Abstract
This study examines possibilities of geographical approach for the sustainable development of tourism in World Heritage sites. In 1978, UNESCO began to register World Heritage to conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance as the common heritage of humanity. Development of cultural tourism is an important purpose of the registration. Direct visiting of many people can make the World Heritage sites to have the advantage as a tourism resource, increasing importance of their value and conservation. The number of tourists has rapidly increased in many World Heritage sites. However, this trend brings problems in terms of site management. Although many travel agencies produce various package tours centered on visiting of World Heritage sites, there are little tours that tourists can have enough time to understand the value or significance. In Japan, the political promotion of tourism is rapidly advanced with focusing on the development of scientific researches on tourism. Therefore, it is necessary for geographers to develop strategies for the sustainable relationship between World Heritage site and tourism. This study outlined possible geographical approaches for tourism in World Heritage sites, discussing previous studies on tourism and definition of tourism by the Tourism Policy Council in Japan.
