Case Studies

Earthenware pottery-making skills are practised among the Bakgatla ba Kgafela community in south-eastern Botswana. The women potters use clay soil, weathered sandstone, iron oxide, cow dung, water, wood and grass to make pots of different forms, designs and styles that relate to the traditional practices and beliefs of the community.…

The monolith of Uluru and the domes of Kata Tjuta were inscribed as a World Heritage property by UNESCO in 1987, as a natural heritage site, and then as a cultural landscape in 1994. This area is linked to one of the oldest Indigenous belief systems in the world.77

The Ninki Nanka Trail was created in the 1980’s to open up Gambia to tourism through the Gambia river. The trail is based on a responsible, collaborative tourism approach, in a collaborative way, and gives clear benefits to local communities as well as tourism stakeholders in the area.71 While following…

Existing since the 7th century and associated with the Cambodian court, the Apsara dance was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008 under the name “Royal ballet of Cambodia”.80 The dance is said to have a sacred and symbolic role and embodies the…

Following Macau’s handover to China in 1999, the number of tourists increased considerably. Macau did not suffer under the cultural revolution like mainland China, so it has a strong continuity of cultural traditions.89 Portuguese influences are still visible in Macau’s gastronomy, for example in the local pastries. “perishable gifts rather…

Traditional knowledge, techniques and process to produce “Washi” - Japanese handmade paper - have been transmitted over generations since the 8th century. It has been used not only for writing letters and making books, but also for home interiors such as paper screens, room dividers and sliding doors.photo n.1 -…

Andean Lodges is a privately owned tourism company founded with the goal of preserving and safeguarding the cultural heritage and ecological integrity of the Ausangate region. Its goal was to create a circuit around Mt. Ausangate that strategically positions ecolodges at key sites and includes local communities in actively presenting…

The Sarawak Rainforest World Music festival of Borneo (Malaysia) has been held since 1997, to showcase music from the entire world but also to highlight indigenous music and instruments. It is known for the considerable visibility it gave to Borneo’s intangible heritage worldwide through its showcasing of traditional music and…

The Cheese Route of Savoie 75 is a network of sites designed to help the local population and tourists discover the cheeses of two French departments united around the same cheese culture. The cheeses produced in this network of sites have a Registered Designation of Origin, which proves their distinctiveness,…

The alpabfahrt, or alpine descent, is one of the most popular events in the Entlebuch region of Switzerland, with ten thousands of visitors each year. At the end of September, farmer’s families come back from the mountain pastures with their cows, which are decorated with flowers.

Viennese coffeehouse culture was designated as intangible cultural heritage in 2011 in the Austrian inventory of the UNESCO’s National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage.73 It combines the intangible heritage with its tangible dimensions: gastronomy, atmosphere, customary practices and social relations, along with interior decor, architecture, food and drink, furnishings,…

The city of Oostduinkerke, in Belgium, is the only place where horseback shrimp fishing91 is practised to this day. This traditional fishing technique has been used for centuries and has been inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. “This can be considered as…

The interpretation of ICH for tourists should ideally be provided through the perspectives of local residents. A downloadable app provides a highly accessible aural tour of the Greek American community of Tarpon Springs, Florida in the US. Developed by Tina Bucuvalas, a folklorist and Greektown resident, for the Florida Stories…

The Celestinian forgiveness celebration was inspired by Pope Celestine V, who issued a historical ‘Bull’ as an act of partnership among local populations. Taking place in the city and province of L’Aquila, the tradition comprises a set of rituals and celebrations transmitted uninterruptedly since 1294. Participants walk along with the…

In the Biobío region of Chile, several indigenous Mapuche communities worked together with Chile’s National Tourism Administration to offer visitors a series of trails in the mountain, from 9 to 100 km long. The network of Pehuenche tourist trails is a public-private-community partnership resulting in a tourism activity.

A network of partners has developed the programme 'Handmade in Bruges'98 in the spirit of promoting and safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of craftsmanship in this city in Belgium, This partnership is endeavouring to realise a sustainable tourism approach in the context of over-tourism. One of its initiatives involves assigning…

Drum dancing and drum singing are indigenous forms of Inuit artistic expression and music in Greenland. Drum dances and songs are frequently performed during national holidays, festive celebrations and social events, by a single person or a group. Drum songs often touch on the experiences and activities of daily life…

The Shewula Mountain Camp was created in the Shewula community of Eswatini in 2000 and aims to allow tourists to discover the way of life of the community while helping it to develop and improve sustainably. It is an accommodation project that makes it possible for guests to live with…