Cultural Heritage Tourism in Spain: Benefits, Demands, and Preservation

Cultural Heritage Tourism in Spain: Attractions and Management

In Spain, the main attraction of heritage tourism consists of historic cities, especially those that have been declared a World Heritage Site. In an important second place are great museums like the Reina Sofía in Madrid, IVAM in Valencia, or the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

The ideal formula for the economy is often considered "many people, a short time." Conversely, the ideal for Cultural Heritage preservation is "few people, long time." What is the ideal for those truly interested in this movement? The logical answer lies somewhere in between, where adjectives are not important: the proper quantity of people for the necessary amount of time.

Positive Aspects of Cultural Heritage Tourism

• Benefits for Visitors

  These benefits are primarily educational in nature and, as mentioned, depend on two sets of factors:

  • Internal Factors: The person’s education, their desire to learn or increase their knowledge, and their attraction to different cultures or cultural events.
  • External Factors: The level of site presentation, the languages used, signage, and teaching resources in general, including the consistency and clarity of the exhibition discourse.

• Benefits for Cultural Heritage Assets

  Having been selected to be 'tourism products,' these assets must receive special treatment. The benefits to the property itself should also include economic support for maintenance and preservation.

• Benefits for Local Communities

  For those who live within or in the vicinity of cultural heritage assets open to tourism, benefits are primarily economic, such as:

  • Creation of jobs directly and indirectly related to the site.
  • Development of area services (hotels, rural accommodations, restaurants, etc.).
  • Implementation of specific commercial enterprises, such as sales of souvenirs or reproductions.

Public Demands in Cultural Heritage Tourism

What does the public ask for in cultural heritage tourism? The first answer is authenticity.

Authenticity: A Fundamental Criterion

According to García Canclini (1999, p. 29), authenticity is a criterion judged to be fundamental. It is claimed in guides and posters (signs) and forms part of the political rationale for Cultural Heritage management.

Exoticism and Historical Typicality

Furthermore, in the words of Valcuende del Río (2003, p. 100), "The increasing diversification of tourism and cheaper supply in 'exotic' countries obliges tourist destinations such as Spain to recreate their own exoticism."

Another key demand is historical typicality—being typical of a certain period (of the past, of course)—where the item is no longer manufactured and even the manufacturing system has been forgotten, both in terms of techniques and materials.