Exploring the Sustainability of Mining Heritage Tourism

Abstract

This paper considers the development of redundant coal mine sites into industrial heritage attractions as a process compatible with sustainable development objectives. An overview of literature in this field outlines existing social, environmental and economic perspectives on the sustainability of this form of tourism development. The economic aspect of the analysis includes an exploration of the sustainability of UK mining heritage attractions as viable tourism enterprises, using findings from a survey of UK mining heritage attractions undertaken in 2002.