The Role of Eco-Heritage Tourism in Achieving Sustainable Development (Applied to The Great Transfiguration at Saint Catherine’s)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Tourism & Hotels-Alexandria University

2 Faculty of Tourism & Hotels, Alexandria University

3 High Institute of Tourism and Hotels in Alexandria (EGOTH)

Abstract

This study aims to highlight on the importance of sustaining the Eco- cultural heritage (whether economic, social, or environmental) and preserving the eco-cultural heritage in the St. Catherine area, especially the Great Transfiguration Project.
Whereas sustainable cultural and eco- heritage tourism is one of the important tourism activities that has a role in increasing the ability of the tourism sector in the region to grow and prosper, as well as its role in achieving the goals of the sustainable tourism development strategy,
The study aims, through its theoretical study, to highlight on the importance of eco-heritage tourism and its connection to sustainable tourism development in its various dimensions, and also to focus on the St. Catherine area, especially the Great Transfiguration Project, and the extent of the importance of its achievements in relation to eco-heritage tourism, and the extent to which this is related to achieving the objectives of the sustainable tourism development strategy.
While the study, in its practical framework, relies on distributing an electronic questionnaire to 567 individuals from all parties concerned with development work in the St. Catherine region and tourism work there in general, the results were analyzed through PLS-SEM technology, and the results concluded that there is an effective positive impact of environmental heritage tourism for the Great Transfiguration Project. In the St. Catherine area, achieving the goals of sustainable tourism development, whether social, environmental, or economic, contributes to achieving the goals of the sustainable tourism development strategy.

Keywords