The Planning and Management of Responsible Urban Heritage Destinations in Asia

This new and timely book looks at the issue that Heritage in general, and in particular urban heritage in Asia, is at the centre of a perfect storm. Populations are increasing rapidly in cities as urbanization grows and there are ever larger numbers of tourists placing significant pressure on urban heritage resources. It does not ignore the fact however that many heritage sites were urban sites historically, with architecture and infrastructure all squeezed into a small space. This means the issues of managing large numbers of tourists in small spaces not designed for this use at Angkor/Bagan are really no different than Bangkok or Yangon. The core issues that need to be confronted for the future of these cities are clearly analyzed and the authors address-* Cities that are above their ‘carrying capacity’ and the physical, social, psychological, ritual issues that follow alongside the poor handling of visitor management issues damaging both tangible and intangible heritage assets* The need for a management process very different from simply “hardening” of heritage to accommodate greater numbers* The need to move to stewardship rather than visitor management as the approach for the future* The ethical, social and regulatory issues surrounding the expropriation of heritageIt will be essential reading for faculty, students, planners, urban policymakers and a range of tourism professionals concerned with the future of the heritage tourism industry.