UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

06/09/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/09/2021 09:18

The impact of COVID-19 on Visitor Centres in UNESCO Designated Sites in Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most important global health crisis of our time. Whilst no one is immune to the crisis, venue-based sectors are amongst the most affected by the sanitary emergency and the subsequent restrictions imposed. We have been witnessing unprecedented closures of heritage sites, museums and other cultural institutions as well as the suspending of social, cultural, and recreational activities.

The pandemic tested everything that institutions within these sectors knew about themselves and their external contexts. It revealed their strengths and weaknesses, forcing them to review priorities with regard to their roles, functions, activities and also their sustainability. This also applies to visitor centres in UNESCO designated sites.

In order to better understand the extent and consequences of the pandemic's impact on such centres, and to collect insights on coping strategies and recovery, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science commissioned the Hațeg Country UNESCO Global Geopark and the University of Bucharest to carry out a survey to collect and analyse the preliminary data on the subject.

The survey addressed the personnel from visitor centres in UNESCO designated sites within the region, such as World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks. It was conducted through an online questionnaire which investigated the operation and activities of such Centres during the pandemic, focusing on the period from February 2020 to February 2021.

This survey is part of the intersectoral activities on visitor centres in UNESCO designated sites launched by the UNESCO Regional Bureau in 2018, as part of the work plan supported by the annual contribution of Italy to the office. Outcomes of this survey may pave the way to further research to map and analyse specific practices developed by the centres, as means of sustainability in a post-COVID world.

The survey is also intended to complement UNESCO's overall efforts to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society.