Encuesta a los comerciantes de lencería

The UNWTO (2013a) provides a tourism-specific definition of sustainability and defines sustainable tourism as a form of “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”. The greatest aim of sustainable tourism is to harmonize socio-cultural, economic and environmental aspects of tourism industry. The strategies of achieving are following:

1. Promoting intercultural dialogue and valorising authenticity of local communities.

2. Implementing viable economic practices that would have potential to benefit all involved stakeholders.

3. Consuming natural resources optimally and responsibly.

Moreover, sustainable tourism also implies the provision of meaningful tourist experiences and the increase of visitor awareness around sustainability issues (ibid.). The

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Sustainable Tourism for Development Guidebook (UNWTO, 2013b) is dedicated to enhancing the capacity for sustainable tourism development in developing countries. It identifies five pillars to be considered for the evaluation of tourism performance: (1) tourism policy and governance; (2) economic performance, investment and competitiveness; (3) employment, decent work and human capital; (4) poverty reduction and social inclusion; and (5) sustainability of the natural and cultural environment. Undoubtedly, tourism companies and destinations are more and more challenged to commit to practices of sustainable tourism development (Ali & Frew, 2013; Choi & Sirakaya, 2006). Tourism is continuously growing industry worldwide (UNWTO, 2013c). In particular, the number of travellers from BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries is expected to surge in the coming years. Already in 2013, Chinese tourists were reported as the biggest spenders worldwide (UNWTO, 2013d). Weaver (2012) cautions that travellers from emerging economies may still lack awareness of the need for responsible and sustainable tourism behaviour. Ali and Frew (2013) argue that increasing numbers travellers from these emerging markets could contribute to further aggravation of environmental problems in the tourism industry. Therefore, there is a growing pressure on tourism businesses and destinations to be considerate of the ecological and socio-cultural environment in their operations (Ali & Frew, 2013).

Furthermore, it has become crucial for managers of WHSs to implement sustainable tourism policies. These help to ensure the long-term viability of their heritage, may benefit the local community, and ultimately contribute to high-quality touristic experiences. It is widely accepted that the “brand” UNESCO and the prestige associated with it can help to increase international visibility (Kausar, 2012) and attract more visitors to a site (Pedersen, 2002; Yang, Lin & Han, 2010; Marcotte & Bourdeau, 2012). Yet, some researchers (Lo Piccolo, Leone & Pizzuto, 2012; Cellini, 2011) caution that it is responsible and future- oriented site management that is more effective in the long term. Scholars Marcotte and Bourdeau (2012) also highlight that promotional efforts regarding world heritage should not be restricted to the sole display of the UNESCO label, but that a site’s actual outstanding universal value and related sustainability practices should be communicated to visitors to increase their awareness, knowledge and appreciation.

Furthermore, ICT has the potential to facilitate sustainable tourism through awareness raising, valorisation, sensitisation, and guidance for locals and tourists (Touray & Jung, 2010; Scott & Frew, 2013; Ali & Frew, 2013; Schieder, Adukaite & Cantoni, 2014; Gretzel, 2011). Several other authors have put forward argument that ICTs have potential in raising tourists’ awareness, and ultimately in prompting them to behave more sustainably. Ashworth (2012) and Wheeller (2012) emphasise that travellers often lack contextual sensitivity as well as knowledge. Therefore, information and communication are both needed to facilitate tourists’ understanding of the importance of a place and help them to appreciate its value. ICTs can also be used simultaneously by site managers as an

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tool of control to dissuade other tourists from behaving irresponsibly. Ali and Frew (2013), Marcote and Bourdeau (2012) and Liburd (2005) all agree that a well-informed tourist is empowered to make conscious sustainable choices. Such a tourist is better equipped to interact with local cultural groups and resources, and is more likely to have an interest in preserving them. Thus, awareness, education, and motivation, according to Ali and Frew (2013), regard as the main drivers prompting tourists to behave in a responsible and sustainable manner. Ali and Frew (2013) have extensively investigated the applications of ICTs for sustainable tourism, and identified the areas where technology can be most effective: information management, interpretation, community participation, tourists’ satisfaction, effective partnerships, and energy consumption.

Furthermore, recent studies (Schieder et al., 2014; Lamsfus et al., 2013; Dickinson et al., 2012; Wang & Fesenmaier, 2013) have also shed light on how mobile technologies, and in particular mobile applications, mediate or affect tourist experience and behaviour. These findings are of particular interest for the emerging field of ICTs and sustainable tourism. In fact, mobile technologies could assist in making tourists valorise a specific place, while triggering more responsible and sustainable on-site behaviour (Dickinson et al., 2012; Schieder et at., 2014). This potential of smartphone (or tablet) and mobile app usage in tourism could be of great value for the management of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. With regard to the latter, the UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in WHS3 underlines that ICT can widen access to information and enrich the experience of tourists, dis-intermediate some relationships between them and local tourism players, and help upgrade knowledge of the latter. Moreover, in developing areas, tourism narratives are quite often shaped by external (foreign) views: ICT can be a fundamental tool to integrate local voices and interpretations by implementing a local community’s sense of ownership, mostly through digital storytelling.

In the context of heritage, the convergence of education and tourism is a present phenomenon. Concerning UNESCO’s general commitment to education (UNESCO, 2013), ICT can play a significant role. Indeed, the Convention evidently states the need for “educational and information programmes to strengthen appreciation and respect” (UNESCO, 1972:13) among visitors for cultural and natural heritage sites. Thus, ICT can play a crucial role in increasing awareness around the values and responsibilities linked to heritage places and attractions.

One of the potential strategies to contribute to this reconciliation of tourism and preservation of heritage places is harnessing technologies for learning purposes (Cantoni, Botturi & Succi, 2007; Cantoni, Kalbaska & Inversini, 2009) and possibly introducing gamification features. Gamification applications can already be found in the tourism sector, used for increasing motivation of tourists, in co-creation of touristic experiences,

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for marketing purposes, in client engagement, human recourses training and other (Xu et al., 2015; Weber, 2014; Cantoni & Kalbaska, 2010).