Potential of heritage as the basis for the development of town tourism: The case of Škofja Loka

• Main Author: Grafenauer Boža
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Visoka turistička škola strukovnih studija, Beograd 2015-01-01
• Series: Turističko Poslovanje
• Subjects: Škofja Loka; heritage potential; town tourism; Colourful Loka
• Online Access: http://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-3099/2015/0354-30991515075G.pdf

Škofja Loka is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Slovenia. In 1987 it was declared a cultural monument. In this article I will discuss the reasons why the town does not live in the tourist sense in spite of a huge heritage potential. The local population often sees living in the old part of the town as an obstacle, tourists do not stay in the town for more than two hours, important events at- tract a large number of people only a few times per year which is not enough for the old part of the town to live on tourism, and consequently it is slowly dying. Why is Škofja Loka a town which is not able to apply its own cultural heritage and create a very interesting and attractive tourist story? Škofja Loka does have stories which represent timelessness and the ability to connect different time periods. I linked its potential different brand name and I will show how the heritage can be a potential and basis for the development of town tourism, not linked only to a few one-off events.