FROM MYTH TO MEMORY: A FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING COMMUNITY AUTHORSHIP THROUGH DECISION RIGHTS AND PLATFORM GATEKEEPING IN SOUTH CAUCASUS HERITAGE TOURISM
Keywords:
South Caucasus, community authorship, decision rights, gatekeeping, platform governance, digital commons, cultural memory, intangible cultural heritage, heritage tourismAbstract
Global heritage tourism constitutes a multi-hundred-billion-dollar market, although the contention that tourism is community-based or locally led remains largely unverifiable, as governance is rarely operationalized into auditable metrics. This study develops an evidence-based framework for measuring community authorship in heritage tourism, with a focus on the South Caucasus and advances four interlocking contributions: it separates visitor perceptions from governance proof via an evidence boundary; introduces two operational indices: an Authorship Index and a Digital Commons Index; conceptualizes digital platforms as governance actors and outlines a comparative audit protocol designed for replication across sites and countries. These elements translate an aspirational label into a measurable governance construct that supports policy accountability and community advocacy in platform-mediated heritage tourism. This framework is presented as a conceptual-methodological contribution with direct applicability to tourism governance, conservation, and digital heritage policy.
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