Here's how:

• Spread the Word: Everyone involved in tourism, from tourists to businesses, needs to understand how important it is to protect historical places.
• Respect the Place: Tourists should be aware of how their actions can affect historical places and how they can help preserve them.
• Learn and Share: People who manage historical places and those who work in tourism should learn from each other to improve how they care for these treasures.
• Work Together: Everyone involved in tourism should work as a team to make sure historical places are around for future generations.

By following this principle, we can all be part of the solution and ensure historical places stay amazing for everyone to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Principle 6: Increase the resilience of communities and  cultural heritage through capacity development, risk  assessment, strategic planning and adaptive  management  

This principle is about making sure historical places and the communities around them are prepared for challenges. Here's the plan:

• Think Ahead: People who manage historical places need to consider what problems might happen in the future, like climate change or natural disasters.
• Learning New Skills: Communities and those who care for historical places need to learn new ways to protect them from these challenges.
• Working Together: Everyone involved in tourism needs to work as a team to come up with a plan to face these challenges.
• Respecting Traditions: Traditional knowledge from local communities can be helpful in finding solutions.

By following this principle, we can make sure historical places are strong and can handle whatever comes their way.

 

 

 

Principle 7: Integrate climate action and sustainability measures in the management of cultural tourism and  cultural heritage 

This principle tackles climate change, a big problem for everyone, including historical places. Here's the plan:

• Reduce Pollution: Tourism shouldn't hurt the environment. This means using less energy and creating less trash.
• Be Smart About Travel: Transportation for tourism should be chosen to reduce pollution, like using bikes or public transportation.
• Learn and Share: Everyone involved in tourism needs to understand climate change and how to protect historical places from it.
• Respect Traditions: Traditional knowledge from local communities can be helpful in finding solutions.

By following this principle, we can make sure historical places survive and thrive alongside a healthy planet.

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The original through a task force composed of the following  members: Celia Martínez (Coordinator), Fergus Maclaren (President),  Cecilie Smith-Christensen, Margaret Gowen, Jim Donovan, Ian Kelly,  Sue Millar, Sofía Fonseca, Tomeu Deyá, Ananya Bhattacharya and  Carlos Alberto Hiriart.

 

 

 

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[1] [Imagine a guidebook for tourists who want to experience amazing historical places while also protecting them. That's what the ICOMOS International Charter for Cultural Heritage Tourism is all about. It was created in November 2022 by a group called ICOMOS to help people enjoy cultural heritage responsibly.

This guide encourages tourism that benefits both visitors and the local communities who live near historical sites. It wants to make sure these places are preserved for future generations, while also ensuring tourism helps, not hurts, the people who live there.}