Assessing the sustainability of tourism-related livelihoods in an urban World Heritage Site

Research on the Historic City of Ayutthaya reveals that tourism-related livelihoods in urban areas are inherently unsustainable when measured by self-reliance, as residents heavily depend on external sources. The study, using DFID’s Sustainable Livelihood Framework, highlights conflicts between the urban poor and both the Thai government and neighboring industrial zones due to tourism and development pressures. These tensions raise concerns about the potential loss of World Heritage status. The findings challenge traditional sustainability metrics by emphasizing that urban livelihoods cannot be evaluated solely on self-reliance, given their reliance on external inputs.

Srijuntrapun, P., Fisher, D., & Rennie, H. G. (2017). Assessing the sustainability of tourism-related livelihoods in an urban World Heritage Site. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 13(5), 395–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873x.2017.1373779