Our fast-paced world has brought about some incredible changes that have benefited the growth and development of tourism globally. Today, travel has been made easy and accessible to a wider range of people; many can travel to dream destinations once believed too far out of reach. The hope is that this will instill in our future generations a greater awareness and appreciation of world heritage sites around the globe, inspiring a better understanding and acceptance of cultural diversity. There is the accepted belief that travel enriches us all, giving us greater knowledge and insight about other cultures and the world we live in.

But all of this has a downside. The growing numbers of travellers has had negative impact on many of these destinations that ought to be protected for their profound contribution to history and culture. Sustainable management of tourism is one of the most pressing challenges facing us today. Just think of the paradox of how the growth of tourism has brought millions of visitors to these cherished sites, creating a great appreciation of them, but at the same time just the presence of these growing numbers of visitors is causing damage to these very sites that need to be protected.