Building Bridges between Heritage Values and Tourism Management: Persuing Sustainable Outcomes in Amsterdam

Nowadays, tourism has grown into one of the largest industries worldwide being one of the major sources for income and jobs. There is barely a place left untouched by its forces and with the prospects of increasing wealth, free time, and accessibility of travelling opportu-nities, predictions for the future tell us that the visitor economy will remain to grow in the coming years as well. Although it brings many opportunities for destinations, it also comes with its fair share of challenges. Discussions regarding tourism are on the rise, as negative effects from tourism are experienced more often. Heritage forms an integral part within this debate since it is a major pull effect for tourists to travel to a destination in the first place. Assuming that heritage does not possess any intrinsic qualities, but is constructed by the use and experience of heritage by people, this means that tourism has the force to transform heritage as well, as tourism is a specific way in which heritage...Show moreNowadays, tourism has grown into one of the largest industries worldwide being one of the major sources for income and jobs. There is barely a place left untouched by its forces and with the prospects of increasing wealth, free time, and accessibility of travelling opportu-nities, predictions for the future tell us that the visitor economy will remain to grow in the coming years as well. Although it brings many opportunities for destinations, it also comes with its fair share of challenges. Discussions regarding tourism are on the rise, as negative effects from tourism are experienced more often. Heritage forms an integral part within this debate since it is a major pull effect for tourists to travel to a destination in the first place. Assuming that heritage does not possess any intrinsic qualities, but is constructed by the use and experience of heritage by people, this means that tourism has the force to transform heritage as well, as tourism is a specific way in which heritage is experienced and interacted with. At the root of these experiences and practices, stands a given heritage discourse and the value system that constructs it. It is, therefore, necessary to examine how the discourse of heritage is constructed, how this causes how people interact with heritage via tourism, and what this tells us how people value heritage in a given context.Because of the discrepancies that tourism creates, I examine possible solutions for these issues by using a sustainability lens, and to evaluate if a sustainable approach can contribute to a healthier tourism management. In addition, I explore how heritage discourse plays into this process, and how it can contribute to sustainable outcomes, both in tourism and heritage management. With this premise in mind, I have taken Amsterdam as case study, as it is one of the major contemporary tourist destinations in the world in which discussions regarding tourism have taken a prominent position in the public discourse. I have looked at a top-down approach, put out by the municipality of Amsterdam named Stad in Balans, in which they have formulated their management strategy for tourism for the coming years. In addition, I have studied a bottom-up initiative called The Untourist Guide to Amsterdam, which is a recently founded movement inspired by practices of crea-tive tourism. By looking at both models, an overview will be given on how sustainability can play a part in tourism and its interaction with heritage, and how the discourse of herit-age can add to the sustainability in how it favors certain values and excludes others.Show less

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Building Bridges between Heritage Values and Tourism Management: Persuing Sustainable Outcomes in Amsterdam