Heritage for All? Accessibility, Conservation and Governance at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cyprus

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are formally associated with outstanding universal value, yet their accessibility to all visitors remains uneven and contested. This study examines how accessibility for people with mobility impairments is conceptualised, prioritised, and negotiated within the governance of UNESCO World Heritage properties in Cyprus. Drawing on qualitative evidence from a stakeholder focus group with ten participants from heritage, tourism, the public sector, civil society, and the private sector, the study explores the institutional processes shaping accessibility outcomes. The findings identify four interrelated themes: partial and uneven accessibility provision; conservation requirements as a governing filter; fragmented governance and unclear institutional ownership; and the role of information quality, staff capacity, and perceptions of demand in shaping the visitor experience. Taken together, the themes indicate a pattern of selective inclusion, in which accessibility is acknowledged in principle but implemented unevenly and conditionally in practice. The study shows that accessibility is not merely a technical matter of physical adaptation, but a governance and service-system issue shaped by conservation priorities, institutional coordination, user consultation, and destination-level planning. The article contributes to debates on inclusive heritage management by arguing that accessibility should be embedded as an integral component of World Heritage governance rather than treated as a secondary or exceptional intervention.