Can cultural heritage be a successful strategy as a tourist experience? The case of tourist establishments in the mountains of Valencia, Spain

ABSTRACT

The relationship between tourism and heritage has increased exponentially in recent years. According to the scientific literature, linking heritage to tourism promotes and improves the quality of the visitor experience. The main objective of this research is to identify the main heritage elements linked to tourism and the problems that may arise due to poor management of these heritage elements by the different stakeholders in the mountain region of Valencia, Spain. The study used a qualitative method involving interviews. A total of 15 semi-structured interviews lasting between 40 and 70 minutes were conducted in 12 mountain towns in the province of Castellón. The results indicate that there is a wide repertoire of very interesting heritage elements. However, the management of these elements is creating some problems that have had a negative impact on both the local population and visitors. This study has a series of implications for the various stakeholders. Firstly, these findings highlight the huge variety of heritage resources already in the area. Secondly, the study puts forward joint strategies for action in the field of heritage and tourism. Thirdly, we point out the risk of commoditization of tourism products for the natural and cultural environment of these rural areas.

KEYWORDS:

• Heritage tourism
• tourism management
• tourist experience
• heritage issues
• Valencia
• Spain

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the interviewees for giving up some of their time to improve the content of our research during an extremely difficult period due to the public health crisis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://www.lospueblosmasbonitosdeespana.org/

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Universities of Spain; under grant FPU2019 (Reference FPU19/02557). This study was also partially supported by Catholic University of Valencia [Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir].

Notes on contributors

Antonio Vidal-Matzanke

Antonio Vidal-Matzanke is currently doing a doctorate at the Doctoral School of the Catholic University of Valencia, where he is focusing his research on the great potential of sport in tourism. His doctoral thesis aims to analyse which are the fundamental factors to make accommodation in inland areas more competitive, specifically in the inland area of Valencia. Together with his research group, Antonio has published several papers in scientific journals and has taken part in numerous conferences and seminars as a speaker. He is also an active member of several research projects on hiking. Currently, he is Visiting Fellow at the MacMillan Center in Yale University, USA. Email: [email protected].

Hector Esteve-Ibáñez

Hector Esteve-Ibáñez is Sports Outdoor and Individual Sports Lecturer at the Catholic University of Valencia, Spain. He is currently Technical Director and Technification coordinator in the Valencian Federation of Orienteering Sports and promoter and organizer of the First International Congress CAFD along with the I Congress International Hiking and Mountain Sports (UCV), held in Valencia-Torrent in January 2019. He is involved in various international projects on hiking, such as ‘Analysis in European countries for the applicability in the Valencian Community’ and ‘ Crossings-Long and Hiking trails by stages in Europe’, among others. Email: [email protected].

Pablo Vidal-González

Pablo Vidal-González is a Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Catholic University of Valencia, Spain, and Director of the University Anthropology Research Institute. He researches the relation between people and nature, landscapes, protected areas and rural communities. He is currently coordinating the Mountain Sports: Health, Inclusion and Society research group. His research is published in numerous journals, including Journal of Mediterranean Studies, AGER: Journal of Depopulation and Rural Development Studies, GeoJournal, Anthropozoologica, Geo Sciences, Mobile Media & Communication, and Sport in Society. Email: [email protected].