The Emergence of Industrial Tourism in Post-Mining Closure Areas – Project Management Models and Local Practices

Abstract

Reducing industrial activities has led to the need for identifying and implementing strategies aimed at an economic usage of affected areas pointing to the past industrial age. There are many successful examples globally of using industrial heritage in industrial tourism. In Romania, the achievements are not so advanced, although over time there have been several initiatives to preserve culture, knowledge, tools, equipment, customs, and clothing related to the exploitation of mineral resources. The aim of this paper is to propose a project management model in addressing the needs of communities facing post-mining closure contexts and to examine how an integrated managerial outlook for various stakeholders involved in local tourism portfolios might reach solutions for the ongoing long-term social consequences of mine closures. The paper provides as a case study the transformation of the industrial patrimony of the former Petrila Mining Assembly, which serves as a lesson of industrial archeology, being one of the last ensembles in the area that still retains part of each stage of its evolution. The involvement and contributions of local non-profit organizations, municipalities and local businesses in the emerging of industrial tourism in Petrila are analysed through the proposed managerial model.

Role of Tourism in Promoting Geothermal Energy: Public Interest and Motivation for Geothermal Energy Tourism in Slovenia

“…For example, we can conserve industrial heritage through industrial tourism, provide new jobs in the local community, or expand the business to the tourism realm. This attracts new inhabitants and helps potentially abandoned areas to revitalise since old buildings can be reused, and new services for visitors and locals can emerge [25][26][27]. Industrial tourism can also help overcome seasonality effects, thus providing a yearlong tourism offer that will attract tourists throughout the year and secure more stable working positions [28].…”

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“…The Petrila mine carries out the most extensive actions for the regeneration of the industrial heritage through cultural actions, aiming at the reconversion of the former Petrila mining operation into the cultural, administrative and economic center of the city. In this sense, the first steps are achieved by organizing small cultural and community events that will increase over time and could support attracting funds for the conversion of the entire site [31].…”

Mining Heritage-Based Tourism Development Management System: A Sustainable Economic Study

“…This underscores the essential need for collaborative efforts from each stakeholder, leveraging their distinct roles to collectively shape the evolution of tourist attractions (Graci, 2016;Saito & Ruhanen, 2017), engendering added value for all stakeholders. In this concerted endeavor, collaboration holds the potential to yield multifaceted benefits, including bolstered regional (Najafi et al, 2014) and the provision of both economic and social advantages to the local community (Buultjens et al, 2010;Samuil et al, 2020;Toderas et al, 2019).…”