Issues, benefits, risks and costs

This chapter comprises a literature review and case studies discussing the range of benefits and costs that can be associated with cultural tourism. Benefits include economic, social and important quality of life contributions to residents and tourists alike. It also considers the social, cultural and economic benefits and costs of pursuing cultural tourism. Cultural tourism, like all other forms of tourism, is potentially a double-edged sword, capable of benefiting host communities, while also having the potential to destroy the cultural heritage assets that create the tourism product. Many people, though, tend to focus on only one element: that cultural tourism is beneficial or cultural tourism is detrimental. The former is a common optimistic perspective that explains why many local community leaders view pursuing cultural tourism as the right thing to do ( UNESCO 2000 ).