Is Tourism Governing Conservation in Historic Towns?

Tourism has become a significant economic activity for many historic towns. Not only the wealth of history, but also the picturesque qualities and the accessible human scale of these places appeal to visitors. Increasingly, conservation attitudes in historic towns and quarters are responding to the new demands placed by the visitor and leisure economy, including an exaggerated attempt to keep everything as it is. There is a growing and noticeable emphasis on the exterior and ‘historic’ appearances of buildings in historic towns and places. This paper discusses the relationship between tourism and the externalist and historicist emphasis on conservation and development in historic towns.