Analisis de la participación de las comunidades locales en la gestión de sitios Patrimonio de la Humanidad. El caso del Parque Arqueológico de Petra (Jordania)

Sumario: [EN] The involvement of local communities in the management of sites that contain natural and cultural heritage, is one of the strategies adopted this past decade by international organizations dedicated to the conservation and protection of heritage. On the other hand, heritage sites constitute a basic reference of cultural and natural acclaimed tourism destinations in many countries, especially is the case of sites that have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The theory that underpins the participatory approach is that greater levels of community integration in the planning and management of heritage, facilitates the implementation of efficient conservation policies. From the tourism viewpoint, the support and participation of the community in the planning of a tourism destination entails higher levels of community empowerment, improves the distribution of benefits in the host community, saves time and money as the community can help identify problems that may have been overlooked. Also it is assumed that a happier community may be responsible for a better visitor satisfaction. Despite the many advantages of participatory approaches, the full participation of local communities in the management of heritage resources remains unattended in most tourist destinations. As a result many conflicts between the involved parties have been detected. Given this problem, this research seeks to identify the factors that help implement participatory models, as well as the obstacles and constrains for participation. Consequently, an analysis of case studies has been done in order to determine how these communities participate in heritage sites. Furthermore an analysis of participation has been conducted taking the Petra Archaeological Park in Jordan as a case study. The results of this research have shown that there are several factors that encourage and enhance community participation in the conservation and tourism development of a destination. Forming associations, conflict resolution, and participation in the distribution of economic and social benefits. Implementing participatory instruments in management plans showing how a community should be involved in the decision making process, helps improve the relationships between those who behold power and those without. The results obtained from the Petra Region show that the site is still in an early stage of local community involvement. The most notable obstacles detected are the centralization of power by local authorities, low participation of local community in the decision making process, lack of training of the local community to make sound decisions. Furthermore, cultural impediments related to local traditions and customs prevent the participation of women in the management of this destination. The results and recommendations of this research contribute to the body of tourism literature in that it provides elements and guidelines that can improve the management and planning of heritage destinations. Encouraging better relationships between the involved parties and finding a balance between conservation, tourism and local development.