Applying Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) Model To A Living Heritage Destination: The Case Of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

A modified Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model, termed 'Living Heritage TALC' (LH-TALC), is proposed to better fit destinations like Thanjavur, where heritage is sustained by community practices independent of visitor volume. Unlike Butler's classical S-shaped curve, Thanjavur's tourism trajectory shows shallower downturns and more resilient rejuvenation due to its deep-rooted cultural and institutional processes. The study analyzed secondary data from UNESCO, ASI, TTDC, and heritage-tourism literature to reconstruct Thanjavur's six-phase evolution, highlighting the need for a framework that incorporates intangible heritage and community resilience. Policy recommendations focus on balancing conservation, livelihoods, and visitor management in developing-economy living heritage sites.

Aakash Aravinth R. (2026). Applying Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) Model To A Living Heritage Destination: The Case Of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.22056540