World Trade Law,Culture, Heritage and Tourism. Towards a Holistic Conceptual Approach?

This article argues that law is an important factor in the consideration of the evolution of tourism discourse. Thus it is important for academics to consider the law-tourism connection. But law is a dynamic phenomenon that is experiencing change. Within law, the domain of world trade is increasingly significant. In addition, the conceptualisation of culture and heritage is ongoing and as the law has implications for the development of those concepts, then correspondingly the law-culture and heritage connection should be considered. World trade law in turn has culture and heritage implications. Tourism will be affected by both the evolution of world trade and evolving conceptions of culture and heritage, not least legal ones. Accordingly, as a result of the increasing interpenetration and interconnections of issues, it is submitted that consideration of the four conceptual domains of world trade, law, tourism and culture and heritage, suggests the desirability of a holistic approach to (or awareness of) the consideration of certain issues that may fall into the intellectual space advanced by the potential intersection of these issues. This is especially justifiable in view of the multiplicity of academic viewpoints that studies of tourism embrace. It may be necessary in order to provide options for the solution of legal issues that involve these factors. Thus it is argued that it is important to consider the domain delineated above in a holistic way, recognising that the forces of development act reflexively on each other as a start in order to overcome inevitable epistemological difficulties.     

Global Heritage and Local Problems: Some Examples from Indonesia

This article examines what happens to those who live in and around monuments as a result of World Heritage designation. Using the examples of Borobudur and Prambanan in Indonesia as study sites, it is argued that the values that local people attach to heritage are often different from, although not necessarily less important than, the values ascribed by international agencies, government officials, tourism developers and others. However, their perspectives are often not adequately represented or respected by other participants in the planning and management of sites, to the detriment of both the plans and the people. The tendency to adopt top-down, rational comprehensive planning procedures has resulted in the disenfranchisement of local people, giving greater prominence to expressions of national, 'official' culture and nationalism at the expense of local culture. It has tended to freeze sites and displace human activities, effectively excluding local people from their own heritage.     

Wunderkammer 02 : An Exhibition of Art,Craft and Souvenirs from World Heritage Sites in Tasmania and Far North Queensland

With its focus on the regions of Tasmania and Far North Queensland, this exhibition (30 August – 20 September 2002) examines the objects and artworks collected today in the tradition of the Wunderkammer. It brings together artists and craft people who, in some way, have engaged with the tourist aesthetic and economy of souvenirs. Central to this project is a study of the representation of place culture and heritage through the agency of tourist art and souvenirs.     

World Heritage as NIMBY? The Case of the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea

Acquiring the world heritage label, a reward for establishing and preserving an outstanding environment, is often assumed to be an honour for the local population and a useful leverage for the tourist and environmental organisations. However, the case of the Wadden Sea, a trilateral nomination by Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands, makes clear that this is not always true, and public consultation in The Netherlands has revealed that these local stakeholders do not support such a nomination. It seems they epitomise a 'Not in my back yard' (NIMBY) approach to World Heritage listing. This discussion paper examines the factors that complicate the nomination process. Contrary to common expectation, why do critical stakeholders, like the tourism industry, local inhabitants and environmental organisations become opponents? What are the interests at stake that subvert the balance of benefits and costs of the world heritage status to the extent that nomination is suspended? Is this phenomenon an exception, or an indication that obtaining the accolade is increasingly assessed from a rational rather than an emotional viewpoint, and that 30 years after the convention which created it the world heritage stamp has lost its uniqueness?     

Locating Global Legacies in Tana Toraja,Indonesia

In 2001, the picturesque Toraja village of Ke' te' Kesu' was nominated for candidacy as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated in the South Sulawesi highlands in Indonesia, this hamlet is home to rice farmers, wood carvers, tourist vendors, government workers and sporadically-visiting anthropologists. Drawing on long-term anthropological field research in the village, I suggest that while world heritage sites may entail what UNESCO terms 'genius loci', they are, rarely the unchanging embodiments of tradition they are imagined to be. The paper illustrates how heritage landscapes such as Ke' te' Kesu' are, to some extent, products of local responses and and engagements with regional, national and global political, cultural and economic dynamics. Ultimately, I argue that the emergence of UNESCO world heritage sites is not a 'natural' process, but rather one borne out of complex exchanges, competitions and collaborations between local groups, as well as national and international entities.     

The Meanings and Effectiveness of World Heritage Designation in the USA

The USA played a pivotal role in developing the idea of the World Heritage Convention just over 30 years ago. This paper begins by examining the history of the World Heritage Convention's practical application in the USA and goes on to discuss the Convention's present-day application at Yellowstone National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the national scale. It may be concluded that although there is a high level of compliance with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention, numerous issues need to be resolved to ensure that World Heritage Site designation remains an effective protection tool for sites of international importance.     

An Observation Station for Culture and Tourism in Vietnam: A Forum for World Heritage and Public Participation

World Heritage is increasingly approached in an international context and it seems appropriate for the protection of World Heritage sites in our globalised world. However, we should question whether or not the global aspects are not over-emphasised, leaving behind local and national interests. Increasing the number of stakeholders in the selection process of World Heritage sites, especially those mostly excluded from any decision-making process, seems to be a promising approach. It enlarges the debate and facilitates consensus at all levels on how to promote and to protect World Heritage. The creation of an observation station, together with a new local selection system of cultural heritage sites, a kind of participatory budget of cultural heritage, would be an important step in integrating more civic perception into World Heritage policy.     

Managing the Cedars of Lebanon: Botanical Gardens or Living Forests?

Lebanon receives about 750,000 visitors a year, attracted by a diverse tourism portfolio with an increasing emphasis on cultural and ecotourism. It was once covered in cedar forest, with the great trees still acting both as metaphor and brand for the country. Today, there are several areas where cedars may still be seen, the most important being the Chouf Reserve, in the Jabal el Barouk mountains near the Bekaa valley, and the famous cedars of the Quadisha valley in north Lebanon (a World Heritage Site since 1998), near the town of Becharre, the centre of Lebanon's ski industry. This paper examines the management of the isolated grove of giant cedar trees at Becharre which has become a sterile botanical garden, and compares it with the living forests of the Chouf Cedar Reserve. The fundamental question being asked here is whether or not World Heritage designation of this natural resource has had conservation benefits, and if such benefits outweigh diminished experience quality for visitors.