World Heritage, Tourism Destination and Agricultural Heritage Landscape: The Case of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, Canada

This article illustrates the relationship of designated heritage sites, agriculture and the impacts of tourism. The UNESCO World Heritage Site designation appoints sites with the title of outstanding universal value which recognizes the importance of evolution of people, areas and history. Grand Pre In Nova Scotia is a place in Canada which is rich in history and legacy. It was founded by the French Acadians in 1680 which were highly dependent on the rich agriculture in the area. They upheld the land for over 300 years using environmental management farming approaches which is highly unique in today\&$\#$39;s time. Grand Pre is also a memorial site for those that were impacted by the Acadian Deportation which was an obligatory mass migration in the province. Due to these elements, in February 2011, the site was presented to UNESCO for designation and by 2012 it became Canada\&$\#$39;s 16th World Heritage site. Due to Nova Scotia\&$\#$39;s dependence on agricultural activity and the decline of farms in the last 60 years, many stakeholders have high expectations for the designation. Many stakeholders such as the government, farmers and organizations hope that tourism from the UNESCO title will bring economic and social contribution to the local communities and improve people\&$\#$39;s quality of life by diversifying the economy. The article continues to describe other examples of designation and their varying outcomes. Wanda illustrates that heritage status provides more conservation, increases partnerships, influences people\&$\#$39;s education in the area as well as improves the probability for additional funding. Additionally, the designation can improve and conserve the traditional farming methods that are implemented in the area by indicating the method\&$\#$39;s value to designation. However, despite these positive attributes, Wanda indicates that the tourism benefits vary greatly depending on the planning, site location and the balance between negative and positive tourism. Thus, for Grand Pre, the results are still unknown and the benefits cannot be measured at this time.