A visitor flow management process for touristified archaeological sites

ABSTRACT

In recent decades the number of visitors to archaeological sites has increased exponentially. This increase has generated both negative and positive impacts. This article proposes a Visitor Flow Management Process (VFMP) that aims to minimize the negative impacts and enhance the benefits visitor flows can have in touristified archaeological sites. Although several proposals for visitor management frameworks exist for natural protected areas, for archaeological sites there are only isolated strategies and actions. Following a review of the literature on the visitor impacts and visitor management strategies implemented in 11 touristified archaeological sites around the world, 96 visitor management measures were identified, classified and synthesized into a three stage-process: (1) Restrict the number of visitors; (2) Redistribute visitor flows in time and space and (3) Interpret the archaeological site considering the mass influx of visitors. VFMP is a useful tool for heritage site managers dealing with mass tourism, whose implementation can contribute to reducing damage to heritage and enhancing the quality of the visitor experience.

KEYWORDS:

• Visitor impacts
• cultural tourism
• heritage management
• visitor management strategies
• archaeological sites

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Fernando Enseñat-Soberanis, PhD Student at the Department of Sustainable Development at Universidad de Quintana Roo, Mexico. Graduated from University of Quebec at Montreal (UQÀM) with a Master in Tourism Management and Planning. He has been working as a Professor at UADY and his research interest focus on visitor management strategies, sustainable tourism and carrying capacity at turistified archaeological sites and natural protected areas of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.

Oscar Frausto-Martínez, Professor at the Graduate Program in Sustainable Development and Geography at Universidad de Quintana Roo, Mexico. PhD. in Research and Spatial Analysis from University of Bauhaus, Germany and graduate studies in Geography and Management of Natural Resources. His research focus at indicators for sustainable tourism, geomorphology, GIS and remote sensing management in tropical countries.

Manuel Gándara-Vázquez, Professor at the Graduate Program in Museology at Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico City. Ph. D. in Anthropology. Ph. D. in Design and New Technologies with graduate studies in Anthropology and Philosophy of Science (Univ. of Michigan). He has published extensively on Archaeological Theory, Epistemology and Philosophy of Social Science, as well as on computers in education, human–computer interaction and usability. Currently doing research on socialization of archaeological knowledge as a way to foster heritage conservation at museums and archaeological sites, specially through the use of digital technologies and new communication strategies. Former Fullbright Scholar.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología- CONACyT [CVU No. 339845/588754].