Course description
Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors worldwide and its impact on cultural heritages sites is significant.
The management of cultural heritage in tourism contexts requires a careful balance between safeguarding cultural assets and fostering sustainable development. As destinations face growing pressures from globalization, mass tourism, and climate change, professionals must be equipped with the knowledge and tools to protect cultural heritage while ensuring that tourism contributes positively to local communities and economies.
This course emphasizes the integration of sustainable tourism principles with cultural heritage management, highlighting the need for responsible planning, stakeholder engagement, and innovative strategies. Students will explore the tensions between conservation and commercialization, as well as opportunities for creating authentic visitor experiences that respect cultural identity and enhance social well-being. By bridging theory and practice, students will analyze case studies ok tourist destinations of key international relevance (e.g., UNESCO World Heritage Sites) and their management challenges.
The course will combine an initial part dedicated on the main theoretical and operational frameworks of Tourism Management in Cultural Heritage destinations. The central part of the course is designed to provide students with a series of case studies of international relevance (in particular, UNESCO designated sites) which will be analyzed using the most advanced international frameworks (e.g. the World Heritage Sustainable Tourism Strategy). Each of them will be illustrated with the help of international experts and analyzed from a critical point of view, considering alternative solutions and their respective relevance for the local economies.
The final part will guide students to work in groups, each of them focused on a different concrete case to be chosen by them.

Structure of the course
The course is structured in modules, dedicated to (a) theoretical introduction and (b) specific case to be analyzed.
After a general introduction on the main principles of Cultural Tourism and Destination Management (module I), a central part of the course (module II) is dedicated to the analyses specific case studies from different parts of the world, namely: (1) the UNESCO World Natural Heritage of the Dolomites (Italy) and its sustainable tourism challenges; (2) the Mount Moroto (Karamoja) pilot project for a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and its community based tourism strategy; (3) the case of Saline di Sicilia and the development of its eco-tourism within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve candidacy; (4) the Cultural Landscape of Battir (Palestine) and the connections with the Holy Land tourism industry.

Co-curricular activities: A visit to Dolomiti World Heritage Natural Sites and Colli Euganei Biosphere Reserve will be part of the course program.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Understand Key Concepts & Frameworks (e.g. identify key international agreements and policies influencing sustainable tourism (e.g., UNWTO, Paris Agreement, SDGs)

2. Analyze Stakeholder Roles & Policy Impact (e.g. evaluate the roles of governments, NGOs, private sectors, and local communities in shaping sustainable tourism policies)

3. Address Environmental & Socio-Cultural Challenges (e.g. design initiatives for cultural heritage preservation and responsible visitor management).

   • Innovate for the Future of Sustainable Tourism (e.g. explore digital transformation and technological advancements in sustainable tourism (e.g., smart tourism, AI, blockchain).

    

Evaluation

Class participation – Overall class participation, in terms of both attendance and interaction, will count for 10% of the final grade 20% will be given by the tests which will be assigned at the end of each session.
Midterm assignments will be given on individual basis – 30% of the final grade.
Final project – There will be a group project to develop, to present in a written group report and through an oral presentation in class – 40% of the final grade.

Suggested bibliography

• Heritage Tourism, Dallen J. Timothy and Stephen W. Boyd (2003). Pearson Education Limited

• The Global Report on Sustainable Tourism – UNWTO (Latest edition)

• Paris Agreement (2015) – UNFCCC

• Sustainable Tourism: Principles, Contexts and Practices – David Weaver & Laura Lawton (2021)

• Tourism and the Green Economy – UNWTO & UNEP (2012)

• Environmental Diplomacy: Negotiating More Effective Global Agreements – Lawrence E. Susskind & Saleem H. Ali (2015)

Last updated: April 2, 2026