^{Welcome to World Heritage Catalysis}

 Our shared heritage

World Heritage, natural and cultural heritage recognised through the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (1972) for their 'Outstanding Universal Value' to humanity, embodies the wonders of nature and the creativeness of humankind. These precious sites and popular visitor attractions, bring us together in awe of the past, appreciation of presence, and hope for the future.

Travel & tourism

Travel and tourism has developed into a flourishing global growth industry benefiting individuals, communities and heritage protection around the World. But continued growth can also eventually lead to too many visitors harming the heritage sites, deteriorating the visitor experience, overwhelming the host communities, and exhausting limited resources. Before 2020, when most projections suggested continued growth in global tourism, few could have anticipated the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic exposing the vulnerability of tourism dependent communities. 

Need for a new & transformative approach

As many see the end of pandemic restrictions, there is an eagerness for tourism to recover. While culture and nature will continue to attract visitors and enable growth in existing and new tourism destinations, the effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity, resource scarcity and increasing social unrest are dark clouds on our horizon and already significant. Living on a planet of finite resources our future depends on our individual and collective abilities and efforts to cope with disruptions, adapt to changes, and transform away from unsustainable practices. 

VISION

In the future, thriving communities are adaptive and peacefully living within planetary and local boundaries. Long term sustainable wellbeing is prioritised over short term profit and exploitative growth.  

Tourism as a transformational pathway

Tourism as a transformational pathway needs to decouple the host-visitor relationship from the exploitative and extractive economy and instead support non-exploitative reciprocal exchanges. In the future, tourism can be generative by creating new products and services that contribute to the wellbeing and sustainability of the local community, or restorative by helping to maintain and strengthen ecosystems. Tourism products and services in a circular economy involving both resource and financial circularity, could contribute to a regenerative development paradigm.

Commons & commoning in transformative tourism 

Transformative change requires more than simple scaling-up of sustainability initiatives. It requires systems change through a people-centred and inclusive approach, where each and one us re-establish our relationship with nature and culture as vulnerable premises for life. To realise the transformative potential of World Heritage we believe they must be recognised and managed as commons - natural and cultural heritage belonging to humanity and cared for through community. As 'peace tables' they offer unique platforms to engage a diversity of stakeholders and specifically civil society in the practice of commoning involving a) on-going cooperation and capacity development, b) participatory problem-solving and governance, c) integrated and innovative management shaping possible and desired futures.