News and Events

With the creation in 1972 of the UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO World Heritage Centre), great attention has been paid to cultural and natural heritage all over the world, leading to a rise in awareness and concern for preserving heritage for future generations. The World Heritage Convention defines heritage as “our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations”.

The World Heritage Convention, while acknowledging the responsibility of each respective country to manage their own WHSs, also emphasizes the concept of universality, meaning that this heritage belongs to the international community independently of the territory where it is located. This concept goes then beyond political and geographic boundaries of nation-states: it reflects the wish to create a worldwide common heritage. One of the major issues for site managers is the accomplishment of the delicate balance between visits and heritage conservation in order to preserve the World Heritage for future generations while providing access to visitors. While sustainability may be considered from many different perspectives, here it is stressed that tourism should not at any circumstances damage the protected heritage and its conservation.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are closely connected with the above-listed goals: (i) they support information, communication and interchanges at the global level – well beyond national borders – hence contributing to the building of a world common heritage; (ii) they are of the utmost importance in order to document, map and preserve both natural and cultural heritage; (iii) they can play a major role to develop and promote sustainable tourism, both in developed as well as in developing and emerging areas.