Digital communication, public participation and inclusive growth in cultural heritage tourism – the case of Samarkand

Abstract

Digital platforms are reshaping the communication structures and benefit distribution of cultural heritage tourism, yet their implications for inclusive growth remain underexamined. Using Samarkand as a case study, this paper develops a "symbiotic development" framework to assess platformization's effects on tourism inclusivity across cultural, economic, social, and governance dimensions. Based on observation of 150 high-engagement Instagram posts under #Samarkand (October 2025–April 2026), alongside UNESCO reports and Uzbek policy documents, the study finds that while platforms enhance international visibility, they also concentrate traffic, revenues, and narrative authority among commercial actors and core sites—local residents account for only 8% of content production. The paper argues that digital heritage governance must move beyond technical management toward community empowerment, revenue feedback mechanisms, and multi-actor collaboration to achieve symbiotic development in cultural heritage tourism.