Artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly transforming heritage tourism through the incorporation of technological solutions that reconfigure the ways in which cultural heritage is conserved, interpreted, and experienced. This article presents a critical and systematic review of current AI applications in this field, with a special focus on their impact on destination management, the personalization of tourist experiences, universal accessibility, and the preservation of both tangible and intangible assets. Based on an analysis of the scientific literature and international use cases, key technologies such as machine learning, computer vision, generative models, and recommendation systems are identified. These tools enable everything from the virtual reconstruction of historical sites to the development of intelligent cultural assistants and adaptive tours, improving the visitor experience and promoting inclusion. This study also examines the main ethical, technical, and epistemological challenges associated with this transformation, including algorithmic surveillance, data protection, interoperability between platforms, the digital divide, and the reconfiguration of heritage knowledge production processes. In conclusion, this study argues that AI, when implemented in accordance with principles of responsibility, sustainability, and cultural sensitivity, can serve as a strategic instrument for ensuring the accessibility, representativeness, and social relevance of cultural heritage in the digital age. However, its effective integration necessitates the development of sector-specific ethical frameworks, inclusive governance models, and sustainable technological implementation strategies that promote equity, community participation, and long-term viability. Furthermore, this article highlights the need for empirical research to assess the actual impact of these technologies and for the creation of indicators to evaluate their effectiveness, fairness, and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Tourist activity offers numerous possibilities for socioeconomic growth while promoting the dissemination, recognition, and appreciation of heritage. Nevertheless, tourism based on a mercantilist approach, oriented mainly towards the maximization of economic benefits and the massive attraction of visitors, can pose a threat to the conservation and integrity of heritage assets. In this panorama of vulnerability, heritage education stands as a primary strategy to resolve the tensions between heritage and tourism. Based on this premise, research aimed at stimulating tourism activity committed to education and sustainability is presented. Said study is framed in three counties of the region of Extremadura, selected for being great centers of tourist attraction: the Monfragüe National Park, the Villuercas-Ibores-Jara Geopark, and the monumental city of Trujillo. The results reveal that introducing educational principles is decisive in improving the value and competitiveness of tourist destinations and contributing to regional development. Despite this, the approaches of heritage education are not yet sufficiently integrated into tourism plans, which distances the territories from sustainability.

Dehesas constitute one of the most relevant and traditional landscapes of the Extremadura region. However, the supremacy given to the economic–productive functionality of agricultural territories over environmental and cultural sustainability leads to the devaluation and neglect of the heritage manifestations of the rural world. Based on this premise, this study aimed to understand the current situation of some of the traditional trades of the Extremadura pasture, assessing the benefits of their conservation and determining the possible threats that hinder their preservation. In addition, it sought to articulate a proposal for solutions aimed at safeguarding them. To this end, the Delphi method was used, and 20 experts were interviewed in depth, mainly cork and charcoal extractors. The results corroborate the existence of various problems faced by the traditional trades, which compromise the conservation of the identity of the rural population and the sustainability of the dehesa. To mitigate these tensions, it was concluded that there is a need to disseminate the heritage of the dehesa through educational and agrotourism experiences to promote an increase in tourist awareness, revalue ancestral knowledge, and contribute to the conservation of intangible assets.

