A symbolic landscape of Morocco is the square Jemaa el-Fna, in the Medina of Marrakech, listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Jemaa el-Fna square welcomes thousands of tourists each day, and the tourism industry is the second largest contributor to Morocco's GDP. However, the square currently faces serious threats due to urbanization and intensive tourism.This study aims to uncover the interconnections and tensions between cultural heritage and tourism, centering on Jemaa el-Fna square. Through an observational study, interviews with tourist operators and a survey for visitors, the study can reveal that tourism leads to commercialization and an overdependence on the tourism industry. The study demonstrates how institutional initiatives aim to preserve Medina's traditional and cultural aspects and thus are involved in shaping how heritage is created and maintained. The study concludes that the relationship between cultural heritage and tourism is indeed an intricate relationship. The tensions in the relationship expresses itself in the overdependence of tourism, the commercialisation of heritage and the power imbalance that has impacted the site historically and in the present. Meanwhile, the heritage tourism at the site seems to be an active process with tourists being involved in the cultural heritage they observe and engage in, making them a part in shaping the Moroccan heritage at present.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-533888 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Strömqvist, Klara, Ketuly, Maya |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Kulturgeografiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Uppsatser Kulturgeografiska institutionen |
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