Global cultural tourism constitutes a particular aspect of intercultural contact. When examining tourism more closely, can it be viewed as an intercultural encounter for the purpose of a dialogue? Is understanding of and interaction with a foreign culture promoted merely by visiting a site enhanced and prepared for cultural tourism? How can cultural tourism contribute to the understanding and interaction between global guests and local hosts? In the following these questions will be discussed by the subject of world heritage tourism.

Due to UNESCO’s educational objective to promote worldwide understanding for different ways of acting, life and thinking, world heritage tourism provides a good example for the debate on the idea of intercultural encounters. The article is based on theoretical approaches of space for analysing the conditions and problems of the intercultural potential of world heritage tourism.