Book dossier

Tourists in historic towns

by Aylin Orbasli

For the tourist industry, history has become a product that can be marketed, sold and even re-created. Historic settlements and urban areas have become products for consumers seeking an experience. Tourists in Historic Towns examines the relationship of culture, heritage, conservation and tourism development in historic towns and urban centres, debating the impacts of tourism on historic towns and the role tourism plays in conservation and urban continuity. Discussing long-term planning and effective management, based on strategic decision-making which is multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional, the book aims to provide guidance in tourism development and visitor management for historic towns, in support of sustainable development objectives and community development.The main focus of the book is medium-sized historic towns and historic quarters which are attractive to the tourist market, but historic quarters in large cities and smaller rural settlements are not excluded. The book covers historic towns that are established or emerging on the tourist market in both developed and developing countries. Alongside over a hundred examples of historic towns, five historic towns are discussed as case studies: Granada, Spain; York, England; Mdina, Malta; Antalya, Turkey and Quedlinburg, Germany.Aylin Orbasli is a trained architect and specialist on the subject of historic towns: tourism, conservation and development. She actively works in the field both as a practitioner and as a consultant, also continuing to research the subject. She works internationally as a consultant, advising on heritage management, tourism planning and development.