Heritage Governance between the Strategies of Actors and Territorial Development Opportunities: The Case of Khenifra in Morocco

Abstract

Khenifra is no longer a modest city by its history and nature. The natural and cultural heritage s constitute a special base of growth and prosperity on which territorial development must be founded. However, the abundance and diversity of these existing touristic sites in the province of Khenifra are in need for concrete initiatives of evaluation, empowerment and exploitation, especially those of historic and natural values. The exploitation of this patrimonial wealth is contingent on touristic animation though. However, the sector of tourism is still marginal and has no connection with the economic activities in Khenifra, because it is still confronted with the poor management of heritage. The paper proposes a conceptual framework for the evaluation of the cultural heritage as a pivotal element in sustained development and good governance in the region of Khenifra, based on the analysis of existing literature review and descriptive data. Descriptive results listed that most of the important patrimonial sites are poorly governed and marginalized; therefore, they are not contributing to the touristic attractiveness and economic prosperity of the region.