The Power of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage in Shaping Cultural Economy and Prosperity: An Inspirational Case Study of İstanbul and Paris

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Küçük Ö.

Journal of Humanities and Tourism Research, cilt.15, sa.1, ss.42-60, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

This study aims to compare two notable cities, İstanbul and Paris, in addressing the challenges faced by cultural industries and promoting sustainable tourism. Cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, is essential for sustainable development. Over the last forty years, UNESCO has highlighted the importance of safeguarding intangible heritage and protecting tangible heritage from climate change and other threats. The World Bank supports initiatives to strengthen cultural heritage and promote sustainable tourism to reduce damage from natural disasters. Since 2021, the World Bank and UNESCO have collaborated to enhance cities' cultural industry and creativity, boosting cultural tourism and employment. According to the UN WTO, cultural heritage in international tourism promotes peace and understanding by fostering respect for diverse cultures. This article explores how tangible and intangible cultural heritage contributes to the cultural economy in İstanbul and Paris. It includes case studies of two cities that demonstrate the impact of cultural heritage sites on international tourism and discusses strategies for preserving these sites while promoting sustainability. The dataset used in this work combines TURKSTAT, Euromonitor, Statista, and the World Bank data house. The study findings demonstrate three crucial phenomena that explain the characteristics of the cultural economy and sustainable tourism of two cities: (1) the parallel phenomenon between tangible and intangible cultural values and the local economy's prosperity, (2) the social-economic complex insights of İstanbul and Paris regarding over-tourism (3) the challenging characteristics of the sustainable tourism. This study contributes to the cultural economy and tourism field by presenting a case study on İstanbul and Paris.

Keywords: Cultural Economy, Sustainable Tourism, Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage, Employment, Prosperity, UNESCO