Heritage and tourism have become dynamic areas of development in the world during the last two decades. The idea of heritage is crucial to the critical decision-making process as to how irreplaceable resources are to ...Heritage and tourism have become dynamic areas of development in the world during the last two decades. The idea of heritage is crucial to the critical decision-making process as to how irreplaceable resources are to be utilized by people of the present or conserved for future generations in a fast-changing world. In view of the importance of ＂heritage＂ to the development of a tourist destination, the emphasis on developing appropriate adaptive reuse strategies cannot be overemphasized. In October 1999, the 12th General Assembly of the International Council on Monuments and Sites （ICOMOS） in Mexico stated that in the context of sustainable development, two interrelated issues need urgent attention： cultural tourism and historic cities. The two issues underscore the fact that historic resources are non-renewable, belonging to all of humanity. Without adequate adaptive reuse actions to ensure a sustainable future for these historic resources, this may lead to their complete vanishing. The Gulf rich urban heritage is now being recognized as a valuable resource for future development. This paper focuses on the role of heritage tourism and its implications for urban conservation in the context of old Dubai, UAE. Therefore, in order to use heritage wisely, it will be necessary to position heritage as an essential element of sustainable development, paying particular attention to heritage tourism. The question to be raised here is： ＂How can urban heritage be used wisely for tourism without compromising its educational and social roles in enhancing the local cultural identity？＂.展开更多
文摘Heritage and tourism have become dynamic areas of development in the world during the last two decades. The idea of heritage is crucial to the critical decision-making process as to how irreplaceable resources are to be utilized by people of the present or conserved for future generations in a fast-changing world. In view of the importance of ＂heritage＂ to the development of a tourist destination, the emphasis on developing appropriate adaptive reuse strategies cannot be overemphasized. In October 1999, the 12th General Assembly of the International Council on Monuments and Sites （ICOMOS） in Mexico stated that in the context of sustainable development, two interrelated issues need urgent attention： cultural tourism and historic cities. The two issues underscore the fact that historic resources are non-renewable, belonging to all of humanity. Without adequate adaptive reuse actions to ensure a sustainable future for these historic resources, this may lead to their complete vanishing. The Gulf rich urban heritage is now being recognized as a valuable resource for future development. This paper focuses on the role of heritage tourism and its implications for urban conservation in the context of old Dubai, UAE. Therefore, in order to use heritage wisely, it will be necessary to position heritage as an essential element of sustainable development, paying particular attention to heritage tourism. The question to be raised here is： ＂How can urban heritage be used wisely for tourism without compromising its educational and social roles in enhancing the local cultural identity？＂.
