"Cultural heritage refers to historico-capital regarded as an important, and visibly recognised landmark from the past and that is one of the identity factors of a tourist place. Historico-cultural capital has a few distinct characteristics which distinguish this form of capital from other types of capital, in particular, the exclusive linkage to the 'sense of place', the absense of a proper price formation system, the high degree of inconsistency of the capital good provided, and the occurrence of (spatial-) economic externalities in the supply of this capital good. Managing historico-cultural capital also a clear interface with local planning, urban architecture, environmental management and transportation policy. Thus, the modern tourist sector - in relation to cultural heritage planning - offers a very interesting but complex scene where socio-cultural forces (for example, changing tastes and lifestyles) and geographical factors (for example, spatial images and perceptions, including marketing strategies) are all important components of tourism policy." {found on page 2 of Cultural Tourism and Sustainable Local Development, edited by Luigi Fusco Girard and Peter Nijkamp, published by Ashgate Publishing Limited in England, 2009}
In essence, tourism, especially cultural/historical tourism, is a tricky beast that needs to be tackled with a cooperative approach & that is does best in places that have retained their distinct character {aka 'sense of place'}. It means a lot of other things too, but as those two ideas fit best with my personal thoughts on sustainable heritage tourism - I figured I would point them out.
