Abstract

The chapter outlines the main themes that emerge in discussing the futures of cultural heritage tourism in the MENA region. Six main themes are identified. The tensions between the social and economic dimensions of heritage are illustrated in the construction of heritage, especially for international and domestic tourists. These tensions are also to be found in the wat in which heritage is deliberately used by some regimes to promote certain identities. The politics of identity also strongly influences the desire by some governments to seek World Heritage status for some sites, although the extent to which the heritage significance of such sites is shared by local communities appears problematic in a number of locations. Indeed, heritage tourism, conservation, and management need to look beyond World Heritage to broader issues of attachment and meaning in generating support for heritage conservation measures. The chapter finishes on two main threats to heritage in the region. The deliberate destruction of heritage, whether as part of war and political marketing or for economic gain, and from climate change.