One of the purposes of heritage education is to raise awareness about the need to value, respect and protect heritage. This same commitment should guide tourism activity, in order to reduce its negative impacts and contribute to sustainability. Considering the close relationship that should exist among education, heritage and tourism, the objective of this work is to know how many scientific publications contemplate this trinomial as an object of study and how they address this relationship. For this, we have reviewed Spanish language journals, mostly integrated in Education category, with the highest impact factor indexed in Journal Citation Report and Scopus, between 2000-2018. Likewise, we have selected the research collected in the Web of Science that covers this topic, regardless of the journal that publishes them. The results of this analysis reveal the low visibility of the education, heritage and tourism trinomial in the selected journals. Specifically, most of the studies that consider this subject come from Latin American journals. Based on these findings, a critical interdisciplinary analysis was carried out, which reveals the need to integrate educational and pedagogical strategies during tourism experiences, considering them an ideal place for their development. In short, this study disseminates the need to include heritage education in leisure experiences to manage tourism activity in a sustainable way and, thus, contribute to the conservation of spaces. Uno de los propósitos de la educación patrimonial es concienciar sobre la necesidad de valorar, respetar y proteger el patrimonio. Este mismo compromiso debe orientar la actividad turística, con el fin de reducir sus impactos negativos y contribuir a la sostenibilidad. Considerando el estrecho vínculo que debería establecerse entre educación, patrimonio y turismo, el objetivo de este trabajo es conocer el número de publicaciones científicas que contemplan esta relación como objeto de estudio y cómo la abordan. Para ello, se han revisado revistas de lengua castellana, en su mayoría integradas en la categoría de Educación, con mayor factor de impacto e indexadas en las bases de datos Journal Citation Report y Scopus, entre los años 2000-2018. Igualmente, se han seleccionado los trabajos recogidos en la Web of Science que abarcan esta temática, independientemente de la revista que los publica. Los resultados reflejan la escasa visibilidad que tiene el trinomio educación, patrimonio y turismo en las revistas seleccionadas. Concretamente, la mayoría de los estudios que sí consideran este asunto provienen de revistas latinoamericanas. A partir de estos hallazgos, se realizó un análisis crítico interdisciplinar, que revela la necesidad de integrar estrategias educativas y pedagógicas durante las experiencias turísticas, considerándolas un escenario idóneo para su desarrollo. En definitiva, el presente estudio difunde la necesidad de incluir la educación patrimonial en las experiencias de ocio para gestionar la actividad turística de un modo sostenible y, de este modo, contribuir a la conservación de los espacios.

The current literature considers agritourism as a valid option for promoting the development of rural areas. This would be achieved by increasing agricultural incomes. However, numerous scientific studies have revealed the difficulty in reaching a consensus on the very concept of agritourism. In addition, the definition of agritourism is rarely related to the opinion of the demand. For this reason, this research aimed to understand the idea that tourists have about this variety. To this end, more than 500 surveys were carried out, from which the tourists’ conception of agritourism and the activities it entails were deduced. Other questions were also analyzed to determine whether the conception varies between those who have already performed this type of activity and those who have not yet had the opportunity to do so. From this, we can deduct the interest that visitors have in agritourism products, evidencing their potential. This interest is deduced through the visualization of different landscapes and activities of interest to tourists. Under these four central points, the aim was to understand the aims of agritourism in Extremadura (Spain). At the methodological level, a combination of descriptive statistics and spatial statistics was used, highlighting the use of cluster analysis. The results show a significant lack of knowledge of the meaning of agritourism, especially among those who have never practiced it, and of the activities associated with it. At the same time, the selection of landscapes preferred by tourists makes it possible to establish areas with potential for the development of these activities. Likewise, knowing which activities are of interest to tourists also helps to generate complementary activities and to better target the design of agrotourism products.

The dehesas are one of the most unique and characteristic landscapes of the Extremadura region. Together with their natural values, they are an environment in which trades, knowledge and ways of life rooted in the tradition of rural communities are still developed. However, ancestral knowledge and practices are in danger of disappearing. Faced with this problem, this study is focused on the benefits of tourism, using sustainability criteria to evaluate their ability to educate and to increase awareness and sensitivity of the importance of maintaining this intangible cultural legacy. Based on this premise, the main objective is to determine and analyze tourists’ evaluations of the traditional shepherd’s trade and the educational possibilities of agritourism experiences. For this purpose, a survey was carried out among 102 tourists who visited different cheese dairies in an Extremadura region that offers agritourism experiences. In addition, this work also aims to know the current situation of the shepherd’s trade, identifying the benefits of its conservation and determining the threats that hinder its preservation. It also seeks to determine the solutions that could safeguard it. To this end, the Delphi method was used and 26 experts, mainly shepherds and shearers, were interviewed. The results reveal that tourists can identify the educational and cultural functions associated with pastoralism. They also recognize increased curiosity, empathy and environmental awareness as the main benefits derived from the tourism experience. The interviews reveal the suitability of disseminating the heritage and educational value of the dehesa through sustainable tourism experiences to increase interest in the rural world, revalue ancestral knowledge and contribute to its preservation.