Effects and contributions of UNESCO world heritage criteria to the protection of the historical environment and tourism in Turkey

All the destructions experienced by humanity, especially wars, mean the destruction of their production. Culture, which we can describe as what we do with the simplest definition, is also affected by these destructions, and as humanity, we lose our heritage, in other words, our material and spiritual savings. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in its mission as an international organization established after the Second World War to work to prevent humanity from experiencing similar destructions again; It is stated that no development can be sustainable without the inclusion of culture, and only human-centered mutual respect and intercultural dialogue will ensure lasting peace. In addition, the importance of cooperation was emphasized in order to protect the cultural and natural heritage in the world we live in, to combat climate change and poverty, to eliminate inequality and to end conflicts. An important tool (as well as its purpose) of the UNESCO mission has been identified as protecting the historical environment. In addition, it has been stated that tourism is one of the subjects with which intensive cooperation is made to ensure peace and improve the quality of life of people on earth. The approach that inspired the subject of our study has been the mission of UNESCO. World heritage criteria are an important tool that enables the realization of the UNESCO mission. To be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, the sites must have an outstanding universal value (OUV) and meet one of the 10 selection criteria. The World Heritage List, which is determined by the universal framework drawn by these criteria, makes significant impacts and contributions both to the protection of the historical environment and to tourism as a field of cooperation. In Türkiye, many studies are carried out by public, civil and academic institutions in order to reach the level of compliance with universal principles and effective implementation regarding the protection of the historical environment. One of the most important reasons for this is the accumulation of civilization on the land we live on and our responsibilities towards universal culture. On the other hand, Türkiye also has an important tourism industry. In the new situation that emerged with the development and change of tourism, the importance of the existing culture and tourism cooperation or interaction has increased. The said cooperation should be carried out with the principle of sustainability within the framework of sensitivity and responsibilities regarding the historical environment. Although the preservation of the historical environment and tourism seem to be two opposite fields, today, with the help of different disciplines, they are accepted as areas of cooperation due to universal principles and internationally accepted texts and practices. In our study, the UNESCO World Heritage Criteria constitute an important motivation in the protection of the historical environment and the interaction of the World Heritage Sites, which are determined by the effect of these criteria, with historical environmental protection and cultural tourism has been investigated. Today, the UNESCO convention spearheads the desire for a universal balance between cultural heritage (human interactions) and the need to protect our environment (natural heritage). Regarding our subject, the aim of UNESCO is to increase the awareness of conservation and tourism development. The concepts of universal value and heritage of humanity are the supporters of the concept of conservation awareness. While carrying out its mission with normative and compelling actions, UNESCO emphasizes reliability, protection, capacity building and communication for World Heritage Sites; It officially confirms the priority of local people in order to prevent the weakening of the said values and concepts by prioritizing tourism. Moving from this framework, the aim of the thesis topic is to examine the effects and contributions of the UNESCO mission, embodied in the UNESCO World Heritage Criteria in Türkiye, to the protection of the historical environment and the cultural tourism movement of the destination; to reveal the nature of the cooperation of culture and tourism fields. Today, there is an increasing and diversifying cooperation in the fields of culture and tourism. Various effects and benefits of this cooperation are also stated by international organizations such as UNESCO, UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization), EU (European Union), which have duties in these fields; joint projects, conferences, etc. As a result, universal principles and rules are determined to shed light on the practices in the field. At this point, the issues of observing, protecting, developing and increasing cooperation with regard to culture, tourism and the environment come to the fore. According to UNESCO, the World Heritage Criteria are seen both as a tool of cultural preservation and as a means of sustainability, increasing mutual respect, contributing to intercultural dialogue and guaranteeing peace. One of the most important results of the inclusion of cultural, natural or mixed assets in the World Heritage List as one of the tools of this mission is tourism. As a tourism-related organization, UNWTO has prioritized cooperation in these areas in order to reduce the negative effects of tourism, increase its social benefits and meet international targets related to the historical environment. Both organizations cooperate to promote the concept of sustainable tourism together. In this direction, it is observed that studies conducted with an interdisciplinary approach in the academic field have increased. At the current stage, while we see that efforts to enter the UNESCO World Heritage List have increased, there is also a trend showing that the awareness of historical environmental protection has become widespread. It is thought that all these developments are the result of the said cooperation. While the trend in the world is in this direction, considering the historical environment and cultural tourism sensitivities of Türkiye, which is rich in cultural and natural assets and also an important tourism country, which forms the framework of the subject of this study, understanding the nature of the relationship and cooperation between these areas and management accordingly. Putting the vision into practice must be prioritized. In our study: In the introduction, the subject, scope, importance, research questions, limitations and the method of the study are explained. In the first chapter, the understanding of historical environment and conservation has been discussed and its conceptual basis has been established. The point where our understanding of protecting the historical environment has come and the quality of cooperation with tourism has been emphasized with an interdisciplinary point of view. In the second part, in which the UNESCO World Heritage Concept and Criteria are examined, the concrete tools of the UNESCO mission, which also inspired the subject of our study, and related concepts, historical process and understanding were examined. The framework understanding created by the World Heritage criteria and the impact of World Heritage Sites on tourism have been tried to be emphasized. In the third part, the development of tourism and its interaction with the historical environment, and in the fourth part, the Historical Environment and Tourism Policies in Türkiye are examined and the situation in our country is explained; It has been tried to determine the reflections of the universal principle and approach, underlined by the UNESCO mission and limited to the subject of our thesis, in Türkiye. After all; In accordance with the developments in the world and as supported by the relevant international organizations, the field of cooperation between culture and tourism in general is embodied in a phenomenon that we can call cultural tourism or heritage tourism between historical environment and tourism. This is pioneered by the World Heritage criteria and the assets on the World Heritage List within the framework of the UNESCO mission. The cooperation in question is expressed in the international literature with the term "synergy", which is a biology term but also frequently used in social sciences. There is also a common view that this characterization is a "symbiotic" relationship, which is also a biology term. The view that the two areas can provide more benefits to each other in accordance with the "common life" is increasingly established. All these developments also include/should cover global goals and responsibilities regarding culture, tourism and the environment. The global problems facing the world are also closely related to the historical environment and tourism. For this reason, it has become necessary to review and re-evaluate the administrative systems for the fields related to our subject in accordance with universal principles and responsibilities. Due to the fact that the perception of tourism in our country is predominantly mass tourism, it is witnessed that the culture and tourism cooperation, which is the basis of our study, cannot fulfill its mission from time to time with the compelling effect of tourism. The way to avoid this would be to encourage different disciplines to work in this field, taking into account the diverse structure and characteristics of tourism, and to reveal the fact that it is an area that concerns all life. Thus, responsibilities and sustainability principles in the interaction of tourism and historical environment can be brought to the fore, and a ground can be formed for the establishment of an understanding that will benefit both areas and that the needs of the earth and people will be taken care of together.