4.6 Article

Tourism and Cultural Sustainability: Views and Prospects from Cyclades, Greece

Journal

SUSTAINABILITY
Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/su14010307

Keywords

tourism; culture; cultural sustainability; cultural tourism; Cyclades; Greece

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This paper explores the perceptions, practices, concerns, and prospects of cultural tourism among local residents, tourists, and business representatives in the Cycladic Islands. The study finds that culture is recognized as a tourism attraction and there is potential for further growth in cultural tourism and local development. However, there are concerns and ambivalence regarding the role of tourism in cultural development and management. Overall, culture and tourism are viewed as positively interlinked and holding great potential for local cultural and overall sustainability.
The objective of this paper is to explore cultural tourism perceptions, practices, concerns and prospects among local residents, tourists and business representatives in the Cycladic Islands, specifically three sites (Andros, Syros and Santorini). The concept and framework of cultural sustainability are employed to analyze the variable interrelationships between culture and tourism in the development of cultural tourism and in overall local sustainability, from a bottom-up/destination perspective. The methodological approach was an on-site exploratory questionnaire survey, effectuated in the context of the SPOT Horizon 2020 EU project, on cultural tourism in the Cyclades. Our findings show that the role of culture as an actual tourism attraction and the potential for further growth in cultural tourism, and consequently local development, are broadly recognized. However, the role of tourism in cultural development, management and appropriation is viewed with a certain degree of trepidation and ambivalence. Culture and tourism emerge from the results of this research study as positively interlinked in the minds of the locals, the visitors and the entrepreneurs involved in cultural tourism and tourism more generally. Despite the fact that it is mostly privately driven, the culture-tourism relationship is viewed as holding great potential for all sides involved and for local cultural and overall sustainability.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available