«Cultural tourism is that form of tourism the objective of which, among others, is to be acquainted with monuments and historic-artistic sites. It exerts a really positive on them as it contributes – in order to satisfy its own ends – to their maintenance and protection. This form of tourism justifies, in fact, the efforts that such maintenance and protection demand from the human community, due to the socio-cultural and economic benefits that it implies for all the population involved.»
(Charter of Cultural Tourism adopted by ICOMOS on November 1976)
In the past few years it has reached unprecedented dimensions and become a complex phenomenon that, according to how it is managed, might either open new horizons for culture or jeopardize it.
The recognized cultural assets of Latin American and Caribbean countries provides a comparative and competitive advantage because they possess the necessary potential to develop this sector, and particularly its modality known as Cultural Tourism.
That is why it is necessary to seek common strategies aimed at fomenting the development of cultural tourism, not only as peoples’ economic engine, but also as a preserver of values and of the cultural and natural heritage of our nations from an outlook that will guarantee their respect and conservation through increased knowledge among national or foreign tourists, and fruitful inter-cultural exchanges among guests and travelers that would contribute to the peoples’ economic, social and cultural development.
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