Cultural heritage tourism in North Cyprus: findings from in-depth interviews with experts

Purpose Heritage tourism is vital to the preservation of cultural resources and economic growth and tourism can be utilized to protect and promote cultural heritage. However, if cultural heritage tourism is not developed following sustainable development principles, it can negatively affect a region's cultural legacy. This study aims to analyze expert opinion on sustainable heritage tourism in the geographical setting of North Cyprus. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative method was used to conduct in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews with seven heritage tourism experts in North Cyprus. Theme analysis of the transcripts was undertaken and triangulated utilizing the automated content and thematic analysis capabilities of the Leximancer software program. Findings The analysis revealed six themes in descriptions of sustainable cultural heritage tourism provided by the experts. These are “history”; “promotion”; “institutions”; “protection and maintenance”; “museums” and “technology”. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to analyze the key aspects affecting the long-term viability of cultural heritage tourism in North Cyprus.