When and what do you think will end the World Heritage Program? Do you think that the program will last until the end of humanity?

If the program does end, I would think it would be to the lack of sites of outstanding universal value to nominate or an overall decline, lack of funding, or disinterest in the program, UNESCO, or the UN in its entirety.

What does the World Heritage Community think?

Doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. United Nations and tourism are something I cannot imagine ending, barring the exception of a world altering event.

I am coming to the opinion that the world heritage list can never be COMPLETE. Architecture, archeology, art, culture are constantly evolving. Furthermore, the UNESCO list doesn't necessarily need newly inscribed properties every year to be viable.

I have little doubt that archeology will eventually uncover many worthy sites that have the potential to meet requirements for OUV. Moreover, there are numerous architects in the last 20 years and conceivably in the future who will make lasting contributions to architecture. I expect the world heritage committee some time in the distant future to recognize these contributions in new inscriptions. The fact that there are nearly 1600 tentative sites indicate that the program has no forseable end to nominations.

That's really (and hopefully) a long period, so to answer with a quotation which is mostly attributed to Nils Bohr (or to Mark Twain or Woody Allen): „Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."

I agree with winterkjm that there is still potential for future nominations, even in countries that are already well represented. An estimation how the process will develop in the next few decades depends mainly on two questions (which have already been discussed here in the forum): whether yet under-represented countries are going to nominate more sites in the future and whether already well represented countries proceed in nominating new sites every year.

In the last years about 25 new sites were inscribed each year. If this continues we will have about 1500 sites in 2033. Why not? I see no reason for an upper limit. However, it could be frightening for those among us who aim to visit all WHS.