The Impact of UNESCO Sites on International Tourism: The Relationship between Cultural Heritage and International Tourism Arrivals
Lucia UDERIANOVÁ – Paulína KRNÁČOVÁ
https://doi.org/10.53465/CEECBE.2025.9788022552257.363-375
Abstract: Cultural heritage represents a key factor in destination attractiveness, with UNESCO World Heritage Sites playing a significant role in tourists decision-making processes. The aim of this paper was to explore the relationship between the number of UNESCO sites and the intensity of international tourism, measured by the number of tourist arrivals. A quantitative approach was adopted, using an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model, based on 2019 data from UNESCO and the World Bank. The analysis suggests that each additional UNESCO site is associated with an average increase of 2.03 million international tourist arrivals, with the model explaining 57.09% of the variance. While the results emphasize the potential contribution of cultural heritage to tourism development, they also highlight the need for cautious interpretation due to methodological limitations and the absence of causality testing.
Keywords: Cultural Heritage, UNESCO World Heritage, Tourism Demand, Destination Attractiveness, Economic Development, Regression Analysis
JEL Classification codes: Z32
Fulltext: PDF
Published by: Vydavateľstvo EKONÓM, Bratislava University of Economics and Business
Year of publication: 2025
Online publication date: 16 May 2025
Copyright: Author/s of the paper
ISBN 978-80-225-5225-7
ISSN 2453-6113
Pages 363 – 375