The valorization of cultural heritage for regional development (“Conservation 3.0”) has been a widely used concept in the last decade. Heritage institutions and the European Union have advocated and fostered the view of cultural heritage as a place-based development potential. Therefore, this article investigates the impacts of such approaches in the context of sustainable development. It does so with a specific focus on more peripheral, (old) industrial regions in Central Europe, where industrial heritage and industrial tourism play an important role. Based on this background, this article highlights the difficulties of establishing a tourism product based on industry-related features. The product mainly serves a niche market, thereby not helping to overcome structural disadvantages of peripheral regions. The economic impacts of industrial heritage tourism on the transition towards a more sustainable regional development are rather low. Nevertheless, the case study highlights the social benefits that industry-related tourism yields in regions in transformation, forming an important pre-condition for any future development. However, ecological aspects are not widely addressed in heritage tourism in this region. Policy-wise, stakeholders in peripheral regions should be more aware of the different limits and opportunities cultural heritage utilizations can bring in terms of achieving a more sustainable regional development.

Digital transformation as a strategic goal is not new in the cultural heritage sector, yet it gained momentum due to COVID-19. This is reflected in policies and national strategies across Europe, where digitalisation is often seen as key to sustainable development. This study focuses on small heritage institutions in peripheral settings and explores the opportunities and limitations of digitalisation and its impact on sustainable regional development. A mixed-methods approach was applied, including a literature review, an online survey, focus groups, and a stakeholder interview, complemented by a case study. The findings show an uneven distribution of the perceived benefits, depending on funding, staff, and location. Nevertheless, digital transformation has positive social impacts by enhancing access to, participation in, and awareness of cultural heritage and therefore well-being. However, its economic effects in peripheral regions should not be overestimated. Digitalisation’s ecological impact on sustainable regional development is an underrepresented topic in the literature. Moreover, digitalisation is particularly challenging in peripheral regions and for smaller institutions with limited resources and should not be regarded as a guaranteed pathway towards sustainability. This paper contributes to an emerging field by examining the intersection of heritage institutions, digitalisation, and sustainable regional development in peripheral areas.

Peripheral regions are seen in the literature as disadvantaged in various dimensions, struggling to valorise their existing (cultural) assets. Networking is often considered an integral part in unlocking these assets, an approach also fostered by different regional policies. In this article, we analyse governance arrangements around tourism assets in three central European regions. The comparison provides an important input to existing discussions on cultural tourism, regional development and governance in peripheral places. The analysis shows that formal governance structures in the case study regions are often well developed but that policy‐making capacities are limited by a low stakeholder base.

Encapsulating the destination’s USPs and identity in a logo with high recognition value is a challenge DMOs face. This recognisability as key to a ‘strong brand’ is particularly based on natural resources and the attractiveness of landscapes that form the basis of touristic USP in most destinations. The paper stresses the importance of the logo and that the destination’s ‘DNA’ or identity must be transposed symbolically and naturally by integrating distinctive landscape elements into the logo. Ideally, they merge authentically and harmoniously, fostering identification among locals and tourists, brand awareness and a positive image, contributing to a strong, authentic brand. A 40% presence of landscape elements (mountains prevailed by 85%) was found in the top 50 Austrian logos.