The Sustainable Tourism Management of Cultural Heritage: the Case of the Rosas Mine in Sardinia

The paper focuses on the management of an ex mine complex listed as a UNESCO geopark, located in Sardinia (Italy), in which cultural and hospitality services are provided for visitors. First, it aims to explore a local community’s attempt to re-appropriate its former mining territory and seek a tailor-made sustainable development approach to manage its cultural and industrial heritage. Then, it analyses the organisational framework and sustainable management model of the Rosas mine village aimed at generating value both for local people and tourists, within a broader conceptual framework in which the tangible and intangible resources that comprise a milieu are crucial for implementing sustainable tourism development policies. The study was carried out using a qualitative approach, and methods adopted included case-study research and interviews with stakeholders. The main result reveals the performance of a challenging business model, based on a novel approach to the management of public-private heritage in a depressed area, inspired by the sustainable reinvention of its local heritage. The purpose of the study was to investigate a case of sustainable management heritage that might be applied in similar contexts. It may hopefully be the basis for future investigation as a case in itself, and for comparative research particularly in sustainable business models for heritage management.