Cultural heritage and tourism: An introduction

Identify some of the earliest manifestations of heritage tourism Define context of cultural heritage and tourism Understand the meaning of heritage and what it entails Understand the characteristics of cultural tourism and heritage tourism Know the spatial perspectives of cultural heritage and tourism Learn 4 main underlying principles of cultural/heritage tourism and its key issues

Heritage Tourism

Hanoi University

Cultural heritage and tourism:

An introduction

Learning Objectives

 Identify some of the earliest manifestations of

heritage tourism

 Define context of cultural heritage and tourism

 Understand the meaning of heritage and what it entails

 Understand the characteristics of cultural

tourism and heritage tourism

 Know the spatial perspectives of cultural

heritage and tourism

 Learn 4 main underlying principles of

cultural/heritage tourism and its key issues

Looking at the past …

 Pilgrimage: one of the earliest forms of heritage

tourism

 Noble classes traveling to view sites that were

already old

 Grand Tour (1600s – mid 1800s): important phase

 1841: Experiences of Thomas Cook

 Nowadays: heritage properties and living cultures are among the most popular attractions

Context for Cultural Heritage

 International/National Political Bodies

(WTO/WTTC/NTO’s) promote development of tourism

Context for Cultural Heritage

Tourism

 Not commercial, broad social goals, not for profit

activity, public sector orientated

 Involves conservation and protection of cultural

assets

 Promotes value of culture to communities, local

residents as users

 International/National Political Bodies

(ICOMOS/ICOM/UNESCO, National and Provincial Museums, Archives, Parks) promote conservation of culture

Heritage tourism: what is it?

 Simply people visiting heritage places or viewing historical resources

 Personal connection to the objects or

places being viewed

 Encompasses a multitude of motives,

resources and experiences and is different for every individual and every place visited

Intangible heritage

Casual heritage visitors

The built past

Contemporary culture Urban settings

Personal cultural growth

Serious heritage visitors Rural settings

All motives and experiences

Tangible heritage

Heritage Tourism

Heritage Tourism

Defining Cultural Heritage Tourism

 Wide variety of definitions of cultural tourism

 “Such is the range of possible uses of the term, that no single widely accepted definition of cultural tourism has yet emerged” (Richards,

 Cultural tourism is “an immersion in the natural history, human

heritage, the arts and philosophy, and the institutions of another region

or country” (Koster, 1989)

 Visits by persons from outside the host community motivated wholly or

in part by interest in the historic, artistic, scientific or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a community, region, group or institution (Lord, 1993)

 Heritage tourism is “tourism which is based on heritage where heritage

is the core of the product that is offered and heritage is the main

motivating factor for the consumer” (Swarbrooke, 1993).

Common Elements in Definitions

 Four broad categories of definitions:

 tourism derived – places cultural tourism with broad

tourism framework, i.e a form of special interest tourism, tourism experience motivated by heritage interests,

 motivational – idea that cultural tourists are motivated

to travel for different reasons than other tourists

 experiential – element of experiencing or having

contact with other cultures and heritage

 operational – defined by participation in or “visits”

more than by motivations, purpose or depth of experience

Heritage Sector

 Museums and galleries

 Historic parks and sites

 Historic buildings and houses

 Natural heritage and countryside

 Heritage attractions, centers

 Traditional festivals and events

 Language, literature, music and art

 Traditional lifestyles including food, drink and

sport

Heritage tourism vs Cultural tourism

Heritage

tourism

Cultural Tourism

Overlap

 Two separate but related phenomena

 Content is the same while the context is different

 None of these elements differs significantly from the meaning of heritage tourism

 Both terms will be used interchangeably

Heritage tourism vs Cultural tourism

Spatial forms of heritage

resources

 Heritage attractions can be divided into:

Physical - spatial characteristics

Scale

Location setting

Others

Spatial forms of heritage

resources

 Physical - spatial characteristics

Point resources: stand-alone, individual sites in small space

Linear attractions: linear properties, link point

resources and guide users along a specific

path

Areas: larger resources that usually encompass many smaller attractions

Spatial forms of heritage

resources

 Scale

Personal World

Overlapping Heritage

Spatial forms of heritage

resources

 Scale

Global:

 Sites and monuments that are well-known word wide

 Symbolize certain regions, countries, groups or a period of time that have impacted the entire world

 Most meaningful personally to each individual.

Spatial forms of heritage

resources

 Age and antiquity

 Magnitude and reputation of heritage places

Principle of clustering

Spatial forms of heritage resources

Underlying principles of cultural

tourism

 The nature of tourism

Tourism is a commercial activity

Tourism involves the consumption of

experiences

Tourism is entertainment

Tourism is a demand-driven activity that is

difficult to control

Underlying principles of cultural

tourism

 Attractions drive tourism

Not all tourism attractions are equal

Cultural heritage attractions are part of

tourism

Not all cultural assets are cultural tourist

attractions

Underlying principles of cultural

tourism

 Factors influencing visitation levels

Access and proximity dictate the potential

number of visitors

Time availability influences the quality and

depth of experience sought

Underlying principles of cultural

tourism

 Tourist behavior

The tourist experience must be controlled to control the actions of the tourist

Tourists want to controlled experiences

The more mainstream the market, the greater the need for user-friendly tourism products

Underlying principles of cultural

tourism

 Cultural tourist

Not all cultural tourists are alike

Cultural tourism products may be challenging and confronting but not intimidating or

accusatory

Tourists want “authenticity” but not

necessarily reality

Key issues in Cultural Heritage

Tourism

 Key issue as “finding a balance between

tourism and cultural heritage management”

 Consumption of extrinsic values by tourists and

conservation of intrinsic values by cultural heritage managers

 Stumbling block is operation in parallel of T & CHM

rather than in partnership

 Potential for partnerships in overcoming conflicts

between T and CHM

Key Issue

 Historic lack of understanding of the roles

of each sector (T and CHM) – managers from differing academic backgrounds

(tourism = business and marketing

degrees, CHM = social science, arts,

heritage management degrees)

Trends in Heritage and Tourism

 Heritage and culture as a resource for tourism development

 Heritage as a business

 Increased growth in cultural and heritage tourism

 Benefits of heritage experiences to tourism –

contributes to the competitiveness of

destinations, adds to visit satisfaction and value, adds to attractiveness of destinations,

differentiates them from others