Cultural heritage and tourism: An introduction

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Heritage Tourism
Hanoi University
Cultural heritage and tourism:
An introduction
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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

Gain knowledge about trend in Heritage Tourism
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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
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Context for Cultural Heritage
Tourism

Tourism

Commercial, profit making activity, private sector
orientated

Involves the consumption of experiences

Entertainment

Demand driven activity, difficult to control, for tourists
from “away”

International/National Political Bodies
(WTO/WTTC/NTO’s) promote development of tourism
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Context for Cultural Heritage

Tourism

Heritage

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
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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
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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
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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, 1993)

“Heritage tourism includes a variety of experiences focused on
natural, cultural and historical resources” (CTC, 1997)

“Cultural tourism can be defined as the art of participating in
another culture, of relation to people and places which
demonstrate a strong sense of their own identity (Derrett, 1999)


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).
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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
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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
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Heritage tourism vs. Cultural tourism
Heritage
tourism
Cultural
Tourism
Overlap
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

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
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Spatial forms of heritage
resources

Heritage attractions can be divided into:

Physical - spatial characteristics

Scale

Location setting

Others
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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
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Spatial forms of heritage
resources

Scale
Personal
World
National Local
Overlapping
Heritage
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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

National:


Sites associated with the development of nation-
states

Appeal primarily to citizens of the countries and
foreign visitors as well
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
Scale

Local/Regional

Promoting regional/local buildings or marking
locations as tourist attractions

Little allure for outsiders but can be important
places to visit for locals

Potential to stir a sense of nostalgia or
appreciation for the past in the local community

Individual/personal

Most meaningful personally to each individual.
Spatial forms of heritage
resources
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
Location setting


Urban setting:

Notion of “tourist-historic cities”

Rural setting:

Natural heritage is a vital part of the rural product

Notion of “countryside-idyll”

Others

Spatial distribution of different types of heritage
attractions

Age and antiquity

Magnitude and reputation of heritage places

Principle of clustering
Spatial forms of heritage resources
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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
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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
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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

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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
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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
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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
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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)