Heritage Hospitality and Sustainable Tourism in Mountain Cultural Landscapes: The Case of Zagori Within the UNESCO Framework

Heritage hospitality, driven by public policy incentives rather than market forces, has emerged as a key strategy for sustainable tourism and population resilience in mountain cultural landscapes. A study of Zagori, Greecereveals that targeted development policies, particularly those promoting small-scale, high-altitude enterprises, can mitigate population decline while preserving built heritage. Unlike spontaneous growth models, this approach fosters a micro-network of hotels that integrate local entrepreneurship with cultural conservation. Spatial and quantitative analysis of Zagori’s evolution from 1982 to 2022 demonstrates that diversified tourism infrastructure, when aligned with heritage preservation, sustains vitality in remote settlements. Conversely, policy gaps or overconcentration lead to stagnation, highlighting the need for adaptive reuse frameworks to balance conservation, development, and demographic outcomes.

Tsamos, G., Vlami, A., Sarantakou, E., & Christidou, A. (2025). Heritage Hospitality and Sustainable Tourism in Mountain Cultural Landscapes: The Case of Zagori Within the UNESCO Framework. Heritage, 8(12), 523. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8120523