Bath’s bid for a rare double listing as a World Heritage site – a move that would give its tourism industry a major boost – is to be made later this month.
The idea has been floated by The Great Spas of Europe – a collection of 11 spa towns and cities across Europe, including Bath. It will take its case to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on January 31 to grant World Heritage status to its members.
If approved, it would make Bath the only UK city to appear twice on the World Heritage list and rank it alongside a select band of other European cities with a ‘double mention’ include Bruges and Barcelona.
Bath has been classified as a World Heritage location since 1987, when it was included as a ‘cultural site’.
The Great Spas of Europe also include Spa in Belgium, Vichy in France and Baden Baden in Germany, all which developed as open-air resorts, providing beautiful surroundings and a thermal water cure for the benefit of visitors.
As World Heritage sites, the cities would be able to work together to market themselves across the world in terms of not just heritage, but also wellbeing – a global market that is growing exponentially.
Bath & North East Somerset Council cabinet member for economic and community regeneration, Cllr Paul Myers, said: “It has been fascinating to see how all the various European spas market their cities. UNESCO World Heritage status remains the most prestigious and highly coveted accolade bestowed on any heritage site and marks a place as being of global significance.
“If Bath is successful and awarded a rare double-listing it will raise global awareness of the city and give it a distinct tourism marketing edge.”
He added that being able to say the city was a doubly-inscribed UNESCO World Heritage site was a claim only a very small number of places worldwide could make and it would provide a significant boost to its tourism industry, which provided thousands of jobs in and around the city and also brought in millions of pounds a year.
Ahead of the nomination to UNESCO, the council is hosting a workshop with representatives from the partner European sites on Thursday and Friday next week.
They will explore how to maximise opportunities created by UNESCO recognition and capitalise on the growing market for wellness tourism.
UNESCO’s decision should be known in mid-2020.
