Finding Balance: Tourism and Heritage in Cuenca’s Historic Center

On July 29, 2025, in Cuenca’s Historic Center, the PREIT-tour and Ciudad Patrimonio Mundial research teams convened a focus group with experts in the economic, cultural, social, and environmental fields 😊.

The goal was to validate and refine the indicators drawn from the systematic literature review 📚 on balancing tourism and cultural heritage, as well as from the previous “Heritage, Leisure, and Tourism” project 🏛️.

Three integrated breakout sessions tackled social, cultural, economic, and environmental perspectives—anchored by sustainability as a guiding principle 🌱💵🎭. Each session generated rich discussions, from economic impacts and heritage valuation to social cohesion and environmental stewardship.

We’ve already systematized all team contributions, weaving in key insights and fine-tuning our glocal indicators for urban sustainability.

With this progress, the “Balancing Tourism and Heritage” project solidifies its findings and deepens collaboration between researchers and local stakeholders 🌍🏛️. Next, we’ll gather input directly from Cuenca’s residents through participatory methodologies.

Photo credits: Mateo Erazo, 2025