With material that is new and topical, this book makes an important contribution to the fields of tourism studies, cultural studies, development and planning studies, and beyond.

            Set against a backdrop of the demands, motivations and impacts of heritage tourism, the volume focuses on disputes and conflicts over what heritage is, what it means, and how it has been presented, re-presented, developed and protected. Among the questions touched upon are the ownership of heritage, its appropriate use, access to it versus conservation needs, and heritage as a commodity, as entertainment and as an educational medium.

            With conclusions based on credible methodologies and data, this is a key resource for both academic researchers and governmental agencies.

Key points

* First book to examine heritage tourism across the Southeast Asian region and from different disciplinary perspectives.
* Explores both cultural and natural heritage management pressures and responses.
* Emphasizes how local people perceive national and world heritage sites, and how they are affected by heritage management.

This is the first book to examine heritage tourism across the Southeast Asian region and from different disciplinary perspectives. With material that is new and topical, it makes an important contribution to the fields of tourism studies, cultural studies, development and planning studies, and beyond.

Set against a backdrop of the demands, motivations and impacts of heritage tourism, the volume focuses on disputes and conflicts over what heritage is, what it means, and how it has been presented, re-presented, developed and protected. It examines the different actors involved in encounters and contestation, drawing in issues of identity construction and negotiation, and requiring the contextualization of heritage in national and global processes of identity formation and transformation. Among the questions touched upon are the ownership of heritage, its appropriate use, access to it versus conservation needs, heritage as a commodity, as entertainment and as an educational medium, and the interpretation and representation of heritage forms.

The volume is more than a tourism study and of interest beyond the immediate field of tourism studies, however. It also provides ample data about the various governmental institutions and international agencies, and about how their decisions are made. Moreover, with conclusions based on credible methodologies and data, this is a key resource for both academic researchers and governmental agencies.