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Is being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site always beneficial?
CGTN Europe
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today
CGTN Europe interviewed Dr David Gwyn, historian and heritage consultant
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00:00
Gaining UNESCO World Heritage status is a rare honour.
00:04
As of 2024, there were 1,223 World Heritage sites across 168 countries.
00:12
According to UNESCO, the most visited site is the Great Wall of China,
00:16
averaging around 15 million visitors a year.
00:21
Being chosen as a World Heritage site isn't just a title,
00:25
it can have lasting economic and tourism benefits.
00:28
Researchers found that between 2004 and 2017,
00:33
UNESCO status in Chinese cities led to a 3.8% increase in GDP per capita for the city.
00:40
The French region of Champagne has seen overnight stays increase by 60%
00:45
since it was included on the list in 2015.
00:48
There's also been a 33% increase in tourism jobs.
00:52
The World Heritage Convention is an international treaty
00:55
that sets out guidelines for countries to protect and preserve sites.
00:59
There's also a fund to help with the cost of this.
01:02
But some local communities are unhappy, saying that a place on the UNESCO list is actually unwelcome
01:08
because it can lead to over-tourism and environmental damage.
01:12
Venice was chosen as a UNESCO site in 1987.
01:16
Despite banning cruise ships and charging tourist fees,
01:19
it's now threatened with a place on the so-called UNESCO blacklist
01:23
as it struggles with excessive tourism.
01:27
Now, Dr David Grin is a historian and heritage consultant.
01:30
He joins us now.
01:32
David, thank you so much for your time.
01:33
You were instrumental in getting the slate landscape in Wales designated a UNESCO heritage site.
01:41
So, how significant will today's event be for China?
01:46
Well, very much so.
01:48
And I'd like to offer my congratulations to the latest World Heritage Site.
01:53
Now, of course, recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
01:57
means effectively that any particular site has to be presented
02:01
in terms of its significance for the whole of humankind.
02:06
So, when we were successful in gaining the inscription
02:09
for the slate quarrying landscapes of northwest Wales,
02:13
the basic story is, of course, that somebody from Afghanistan or Russia or China
02:19
needs to be able to come to one of these places and say,
02:22
yes, okay, I get this.
02:24
This is very interesting and very significant.
02:27
As you say, there can be a problem with over-tourism.
02:32
That's certainly been the case in many World Heritage Sites.
02:36
But on the other hand, of course, you know, let's just bear in mind,
02:39
Venice has been a tourist destination since the 1700s.
02:43
It's practically impossible to imagine Venice as not being a World Heritage Site.
02:49
But even if the designation hadn't been invented,
02:52
people would be coming there anyway.
02:54
Good point.
02:55
So, will Shisha, the tombs, becoming a UNESCO Heritage Site
03:00
automatically mean there's going to be a massive increase in tourism?
03:04
Not necessarily.
03:06
Now, every World Heritage inscription has to be accompanied by a plan
03:12
which UNESCO will have accepted, if the site is inscribed,
03:16
that says how it is going to be managed.
03:19
Now, if it's likely to lead to an excessive footfall,
03:23
then the plan, I imagine, a good plan,
03:26
will certainly say how this is to be accommodated,
03:30
whether, in fact, people are going to be discouraged
03:33
from going to particularly sensitive parts of the World Heritage Site,
03:37
whether virtual access is a possibility.
03:40
So, there are ways around the problem of over-tourism.
03:44
Talk to me about the obligations, then.
03:47
You know, we've had aerial shots,
03:49
we've seen lots of information about these amazing tombs.
03:53
What will have to be done to make sure,
03:56
not only that they communicate the importance of what these sites mean
03:59
to anyone who visits,
04:00
but to make sure they preserve properly as well?
04:02
Well, every World Heritage Site needs to be maintained
04:07
in such a way that its contribution to outstanding universal value is maintained.
04:13
Now, this has to happen in any number of many different ways,
04:17
according to the nature of the site.
04:20
So, there isn't a one-size-fits-all rule
04:23
for how a World Heritage Site is maintained.
04:27
Now, for instance, in our slate quarries,
04:30
we accepted early on that benign effect
04:34
would have to be a management tool for some of the sites.
04:38
We couldn't conserve every little hut in every slate quarry,
04:42
whereas somewhere like Stonehenge
04:44
obviously has to be managed in a completely different way.
04:48
So, every management system, which UNESCO will have approved
04:51
if a site has been inscribed,
04:54
will be suitable to the circumstances of that particular location.
04:59
Wonderful.
05:00
And thank you so much for sharing your insights with us today.
05:03
Dr. David Gwynne, a historian and heritage consultant in Wales.
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