Introduction

1. Definition of Cultural Tourism:

o Cultural tourism is fundamentally a form of tourism, with "cultural" describing its
specific focus.
2. Shared Principles with General Tourism:
o It operates under the same rules and principles as other types of tourism.
3. Understanding Tourism:
o A clear understanding of tourism, its mechanisms, and the factors influencing
travel choices is essential to grasp cultural tourism.
4. Misconceptions in Tourism:
o Many hold opinions on tourism without understanding the key factors shaping it.
5. Purpose of the Chapter:
o To clarify 19 key ideas that drive tourism, emphasizing cultural elements where
applicable.
6. Encouraging Critical Thinking:
o These ideas aim to provoke thought and discussion, even if not universally
agreed upon.

The nature of tourism

1. Understanding Tourism:
o Tourism involves understanding its definition, functioning, motivations for travel,
and travelers' expectations.
2. Unequal Impact of Tourism:
o The benefits and drawbacks of tourism are not evenly distributed.
3. Variation in Benefits:
o Even those who benefit from tourism may experience differing levels of
advantage.

1. পযটন বাঝা:
o পযটনএরসং া, কায ম, ম ণরউ শ এবংপযটক দর ত াশা বাঝারম ধ র য় ছ।
2. পযট নরঅসমান ভাব:
o পযট নরসুিবধাএবংঅসুিবধাসমানভা বভাগকরাহয়না।
3. সুিবধার বিচ :
o যারাপযটন থ কউপকৃ তহন, তা দরওউপকািরতািভ িভ রহ তপা র।

Tourism is a commercial activity

1. Tourism as a Business:
o Tourism is fundamentally a business, often overlooked in academic research.
Companies aim to profit by providing services to the millions of travelers each
year.
2. Economic and Social Benefits:
o Tourism brings economic benefits and social wealth to destinations, making it a
priority for governments and countries seeking new income sources.
3. Travel vs. Tourism Industry:
o Tourists travel to meet personal needs, but destinations focus on tourism for its
economic gains. Most tourism money is not spent on experiences themselves
 but on supporting services like transportation, accommodation, and food.
4. Role of Tourism Industry:
o The tourism industry, including airlines, hotels, and travel agencies, facilitates
experiences but does not directly create them. Most spending goes towards
services, not attractions.
5. Challenges in Cultural Tourism:
o Many cultural attractions are in public spaces, free or inexpensive to visit, yet
they don’t generate significant income. These attractions face issues like
overcrowding, overuse, and damage despite their popularity.

Tourism involves the consumption of experiences

1. Tourists' Personal Needs:

o Tourists travel to fulfill personal needs through new experiences, although critics
debate whether tourism is often just about superficial activities like taking
photos, while others argue that the value lies in experiencing new things.
2. Cultural Tourism as Experience Consumption:
o Cultural tourism, like other forms, is about consuming experiences, but it can
have negative impacts due to the overuse and competition surrounding popular
attractions that are closely tied to local communities.
3. Disruption and Forced Tourism:
o Tourism can disrupt local communities, especially when residents are
involuntarily included in the tourist experience.
4. Conflict Between Tourist and Local Perspectives:
o Tourists view heritage sites for their tourist appeal, while local residents value
them for their cultural significance, creating a tension between the two groups.
5. Commercialization of Cultural Assets:
o The commercialization of cultural assets for tourism often alters their original
purpose and use, posing a challenge for the cultural tourism sector.

Tourism is entertainment

1. Tourism as Entertainment:
o Most tourism experiences are designed for entertainment, with a focus on
making them enjoyable and easy for people to participate in, even with tight
schedules and budgets.
2. Scheduled and Designed Experiences:
o To accommodate large groups, tourism products are often adjusted to offer
regular, timed experiences, sometimes even creating artificial events, like staged
geyser eruptions, to ensure consistency.
3. Entertainment vs. Education:
o While tourism can offer learning opportunities, the primary aim is often
entertainment, with many attractions blending education and fun ("edutainment"),
as tourists generally seek pleasure and escape rather than deep learning.
4. Art Museums and Leisure Orientation:
o Art museums, including large ones, are shifting towards more leisure-oriented
experiences to appeal to a broader audience, using promotions and events like
tattoos and cultural activities to attract visitors beyond traditional art enthusiasts.
5. Cultural Tourism in Dubai:
o The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding in Dubai offers
 educational tours and cultural activities, such as mosque visits, heritage tours,
and Arabic lessons, to provide deeper cultural insights and raise awareness.
6. Public Art Exhibitions:
o Large art exhibitions can draw crowds, while smaller exhibitions in public spaces,
like shopping malls, make art more accessible to the public.

