Supporting the Planning Management of UNESCO Sites: A Literature Review Between Urban Showcase and Gentrification

Fostering tourism with UNESCO World Heritage sites needs to address sustainability by balancing the preservation of cultural heritage, local economic growth, and tourism enhancement. Despite tourism is one of the sectors of the economy which can increase economic attractiveness, with benefits on local employment, real estate prices, or social capital, it could also increase costs sustained by cities and territories, require to adapt their system’s rules to a different entity of flows, manage and avoid the risk of gentrification and displacement of local residents. Within this context, the present contribution examines the complex dynamics behind sustainable tourism management with particular reference to UNESCO World Heritage sites. This research work develops a literature review presented through the PRISMA approach (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) to deliver to public bodies a synthesis of the relevant scientific documents to identify a set of multidimensional assessment tools for achieving a sustainable tourism planning in their contexts. The outputs may be of decision-aiding utility for local public bodies, urban planners, and local communities to balance tourismmanagementwith heritage preservation and social well-being. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on sustainable tourism management and planning in urban contexts by highlighting the UNESCO challenges and proposing a systematic approach to assess and manage tourism. The relevance of adopting a multidimensional approach may contribute to envisioning winning strategies for safeguarding cultural assets and urban development.