A Study of Sustainable Management for Tourism Utilization of Cultural Heritage

“Shirakawa-go”, selected as one of “Top 100 Destinations” in the world, as a case study

Abstract

“Shirakawa-go”, Gifu Prefecture, was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1995 in recognition of its unique architecture and lifestyle. The resulting flood of tourists caused traffic congestion and other problems, and the sustainability of the region became an issue. As a result of various efforts led by the local government and the residents' association, the area was selected as one of the 100 most sustainable tourist destinations in the world in 2020 by the GSTC, based on its recognition of the balance of residents' lives and the contribution of tourism to the sustainability of the area. This paper considers each group of initiatives, which are measures against tourism pollution, as a “program,” and applies the P2M framework to analyze the key management requirements that led to the region being evaluated as sustainable with its stakeholders and complex challenges, and to identify the success factors.