Europa Nostra adopts Malta Declaration on tourism

A Malta Declaration advocating the right balance between economic development, sustainable tourism and heritage conservation has been adopted by Europa Nostra at its annual congress in Malta.

Europa Nostra is the pan-European federation for cultural heritage, bringing together over 200 heritage NGOs.

The Cultural Tourism Forum, which attracted more than 200 delegates from 26 European countries, was the highlight of this year's congress, organised in cooperation with Din l-Art Helwa and with the support of the European Commission.

Tourism activities and developments should respect the scale, nature and character of the place in which they are located. And in any location, harmony must be sought between the needs of the visitor, the place and the host community, the declaration holds.

It calls upon EU institutions, the Council of Europe, national and regional governments, tourism and heritage organisations to apply the principles of the tourism code of ethics of the World Tourism Organisation and the International Cultural Tourism Charter of the International Council on Monuments and Sites .

Europa Nostra recognises that cultural tourism is one of the key drivers of European economic growth and development and a means of cultural exchange between European citizens and one of the most valuable instruments of inter-cultural dialogue.

"Cultural tourism can bring much needed funds to Europe's historic sites and countryside. But the knock-on effects of cultural tourism can also adversely affect the life of local communities," Prince Henrik, the Prince Consort of Denmark, president of Europa Nostra, told the forum, which was entitled Cultural Tourism: Its Encouragement And Control.

"Europe needs to encourage cultural tourism in a balanced and sustainable way as a means of investing in and regenerating cultural heritage areas and experiencing the places and activities that authentically represent the cultural heritage, character and history of an area, whilst ensuring the widest appreciation of Europe's cultural heritage," he said.

Frans Schouten, tourism professor at Breda University, said that only a small fraction of tourists travel to visit heritage sites and that most tourists come across heritage sites "accidentally".

Cultural tourism created more awareness of the need to preserve heritage sites and boosted arts and crafts, but historical monuments had to be transformed into an experience for the visitor in the face of fierce competition in the sector.

Prof. Schouten warned that the pressure on historical venues would increase as the number of tourists worldwide is set to double by 2020.

When it came to managing heritage sites, Prof. Schouten said, it was the countries owning the cultural assets which set the targets for tourism to be sustainable and not the tourist operators.

Tricia Barnett, director of Tourism Concern, a London-based organisation campaigning for ethical and fairly traded tourism, said tourism was a huge industry which often imposed itself on poor nations disregarding the interests of local people.

Ms Barnett claimed that poor countries were fast turning into tourist destinations but just a tiny share of the profits from the industry was going to local people. While local customs and heritage were being changed to accommodate tourists, the money tourists forked out ended up in the pockets of western investors.

"The poorer the country, the less the money left in the pockets of natives," Ms Barnett said.

She said indigenous communities must be involved in planning for conservation and tourism.

Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said cultural heritage was only held in trust for future generations.

In a closing address, he said the relationship between tourism and the cultural heritage of a country must be managed so that it is sustainable in the long term.

"Tourism activities and developments should respect the scale, nature and character of the place in which they are located. And in any location, harmony must be sought between the needs of the visitor, the place and the host community," he said.