Crossing the Cultural Divide: Western Visitors and Interpretation at Ayutthaya World Heritage Site, Thailand

Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism in Córdoba, Spain

“…With this it seeks, moreover, its sustainability. In this way, and according to Saipradist and Staiff [1], the World Heritage lists reinforce the identification, preservation and transmission towards future generations of extraordinary places and monuments from the perspective of history and of art.…”

“…On the other hand, and according to Timothy and Boyd [17], the analysis of heritage tourism can be done through two different channels: first, the simple presence of the visitors in sites where the heritage is found, that is, the visit to certain destinations where the tourists find that the heritage is not part of their own history or culture and they are positioned as a mere visitor [1], which implies that it is necessary to consider the transcultural context of the heritage sites [1]; second, the perceptions that the visitors feel in these places, which means, according to the contributions of Poria et al [10], that a visitor in a certain heritage site not only seeks a recreational experience but rather, on occasion and for certain tourists, he seeks part of his own roots in the visit to these historical sites. In short, and in both channels, it is necessary to reinforce the understanding of the WHS and clarify the cross-cultural attitudes towards the designation [10], especially when it deals with international tourists [24].…”

“…In the studies conducted to define the sociodemographic profile of the tourists, the different authors coincide in that they have high education, the majority with university studies [1,6,11]. Likewise, this type of tourists expresses significant satisfaction with respect to the visited sites [2], satisfaction related basically with three groups of variables existing at the destination: novelty, knowledge and facilities [6], variables that allow orienting and reinforcing the different tourism management policies.…”

Tourist motivations in a heritage destination in Spain

“…The inscription of a specific place or an intangible element in these lists involves the consideration of outstanding universal value and, at the same time, this registration allows us to understand that all the people in the world are owners of (and responsible for) that place or of that intangible cultural heritage. Thus, according to Saipradist and Staiff (2007), the World Heritage Listing ensures the identification, conservation, presentation, and transmission of places or monuments to the future generations that have outstanding universal value from the perspective of history, art, science, aesthetics, and conservation.…”

“…In this regard, in certain destinations, tourists find that heritage is not part of their own history or culture and they find themselves like a film viewer (Saipradist & Staiff, 2007), which implies that it is necessary to consider the context of cross-cultural visitation at heritage sites (Saipradist & Staiff, 2007). Ultimately, strengthening the understanding of the WHS and clarifying the cross-cultural attitudes toward the designation (Poria et al, 2013), especially when it comes to international tourists (Tucker & Carnegie, 2014).…”