Valorizing Intangible Cultural Heritage through Community-Based Tourism in Lapus Land, Transylvania

Abstract

Community-based tourism has been promoted as a means of development whereby the social, environmental, and economic needs of local communities are met through the offering of a tourism product. Local culture may be a community’s most valuable asset for tourism if planned and managed properly. Its intangible cultural heritage may provide a community with a competitive advantage and uniqueness, one that differentiates it from all other communities. However, with the increasing commodification of tourism, many smaller rural communities face several challenges in developing community-based tourism. The present paper explores the concept of community-based tourism, as a basis for the valorization of intangible cultural heritage, with a special focus on a regional tourist destination in Romania. Aiming to identify tourists’ experiences, research was conducted among Japanese visitors who discovered the intangible cultural heritage of the studied area during an academic summer camp.