The Jagged Path to Sustainable Tourism in a World Heritage City Richard Shieldhouse Center for World Heritage Research & Stewardship University of Florida Gainesville, Florida, USA Tourism is not one of the original goals of UNESCO s World Heritage programs. UNESCO, however, recognizes the impact and growth of heritage tourism. UNESCO implemented a Sustainable Tourism Programme to understand and manage heritage tourism. 1
The link between World Heritage inscription and tourism is little understood. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence. Studies have explored the linkage with mixed or limited success. Data insufficiencies. Inability to control for external influences in analysis. Mexico provides fertile ground for understanding the impact of World Heritage inscription on communities. Mexico s has 10 World Heritage Cities -- third after Italy (16) and Spain (13). Year City Inscribed Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco 1987 Historic Center of Oaxaca and Achaeological Site of Monte Albán 1987 Historic Center of Puebla 1987 Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines 1988 Historic Monuments Zone of Tlacotalpan 1988 Historic Center of Morelia 1991 Historic Center of Zacatecas 1993 Historic Monuments zone of Querétaro 1996 Historic Fortified Town of Campeche 1999 Protective Town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco 2008 Mexico s ministry of tourism (SECTUR) collects and reports information on hotel rooms, occupancy, and visitors. 2
Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines. Inscribed in 1988. 450-year-old city was by the 18 th C the world s largest silver producer. One of five World Heritage communities in Mexico to merit three stars (formerly worth the trip ) in Michelin s Green Guide. Guanajuato is in central Mexico, 432 km (268 mi.) from Mexico City & 868 km (539 mi.) from the border with the United States. 3
Heritage tourism is important to the Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines. Capital of Guanajuato state, with ih a city population of 141,000. Economy today is driven by three influences: Tourism (28%). Government (25%). Education, including. University of Guanajuato with over 20,000 students (18%). Mining contributes to nearly 6% of the city s economy. Guanajuato has been largely successful in preserving its historic center. In 2006, National Geographic Traveler, working with George Washington University, convened a panel of 419 experts who ranked it #4 among all World Heritage Sites. Article tce cited cte careful eu improvements: Repaving in traditional style, Culturally and historically interesting, lots of events, good museums. Not many gringos. 4
The project s Stewardship Index was based on six criteria. Environmental and ecological quality. Social and cultural integrity. Condition of historic buildings and historical sites. Aesthetic appeal. Quality of tourism management. Overall outlook for the future. Source: National Geographic Traveler, November/December, 2006. Still, the effects of tourism in Guanajuato are at times controversial. Improvements to accommodate tourists are of questionable authenticity. European-style paving. Inappropriate street lamps. Other proposals include restaurants more amenable to a North American clientele in the city s Mercado Hidalgo. 5
While heritage tourism is not typically a priority for tourism officials, it has had a role in their campaigns. US market is not perceived as particularly interested in heritage tourism. Hence, the focus is on sensual aspects appealing to a younger clientele with more disposable income. Historic structures become part of the background. Thrust of heritage tourism program is on some 25 million Mexican-Americans living in the US. With the city s center largely restored, focus has shifted to mining villages on the periphery. The principal restoration organization (Guanajuato Patrimonio de la Humanidad) has begun a program to restore churches in these communities. A community proud of its heritage catalogs, protects, restores and preserves to contribute to growth and development of their local identity and sense of belonging. 6
The organization focuses on sustainability. Holistic view keeps in mind the way of life of the communities. Approach strives to improve living conditions of residents as well as the sustainability of their cultural heritage by promoting them as tourist destinations. Restore churches and then micro-businesses run by community residents will follow. Simultaneously, the private sector and government have pursued a different course with mining communities. Club de Golf Mina Guadalupe plans include a golf course, 100-room hotel, and 21 private houses amidst the ruins of an historic mine. Reported 30 million USD investment. Offers an innovative solution to preserving a spectacular historic and cultural asset. Creates barriers to Mexicans seeking to understand their heritage. 7
