Selling and Sharing Culture: On Relations between Cultural Heritage, Nature Conservation and Tourism Development Institutions in the Upper Soča Valley, Slovenia

Abstract

In 2013, the municipalities of Tolmin and Kobarid proved to be successful in tour-ism development of the Upper Soča Valley: they quintupled tourist overnight stays. However, there are other institutions, like the Kobarid Museum (KM) and the Walk of the Peace Foundation (WP), which aim to further develop historical thematic paths of war in the region, an endeavour that started in Kobarid as early as 1990. The area is also located at the fringes of the Triglav National Park (TNP), a primarily nature conservation institution. In this article, the complex situation, in which cultural heritage dynamically oscillates between local conservation, political promotion and tourism development is examined.