Who Owns the Heritage? Power and Politics of Heritage Site Management in Tourism, Hampi, India

Abstract

Tourism in heritage sites pushes back on the criticism of whether or not globalization should be understood as a conflict between creation, civil rights, and the ecosystem, normative ideas often characteristic of specific grounded communities. Tourism in ancient heritage sites has been a popular form for decades and remains so. Therefore, many studies address sustainability issues in these locations by focusing on their economic and environmental aspects. By comparison, fewer studies address social sustainability in historical sites, particularly in the context of developing economies. Given the scarcity of such research, this study explores social-sustainability concerns in Hampi, India. The application of a qualitative methodology with triangulation techniques identified the objective of this study. Reflective thematic analysis identified three main themes: power, politics, and the ongoing tug of war between local people and authorities; heritage tourism development challenges in Hampi; and “what is real,” ie., the concerns of authenticity.