Cultural heritage and tourism: Learning from Lefkara, Cyprus

Lefkara village is located in the Southern part of Cyprus and it is an important district in terms of intangible and tangible cultural heritage. The village took the name from the traditional lace making (known as Lefkara or Lefkaritika). Lefkara is a traditional lace work that is recognized on the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage List for protecting the intangible cultural heritage. The village is an important tourist attraction point. Many tourists from different countries as well as local people visit the village to experience local culture. The aim of the research is to question the relationship between cultural heritage and tourism through the case of Lefkara village. As the method of the study, the village is observed through site survey and evaluations have been done. In the light of the data obtained from this observation, a SWOT analysis was made to evaluate the cultural heritage in terms of cultural tourism. Within the scope of the study, strengths and opportunities of Lefkara village is discussed and also, weakness and threats is defined. As a result, future scenarios for the village is discussed and strategies is proposed to for the continuity of the cultural heritage tourism in the light of the SWOT analysis.