07 Chapter 1 Cultural Tourism

8/16/2019 07 Chapter 1 Cultural Tourism

1/5

9

turnover of 4 trillion dollars. The role of public sector in tourism development is

undergoing considerable change and development at the present time (Tom Baum,

1995).

.

1.2 DEFINING CULTURAL TOURISM

Cultural Tourism is a composite concept. t is a multi!faceted ideal. t is

indeed a comple" tas# to define cultural tourism as there are almost as man$

definitions or variations of definitions of cultural tourism as there are the motivations

and interests of cultural tourists. The %merican chapter of C&'&, the

nternational Council on 'onuments and sites, observed that cultural tourism as a

name means man$ things to man$ people and herein lies its strength and

*ea#ness+ (C&'&, 199-1/).

Figure 1.2. Linkages of

Culural Touris!

De"elo#!en\\y

/\\


2/5

1

0

Tourism definitions place cultural tourism *ithin a broader frame*or# of tourism

concepts and tourism management d$namics. 0or instance Cultural tourism is a form of

special interest tourism, *here culture forms the basis of either attracting tourists or

motivating people to travel ('c ntosh and oeldner, 19923 eppel, 199). &thers place it

in a tourism s$stems conte"t, recogni6ing that it involves interrelationships bet*een

people, places and cultural heritage (eppel and 7all, 1991). Cultural tourism has also

been conceptuali6ed from a business perspective as involving the development and

mar#eting of various sites or attractions for foreign as *ell as domestic 8ourists (oodrich,

199/).

MOTI$ATIONAL DEFINITIONS

'otivation is absolutel$ an important element *hile defining cultural tourism as the

travel decision ma#ing process of cultural tourists are profoundl$ influenced b$ different

attributes. The orld Tourism &rgani6ation (T&) defines cultural tourism as movements

of persons essentiall$ for cultural motivations such as stud$ tours, travel to festivals and

other events, visit to sites and monuments, travel to stud$ nature, fol#lore of art, and

pilgrimages (T& 19:5-).

Cultural tourism is deepl$ influenced b$ an aspirational element. Cultural tourism

involves e"periencing or having contact of differing intensit$ *ith the uni;ue social fabric,

heritage, and special character of places (Blac#*ell 199/3 ch*eit6er 1999). t is also

hoped that b$ e"periencing culture, the tourist *ill become educated as *ell as

entertained (T, 199-), *ill have a change to learn about the communit$ (?CC%

199/), or *ill have an opportunit$ to learn something about the significance of a place and

its associations *ith the local communit$, its heritage, and a cultural or natural landscape

(%7C, 1999). ome people even li#e cultural tourism to a ;uest or search for greater

understanding (Bachleitner and ins 19993 7annabus 1999). t is noted b$ the eminent

authors that *ith such a past orientation, cultural tourism *ould help the tourists vie* the

present from a different vie* point.


3/5

1

1

O%ERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

%n operational definition is the most common definitional approach used.

'ost of the tourism derived, motivational and e"periential definitions also include

an operational component, often to illustrate the point being made. Cultural tourism

is defined b$ participation in an$ one of an almost limitless arra$ of activities or

e"periences. The tourism literature identifies the range of cultural tourism activities

as including the use of such cultural heritage assets as archaeological sites,

museums, castles, palaces, historical buildings, famous buildings, ruins, art,

sculpture, crafts, galleries, festivals, events, music and dance, fol# arts, theatre,

primitive cultures, subcultures, ethnic communities, churches, cathedrals and other

things that represent people and their cultures (@ichards 199-3 oodrich 199/3

'iller 199/3 Aamieson 1994). 8i#e*ise, the arra$ of cultural tourism products caninclude e"isting structures, modified facilities, and purpose ! built attractions. The

scale can var$ from one building, to a cluster of buildings, a streetscape, a product

*ithin a communit$, an entire cit$ or to*n, a region, or arguabl$ to entire countr$.

illiams identified three broad categories of culture.

(i) %s a general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development

(ii) %s indicative of a particular *a$ of life, and

(iii)%s the *or#s and practices of intellectual and artistic activit$ (cited in @ichards,

199-).

