Three significances of the notion heritage: a study of the dissonance between institutionalization, tourism image and social perceptions in rural areas

Abstract

This paper explores the different meanings that heritage has for conservation, tourism and local identity. Based on an in-depth examination of a conceptual framework, heritage was seen to have three different meanings: (i) the one recognized at the institutional level by administrations concerned with the protection of assets and spaces; (ii) the one that is based on the configuration of the image of the land within the tourism sector; and (iii) the one that corresponds to the sense of identity of the local people in that community. The aim of this research is to identify the relationships between these significances in order to contribute toward improved heritage management. To this end, an empirical methodology was configured based on standard techniques in social sciences, including an analysis of the content of public policies, a semiotic analysis of the tourism image and consultation using questionnaires. This methodology makes it possible to isolate the different variables and determine how the synergies between them are made manifest within a specific rural context, and then predict how these impacts can be replicated elsewhere. Based on our results, the conclusion is that more heterogeneous values of heritage need to be incorporated into both the tourism image and the social perception, using the latest academic approaches. It also shows that the traditional segmentation of administrative frameworks prevents a similar development within the existing institutional contexts.