The modern international experience shows that a significant property carries definite benefits: it is resource for sustainable development and factor for quality of living. These benefits reach their climax namely in cases with World Heritage Sites. The outstanding universal value makes environment unique and attractive in a global world like ours, stimulates interests and investment.
The World Heritage Sites are image resource with universal dimensions. The state, having such properties on its territory, manifests as part of the world cultural area, treasury of values, significant “for present and future generations of all humanity”. On the other hand, it demonstrates its civilization skills to preserve in a sustainable way the universal values.
The World Heritage Sites are also economic resource that strongly exhibits especially in the field of cultural tourism. According to the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter (Mexico, 1999) this kind of tourism reflects the interaction between cultural heritage and tourism, as well as the fact that the cultural and natural heritage, together with diversities and living cultures, are major tourism attractions. International experience shows that the economic benefits from a definite heritage site should not be evaluated narrow-mindedly, only considering the direct profitableness from the investments in its conservation. These benefits should be evaluated globally, according to the final result of all incomes that the site provides at national scale, as an attractive destination for the tourists visiting the country.
The contemporary cultural tourism uses most effectively the economic potential of the cultural heritage, if the following key requirements are considered:
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Defining of a complex cultural tourism product, that integrates the site to the respective infrastructures to it: tourist, information and transport;
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Providing of sustainable cultural tourism, that preserves the outstanding universal value, the authenticity and integrity of the site; it is important to regulate definite sums struck from tourism, directed to the conservation of the cultural heritage;
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Creating of network of local cultural tourism routes, related to the networks of the cultural roads of multi-municipal, regional, European and world levels – thus including the cultural tourism product in the widest cultural and tourist area;
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Providing central role to local population, creating the spirit of hospitability, sharing its traditions, crafts and skills; for that aim is provided public support and specialised education; employment is raised related to the maintenance, promotion and management of the site;
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Organising of all-year cultural tourism based on annual cultural calendar;
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Providing of the participation of contemporary arts in the historic town; turning the site into a living cultural stage, with a spirit of creativity and artistry; international experience shows that the historic town possessing these qualities is interesting and nice for living, for young people as well; it favours the innovation business that attracts foreign investments and stimulates the economic development;
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Application of innovations in tourism – effective management, contemporary marketing, advertisement, etc.
The analysis of international experience in this field leads to the conclusion that the benefits from the site should be assessed in the full range of its image and economic effect on the development of the town, the municipality, the region and the country as a whole.