&ver a time, a shift in meanings has occurred a*a$ from the former and

to*ards the latter t*o categories, resulting in t*o basic uses of the term culture in

current academic literature. Culture as process and culture as product (@ichards,

199-). Culture as process is an anthropological and sociological approach *hich

regards culture mainl$ as a s$mbolic s$stem or codes of conduct b$ *hich and

through *hich people create and recreate shared values, beliefs and attitudesallo*ing people to ma#e sense of their e"istence and their e"periences. %s 'ethan

states Culture is seen as a set of practices, based on forms of #no*ledge, *hich

encapsulate common values and act as general guiding principles. t is through

these forms of #no*ledge that distinctions are created and maintained, so that, for

e"ample, one culture is mar#ed off as different from another.


4/5

1

2

?efinition of cultural tourism b$ T&! Cultural tourism refers to a segment

of the industr$ that places special emphasis on cultural attractions. These

attractions are varied, and include performances, museums, displa$s and the li#e.

n developed areas, cultural attractions include museums, pla$s and orchestral and

other musical performances. n less developed areas, the$ might include traditional

religious practices, handicrafts or cultural performances.+

The term culture also has become part of management terminolog$ for

organi6ational value s$stems as a s$mbolic suggestion for cohesiveness *ithin a

reference group. ar$ D. 0erraro has offered the follo*ing definition from his boo#

The Cultural ?imension of nternational Business3 Culture is ever$thing that

people have, thin#, and do as members of their societ$+. ?avid 7. 7olt has

underscored the importance of culture in nternational 'anagement. 7e aptl$

observed that cultures var$ enormousl$ in their supernatural beliefs, religious

practices, social values, marital patterns, educational programmes, and social

controls. These are onl$ a fe* of the dimensions that form small parts of the total

interrelated s$stem of a culture. 8i#e eating habits, clothing, h$giene standards,

and methods of providing securit$ and shelter, ho*ever, the$ derive from universal

problems that all societies must solve.

1.& '(AT IS CULTURE)

Culture is regarded as one of the most straight for*ard and at the same time

the most varied and comple" idea or phenomenon of the modern societ$. n

general the *ord culture is used to refer to the sculpture, architecture, painting,

music, dance and other dance forms. &n the other hand, *hile tal#ing about

culture, e"pressions are used li#e corporateEcompan$ culture, primitiveEmodern

culture, 7induEslamic culture, fol#Emass culture, popE$an#ee culture, $outh culture,

consumer culture, *or# culture, club culture and so on. 7o*ever, culture is not

confined to onl$ art form, rather, it is revealed in a *ide and broad spectrum *hich

includes #no*ledge, beliefs, art, morals, rituals, la*, customs, costumes and an$

other capabilities as *ell as habits ac;uired b$ man as a member of societ$

(Ta$lor, 19/1).


5/5

1

3

Culture is a uni;ue human realit$. t emanates from the unit$ of human#ind in

nature, but it situates itself as a meta!natural realit$ (ingh, 222). Culture is

manifested in the technological, mental, moral, social, aesthetic and spiritual

achievements of man#ind. t gives meaning to ones relationship *ith the other, as

it also forms the subFective identit$. Culture defines the ;ualit$ of social change as

its indicator. B$ selective adaptation to outside cultural forces, it has a large

measure of resilience. ith all its institutional pervasiveness, it has a core *hich

acts as a filter or a moderator to the outside forces of cultural contact and change.

This also e"plains *h$ in each mainstream culture one ma$ find e"istence of sub!

cultures and counter!cultures. The ne* cultural challenges that arise are man$. t

ma$ augment the real as *ell as perceived threats to local and smaller cultural

identities due to massification and mar#eti6ation of culture. t ma$ lead to non!institutionali6ed modes of inter cultural contacts, such as through tourism

mar#eting of cultural obFects, leisure enterprises such as hotels, tourist resorts, etc,

that ma$ be an imposition upon local or regional communities. =evertheless, in the

conte"t of cultural challenges that are most li#el$ to be generated b$ the mar#et

capitalism, information technolog$ and pressures of globali6ation of culture, a

polic$ frame*or# to meet the challenges becomes inevitable.

Culture is a concept *hich is difficult to define ('urth$ G Hamath, 19/-).There is no single characteristic that mar#s its essential feature. H.'. Dani##ar

defines culture as the comple" of ideas, conceptions, developed ;ualities and

organi6ed relationships and courtesies that e"ist generall$ in a societ$.+ To put it

differentl$, culture is a comple" of man$ strands of var$ing importance and vitalit$.

Documents

07 Chapter 1 Cultural Tourism