URBAN CULTURAL TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Cultural tourism plays an important role in shaping the environment to meet the needs of consumers. The growth of cultural consumption and the industries that cater to it has fuelled the "symbolic economy" of cities. This paper focuses on the role of cultural tourism in the socio-economic development of urban areas, with emphasis on marketing principles and practices. To achieve this, an analytical-descriptive methodology and a gradual approach were followed, starting with the examination of the nature of urban cultural tourism and the discussion of approaches in defining it. The study continued with the presentation of the principles of sustainable cultural tourism in urban areas, followed by the exposure of the variety of ethical issues and social responsibility challenges facing the urban cultural tourism sector, and then ending with the presentation of the methodologies that were developed for the identification and evaluation of the cultural assets and the development of tourism marketing strategies.