Responsible Tourism and the Conservation of Heritage in Asian Urban Areas

Fundamental to the conservation of heritage in urban areas is a planning, design, development and management process based on responsible and sustainable objectives and criteria. Culture and heritage are valued worldwide. The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity reminds us that the “defence of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative, inseparable from respect for human dignity” (UNESCO, 2001, Article 4). This is because cultural diversity “is one of the roots of development” (ibid, Article 3). Cultural heritage is esteemed and handed on to future generations because it contributes to local, national and international identity. While national identity is state sponsored, local identity emerges “naturally through the evolution of the history and cultural experience of the people” (Embong, 2011: 16). Cultural heritage is also valued as it is “the wellspring of creativity” (UNESCO, 2001, Article 7). Cultural heritage is made up of both physical (movable and fixed) and intangible elements that are successfully passed from one generation to the next. Movable physical elements include handicrafts, sculptures, paintings, archaeological objects, musical instruments and furniture. Fixed cultural dimensions include “houses, factories, commercial buildings, places of worship, cemeteries, monuments and built infrastructure such as roads, railways and bridges; physically created places such as gardens, mining sites and stock routes; and other places of historical significance such as archaeological sites” (Modern Heritage Matters, 2013); as well as historic districts and townscapes.