The enhacement of cultural heritage in phase of disappearance. An opportunity for inland territories. The cases of the monasteries of Vilabertrán, Scala Dei and Escornalbou, in Catalonia
The enhacement of cultural heritage in phase of disappearance. An opportunity for inland territories. The cases of the monasteries of Vilabertrán, Scala Dei and Escornalbou, in Catalonia
La puesta en valor turístico del patrimonio cultural en fase de desaparición. Una oportunidad para los territorios de interior. Los casos de los monasterios de Vilabertran, Scala Dei y Escornalbou, en Catalunya
Resumo: Inland territories with an important cultural heritage but which are in the process of deterioration have the opportunity to restore and rehabilitate this heritage, enhancing its tourism value. In this way, not only do they reinforce the feeling of local identity and promote their culture but also help their economic development, receiving new visitors, eager to consume culture and history. As well as rediscovering these monumental groups, having previously been informed of the main characteristics of the visit, these visitors also make other additional expenditures in the surrounding areas. This creates new jobs and improves the personal income of the local community. This study analyses the evolution of the annual number of visitors received over the last fifteen years in three religious complexes that had been abandoned and destroyed after the Mendizábal disentailment law. Their restoration has positioned them within the tourist and cultural circuit of the Catalan monasteries. A series of official and descriptive statistical data has been used for the analysis, together with the results of a random personal survey of visitors to these monuments. The results of this survey confirm a high degree of satisfaction with the visit and the willingness of the visitors to return or at least promote it
