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.

The harmonious development of tourism activity in rural areas must be based on effective tourism plans adapted to the territory. To achieve this, it is necessary that the tourist potential of the area be taken into consideration. However, the tourist attraction capacity is not always considered, which has led to a significant increase in the number of rural lodgings. This has caused strong imbalances in Extremadura, Spain. On the basis of this premise, in this research study, we aim to determine whether there is an adjustment between the main factors that attract rural tourists to the study area. To determine this, we make use of different geostatistical procedures based on spatially weighted regression models (GWR and MGWR). A comparative study is conducted using these models, on the basis of which it is deduced that one type of regression offers advantages over the other. However, the results show that neither regression models can explain the presence of rural accommodation in places that do not meet the requirements demanded by tourists. This fact shows that the increase in the supply of rural accommodation follows unsuitable patterns in some cases, which translates into numerous problems, such as low occupancy levels. In this study, it is concluded that there is no strong relationship between the attractiveness of a territory and its volume of supply, highlighting the need to rethink tourism plans in order to adjust them relative to reality.

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.

Cultural references are evident and expressive in literature and painting landscape. In the last two centuries, cultural features have been building a complex concept of landscape. The analysis and interpretation of the natural and human phenomena of the landscape has incorporated emotion, sensitivity and identity, among other characteristics. This contribution to landscape meaning needs to be incorporated into the corpus of education from Geography. This paper shows the landscape in the arts and its appearance in the succession of geographic paradigms. The exceptional scientific or aesthetic value of places protected originates the recognition of natural and cultural landscapes. In all of them, there are heritage elements, the identification and assessment of which contributes to enhancing the value of the landscape and heritage. Thus, new features of meaning appear on the landscape, such as sensations, emotions and cultural identities. These features come from artistic interventions and historical interpretations on the landscape. And it is also necessary to highlight the sensitive interpretations that, taking diversity into account, configure the landscape. Las referencias culturales del paisaje resultan evidentes y expresivas en la literatura y en la pintura. En los dos últimos siglos, los rasgos culturales han ido nutriendo un concepto complejo del paisaje. El análisis e interpretación de los fenómenos naturales y humanos del paisaje ha incorporado la emotividad, la sensibilidad y la identidad, entre otros factores. Esta aportación de significado al paisaje necesita ser incorporado al corpus de la educación desde la Geografía. El artículo presenta el paisaje en las artes y su aparición en la sucesión de paradigmas geográficos. El excepcional valor científico o estético de las diferentes figuras de protección de lugares, mediante convenios y disposiciones legales, origina el reconocimiento de paisajes naturales y culturales. En todos ellos, hay elementos patrimoniales, cuya identificación y valoración, contribuye a poner en valor el paisaje y el patrimonio. Así, hay nuevos matices de significado sobre el paisaje, como son las sensaciones, las emociones y las identidades culturales. Estos matices provienen de las intervenciones artísticas e interpretaciones históricas sobre el paisaje. Y también hay que considerar las interpretaciones sensitivas que, atendiendo a la diversidad, configuran el paisaje.