Cultural landscapes and tourism dynamics: Explorative case studies

Cultural landscapes are, by definition, marked by human activities; the changing characteristics of the habitat through history are now being revalorized as territorial expressions of both tangible and intangible heritage. In this chapter, the focus is on the agents of change in cultural landscapes and the role of tourism in particular. Since tourism has so many faces and implications, it can be a driving force in shaping leisure landscapes or reshaping industrial landscapes, but also an incentive for conservation of the agricultural habitat, rural economies or archaeological sites. Given the great variety of natural and man made landscapes - at least in Europe - this spatial category of cultural landscapes holds a rich and ubiquitous resource to develop tourism into a colorful kaleidoscope of cultural diversity. The current search for the cultural identity of territories, the drive to protect regional brand names - such as those of agricultural products and crafts - can be seen as a dynamic force in the regionalization process taking place throughout Europe and a favorable incubation climate for developing new destination areas for the markets of cultural and creative tourism.