The Importance of Public Communication Campaigns for the Disclosure of World Heritage

Abstract

The cultural heritage is a crucial asset to understand the historical heritage of humanity and is an essential support to legitimize the path toward the future, since, as in the past, future generations will judge our actions, whether or not we have been able to preserve the path we have trodden to our present. It even serves to protect another good, also invaluable, the intangible heritage, nowadays very in vogue, and that begins to take the first steps in its safeguard: it is the gastronomy, songbooks written and sung, legends, the typical and ancestral clothing, among others, who write in the “skin” the history that is urgently needed to be preserved. This paper is the result of antecedent research, emanated from the doctoral thesis in Communication and Heritage, presented in 2012 at the University of Vigo, which aimed to study the importance of Communication in the award of the title of “World Heritage”, under the aegis of the UNESCO World Heritage Center (United Educational Nations, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to the urban historic oldtowns, and its contribution to the promotion of protected heritage, with a view to preserve and exploit the economic potential. This article aims to build a reflection on the public communication campaigns carried out by both the UNESCO World Heritage Center along with national and local authorities, aiming to build an image of defense of the cultural heritage, as well as the promotion of a more sustainable tourism, fundamental for the preservation of heritage and its relationship with future generations.