TERRITORIAL PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TO STRENGTHEN CULTURAL TOURISM: HERITAGE AREA OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF LEÓN, NICARAGUA

Abstract

The International Council of Monuments and Historic Sites (ICOMOS) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), through the International Charter for the Conservation of Populations and Historical Urban Areas (Letter of Washington, 1987) indicates that all the urban ensembles of the world are the material expression of the diversity of societies throughout history. Therefore, it is necessary to define objectives, methods and instruments to preserve the quality of their populations and to promote harmony between individual and collective life in them, perpetuating the heritage of humanity. The city of León Nicaragua houses the largest and most diverse historical and cultural heritage of Nicaragua and the most important in Central America. The main objective of this article is to show the partial results of the participatory management for the sustainable use of cultural resources in the heritage area of this city. By implementing coordination processes between public, private and local groups, different strategic lines were defined for the implementation of sustainable cultural tourism and zoning the city's cultural heritage area as part of a proposal for the territorial planning plan of the Historic Center of León for the year 2017.