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1. Introduction
The debate on tourism sustainability and its contribution to local development has been very active, especially in connection with such destinations as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) world heritage sites (WHSs), the preservation of which has been recognised to be of the utmost importance.
By 2015, there were 1,031 properties in 131 countries worldwide recognised as UNESCO WHSs, which are places with outstanding cultural and/or natural universal value (OUV), according to the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, signed in 1972. While the central emphasis of the Convention is to protect and preserve heritage, its presentation is included among UNESCO’s goals. Therefore, one key challenge is to reconcile the preservation of WHSs and tourism, to communicate sites’ heritage value both online and off and to foster responsible and respectful behaviour among visitors. The main strategy to achieve these goals involves the sustainable commitment of the authorities, the economic system and the local community. Due to their impact on sites, tourists also must be informed as to how to behave properly to play their fundamental role in local sustainable development; the best way to achieve this is through sustainable tourism that takes advantage of both online and offline tools.
While online tools are very widely used, it must be taken into account that many travellers do not use information and communication technology (ICT) while planning their travel, whether due to a lack of interest or the absence of internet connections or devices that connect to the internet. It is also a matter of fact that ICT is increasingly used in tourism because it may help fulfil the goal of presenting a location; the pervasiveness of ICT within the tourism experience and industry has called for more research on how ICT can help to reach sustainable tourism goals generally and in connection to WHSs specifically.
Online access to WHSs and their importance could be broadened for people who are not able to visit them in person, whereas responsible and sustainable tourism is actively supported by those who can visit them if they are informed by ICT that interacts with and educates tourists, raising their awareness and ultimately prompting them to behave more responsibly to maintain the...