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The Sustainability of Industrial Heritage Tourism Far from the Axes of Economic Development in Europe: Two Case Studies

Author

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  • Xosé Somoza-Medina

    (Department of Geography and Geology, University of León, 24071 León, Spain)

  • Obdulia Monteserín-Abella

    (Department of History, Geography and Art, University of Jaume I, 12071 Castelló de la Plana, Spain)

Abstract

The transformation of mining and industrial spaces into tourist spaces is part of the debate surrounding the profound changes in the contemporary economies of developed European countries. The loss of competitive power of their traditional companies, the obsolescence of many manufacturing facilities, and the take-off of other industrial economies in remote parts of the world have led to the closure of thousands of mines and factories, with the approval of environmental groups. In some privileged places, these ex-industrialized spaces have recovered environmentally, been allocated aid for socio-economic reconversion, and reoriented the old mines and factories (now converted into industrial heritage), towards cultural and tourist uses. The successful examples of Ironbridge, Zollverein or Wieliczka, have created the illusion to managers, owners, and local population of being able to turn almost any ruin of the industrial and mining past into a tourist attraction. Starting in the 1990s, many ex-industrial spaces, which were far from the main urban centres, opted for this tourist transformation as a lifeline to slow down the loss of population and economic activities. Sometime after these projects of industrial tourism, the result can be evaluated with objective data that question the sustainability of the model and the resilience of these places. This paper focuses on questioning the sustainability and resilience of the tourist transformation of two former mining areas located in Spain (Almadén and Sabero), far from the axes of economic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Xosé Somoza-Medina & Obdulia Monteserín-Abella, 2021. "The Sustainability of Industrial Heritage Tourism Far from the Axes of Economic Development in Europe: Two Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-27, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:3:p:1077-:d:484420
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gert-Jan Hospers, 2002. "Industrial Heritage Tourism and Regional Restructuring in the European Union," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 397-404, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rui Han & Shiqi Yang, 2023. "A Study on Industrial Heritage Renewal Strategy Based on Hybrid Bayesian Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-32, July.
    2. Juan Claver & Amabel García-Domínguez & Miguel A. Sebastián, 2021. "Collaborative Cataloging of Spanish Industrial Heritage Assets through Teaching in Project Management Subjects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, September.
    3. Tomas Kačerauskas, 2023. "Disinterestedness in the Creative Economy: The Case of the MO Museum in Vilnius," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-12, June.
    4. Jörn Harfst & Jasmin Sandriester & Wolfgang Fischer, 2021. "Industrial Heritage Tourism as a Driver of Sustainable Development? A Case Study of Steirische Eisenstrasse (Austria)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Zebo Ni & Taohua Ouyang & Jianxiong Xu, 2023. "Research on the Sustainable Development of Enterprises That Evoke Industrial Heritage—A Case Study of Taoxichuan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-14, January.
    6. Xiaolu Wu & Li Yu & Haosen Fang & Jing Wu, 2021. "Research on the Protection and Reuse of Industrial Heritage from the Perspective of Public Participation—A Case Study of Northern Mining Area of Pingdingshan, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-30, December.
    7. Mi Yan & Qingmiao Li & Jiazhen Zhang, 2023. "Rethinking Industrial Heritage Tourism Resources in the EU: A Spatial Perspective," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-32, July.
    8. Adriaan De Man, 2023. "Tangential Heritage Values in Museum Communication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-12, March.
    9. Florentina-Cristina Merciu & Ana Valeria Stoican & Alexandru-Ionut Petrisor & Ana-Maria Vasiloiu, 2021. "The Perception Of Romanian Tourists On The Attractiveness Of The Industrial Heritage. Case Study: Municipality Of Cluj-Napoca," Cactus - The tourism journal for research, education, culture and soul, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 3(2), pages 6-16.
    10. Aleksandra Kuzior & Oleksii Lyulyov & Tetyana Pimonenko & Aleksy Kwilinski & Dariusz Krawczyk, 2021. "Post-Industrial Tourism as a Driver of Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-14, July.
    11. Zhengyuan Zhao & Zhigao Liu, 2021. "Development Path of Industrial Heritage Tourism: A Case Study of Kitakyushu (Japan)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, November.

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