Vulnerabilidades territoriales de los Conjuntos Históricos con potencial turístico del Sureste español

The present research analyses the territorial vulnerabilities of the Historic Sites of Almería, Murcia and Alicante. The aim is to verify the hypothesis that in the southeast of Spain there are Historic Sites where heritage preservation is affected by depopulation dynamics. To test the hypothesis, the socio‐economic dynamics of the municipalities in the three provinces were analysed in function of their location, morphology, and designation as Historic Sites. The results enable a comparison between and among different types of municipalities and reveal that Historic Sites in inland areas, on higher reaches with heritage buildings atop tend to show more vulnerable socio‐economic dynamics. This situation puts the conservation of their heritage values at risk; therefore, it is suggested that these sites could benefit from sustainable tourism as a means towards revitalising and safeguarding their Cultural Heritage.