The impact of living heritage approach for sustainable tourism & economics in mount lebanon

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of the living heritage approach for sustainable tourism & economics in Mount Lebanon. The proposed living heritage model is separated into three fundamental actions: firstly, the identification of important historical places and buildings that are reused to serve conservation and tourism development, as well as the participation of the core community in determining this. Secondly, the development of a tourism strategy and development plans, in which the local community must also participate. Thirdly, the development of maintenance and control programs, which must be supervised by the local community through its partnership with the Ministry and those responsible for conservation operations. Moreover, the hypothesis is to find a way to implement the living heritage in a local rural context. It also tackles different ways of implementing the living heritage approach based on international case studies (Albergo Diffuso, in Italy and the Meteora, in Greece), to inform sustainable economic and tourism development in the local rural context of Mount Lebanon. The methodological study will take into consideration two analyses: a theoretical (literature reviews and main definitions) and a practical (comparative analysis and case studies). In conclusion, several strategies can be taken into account in order to attain a successful living heritage of sustainable economics and tourism in Mount Lebanon. In fact, such a goal will be achieved through the partnership among private, public, and local sectors that can create a strong historical-touristic-economic bond.