Sacred World Heritage Sites: Balancing Meaning with Management

This article reviews the characteristics of the 166 World Heritage Sites (WHS) (29% of the List) which are of sacred or religious significance. They belong to many different religious traditions, but are predominantly (51%) of Christian affiliation and located in the northern hemisphere. Sacred sites are examined within the contextual framework of contemporary cultural tourism, highlighting the particular management challenges faced in balancing site conservation with enhanced visitor experience, while retaining a sense of the numinous.