In rural areas, cultural tourism is usually considered a driving force of socio-economic improvement. But what potential does cultural tourism unlock in a tourism-saturated alpine destination – apart from folklore-related offerings? What roles do mass tourism as well as the culture and politics of tourism play in this? For the Tirol region, this book reflects on new kinds of cultural tourism as a catalyst for cultural sustainability. Alongside discourse analyses and empirical research, an exclusive essay from Ulrich Fuchs (member of the EU panel for the selection, support, and evaluation of future European Capitals of Culture, among other things) illustrates sociopolitical potentials and visions of cultural sustainability using the example of the European Capital of Culture.