A new development promises change to Mineral de la Luz. Private development converts a historic hacienda into a luxury spa. Little information publicly available. Government is implementing road improvements as part of a 4.8 million USD investment in mining communities. Such repurposing of historic industrial/mining structures provides preservation at a cost. The heritage of centuries- old local mining communities becomes globalized. Accessible to those with dollars. Inaccessible to locals. If these projects succeed they may spin off other projects on the hillsides. Altered appearance. Congestion. 8
1986-2008 visitor data for Mexican World Heritage Cities reveal interesting trends 120 100 Foreign Arrivals (Thousands) 80 60 40 Guanajuato Querétaro Oaxaca Campeche Zacatecas Puebla Morelia 20 0 Source: SECTUR, for dates noted. Models were specified with foreign visitors to each of the seven cities as a function of four variables. 1. Pesos Per Special Drawing Right (SDR). 2. Available hotel rooms. 3. Global international tourist arrivals. 4. Dummy variable for World Heritage inscription. o Value = 0 prior to inscription date (initially). o Value = 1 post inscription i (initially). iti Exploratory analysis advanced dummy variable in one-year increments to understand probe for significance. 9
The data demonstrated significant relationships between inscription and foreign visitors A statistically significant relationship was revealed for six of the seven cities. Analysis indicated significant increase in visitors took seven years to materialize in Guanajuato. City Year Inscribed Year of Significance * Inscription Dummy Coefficients Pesos Per SDR Avg. Rooms Avail. Global Arrivals Campeche 1999 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Guanajuato 1988 1995 21.7-0.4-5.8-0.1 Morelia 1991 1998 7.8 0.4 15 2 Oaxaca 1987 1988 41.2 10.7 3.7-33.1 Puebla 1987 1996 101.8-2.5 48.2 16.6 Querétaro 1996 2002 8.8 0.2 30.2-2.8 Zacatecas 1993 1998 8.9 0.7 3.3 4.6 * First year when the World Heritage dummy coefficient is significant at a 95 percent confidence interval and has a positive sign. but recent data reveal divergent trends among the 7 World Heritage Cities. 140% 120% Foreign Arrivals: Percent Change, 2000-2008. Querétaro, 125% 100% Morelia, 91% 80% 60% Zacatecas, 65% 40% 20% 0% Campeche, 0% -20% -40% -60% Guanajuato, -43% Oaxaca, -20% Puebla, -25% Source: SECTUR, for dates noted. 10
Since 2000, Guanajuato has seen foreign visitor levels decline more than 50% before recovering slightly. 70 Foreign Arrivals to Guanajuato: 1986-2008 60 62,536 eign Arrivals in Thousands Fore 50 40 30 20 27,755 37,926 35,520 10 0 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Source: SECTUR, for dates noted. Interviews with local officials and observers reveal a basket of explanations. Tourism strategy. Branding and slogans. l Political issues. Funding issues. Data issues. The Cervantino Festival. Low-quality restaurants, hotels, shopping. 11
Tourism strategy has been inconsistent. Strategy tends to change every three years with the change in municipal administration. As we have seen in the case of the mining communities, different strategies can be in place simultaneously. Goals of the strategies can conflict. Sloganeering has been important. Inconsistent strategy breeds inconsistent branding. City of Lights Cervantino Capital of Mexico City of Romance. City of Legends Your Experience Becomes History Cradle of Independence. 12
Increasing tourism is a popular political platform but implementation has been inconsistent. Change in administrations every three years. Changing slogans. Changing staffs. Programs frequently not completed. Funding is not consistently or equitably made available. Other issues may be at play. 2% hotel and restaurant tax implemented in 2000 may have led to under-reporting of arrivals. Cervantino festival had become a cantina by 2000. Drop in foreign visitors may be largely attributable to changes and regionalization of three-week international festival. 13
Guanajuato s failure in retaining foreign tourist flows may contribute to its preservation. Public and private investment have improved the city s appearance. Decline in visitors may have helped to minimize changes in the city s way of life and perceived authenticity. 14
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