Minority languages and tourism: a literature review

Cultural heritage still accounts as one of the main motivations for international tourists; recent research has observed an increasing interest in the living culture of a population as well as in minority, peripheral areas. Since UNESCO recognizes oral traditions and languages as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of a population, minority languages, i.e. local languages spoken by a minority of the population, have the potential to represent an added value, differentiate the destination, and attract tourists to the area. Using the approach of David and Han (2004) and Newbert (2007), this study aims at providing a systematic, transparent and replicable review of previous contributions regarding tourism and minority languages and identifying areas that need further research. Through a detailed coding and analysis of 52 contributions, a framework was identified. Minority languages are perceived as authentic by cultural tourists and are therefore used to differentiate the tourism experiences and promote the destination. The use of elements of the cultural heritage, like languages, as promotional material, can contribute to language preservation, thus enhancing an authentic use of the language. Tourism, on the other hand, could also lead to language endangerment, risking commodifying the use of the language in tourism experiences.