Tourism is a demand driven activity that is difficult to control

1. Myth of Controlling Tourism:

o The belief that tourism can be controlled is a myth, often promoted by
government agencies and NGOs. While visitor numbers can be managed at a
local level, controlling tourism at a destination level is nearly impossible without
strict, top-down management, like in Bhutan.
2. Tourism Driven by Demand:
o Tourism is primarily driven by demand, influenced more by market forces
(tourists and businesses) than government control. It is unpredictable and
constantly changing, making it difficult to control.
3. Unpredictable Nature of Tourism:
o Tourism operates like a self-organizing system, akin to an ecosystem, where
complex, unpredictable factors affect the entire system, making traditional top-
down management ineffective.
4. Elitist Views on Tourism Control:
o Some believe that controlling tourism involves attracting a specific type of
wealthy, mindful tourist. However, this ideal represents only a small portion of
travelers, and the real challenge is meeting the needs of the majority of tourists,
who will travel regardless of the ideal model.
5. Inability to Stop Mass Tourism:
o It's impossible to stop the majority of tourists from traveling, as they will
continue to demand services and facilities, even if they don't fit the idealized
image of a responsible traveler.

Attractions drive tourism

1. Hierarchy of Tourism Attractions:

o Attractions vary in their ability to draw tourists, creating a hierarchy (rank) based
on the level of obligation tourists feel to visit them. Famous or significant
attractions have a stronger pull, while less urgent or lower-ranked attractions
tend to be optional and receive less attention.
2. Impact of Attraction's Rank:
o The position of an attraction in the hierarchy influences the number of visitors
and how it's used. Higher-priority attractions are more likely to be visited, while
lower-priority ones may be replaced by other activities, like shopping or
sightseeing.
3. Destination Hierarchy:
o The overall status of a destination within a country's tourism hierarchy can be
more significant than the rank of individual attractions. Smaller cities with rich
cultural heritage may attract fewer tourists if they are not seen as top-tier
destinations, even if they have remarkable sites.
 4. Example of Zadar:
o Zadar in Croatia, despite its long history and significant Roman and early
Christian ruins, receives fewer international tourists than more famous cities like
Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik due to its lower ranking as a destination.

Cultural heritage attractions are part of tourism

1. Reluctance to Acknowledge Tourism Appeal:

o Some heritage managers hesitate to recognize that their cultural assets attract
tourists, which can lead to resistance in implementing management systems that
balance visitor experience with minimizing tourism’s negative impacts.
2. Competition Among Attractions:
o Cultural attractions not only compete with similar attractions but also with
completely different types of attractions, especially if they are perceived as less
significant.
3. Acceptance of Cultural Sites as Tourism Attractions:
o The first step in managing cultural heritage sites effectively is to accept that they
are tourism attractions, which requires management systems while preserving
cultural value.
4. Management of Cultural Events:
o Local governments may revive or create cultural festivals to attract tourists, and
visitors will come regardless of whether local agencies are ready. Proactive
management is necessary to meet tourist expectations while preserving cultural
integrity.

Not all cultural assets are cultural tourist attractions

1. Cultural Assets and Local Importance:

o Cultural assets are valuable to communities for reasons beyond their potential
for tourism. Their local significance does not automatically equate to tourist
appeal.
2. Misjudging Tourism Potential:
o Being listed or recognized culturally doesn't guarantee that an asset will attract
tourists. Overestimating the tourism potential of an asset can lead to costly
mistakes and wasted resources.
3. Mistakes in Infrastructure and Service Development:
o Communities often develop infrastructure and services under the assumption
that tourists will visit, but if these visitors do not materialize, it leads to the
misallocation of resources.

World Heritage (or other) designation does not mean an automatic influx of tourists

1. World Heritage Status and Tourism:

o Many sites seek World Heritage status to gain fame and attract visitors, but it
doesn't always lead to increased tourism.
o Factors affecting tourism growth include proximity to major markets, existing
popularity, and nearby attractions.
2. Cultural Heritage Sites vs. Cultural Tourism Products:
o Not all culturally significant sites are suitable for tourism.
 oEvaluating a site's cultural importance is essential before promoting it for
tourism.
o Some sites, meaningful only to small groups, may not be tourist-friendly.
3. Case Study - Hong Kong's Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall:
o Heritage walking trails highlight small villages, ancestral halls, and temples.
o Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall is notable for its historical connection to a Song
Dynasty princess, increasing its significance beyond the local community.
4. Impact of World Heritage Designation:
o Governments often use World Heritage status to brand sites and attract visitors,
but its impact on tourism varies.
o Popular sites (e.g., Rideau Canal in Canada) may see little change in visitor
numbers post-designation.
o Remote sites need improved accessibility to benefit from the status.
o The most significant tourism increases occur at new World Heritage sites near
large cities, which become appealing for day trips or short vacations.

Factors influencing visitation levels

Access and proximity dictate the potential number of visitors

1. Factors Influencing Tourism Demand:

o Demand depends on distance, ease of access, and available free time.
o According to distance decay theory, people are less likely to visit destinations
farther from their home or hotel.
o Market access: Demand decreases if there are competing destinations between
the tourist's starting point and the attraction.
o Time availability can amplify or diminish these factors' effects.
2. Proximity and Visitor Numbers:
o Attractions close to large populations, popular tourist spots, or major transport
hubs attract more visitors.
o Visitor numbers affect an attraction’s financial potential and should inform
decisions about its development and investment.
3. Ease of Access:
o Attractions that are easier to reach get more visitors unless the attraction is
uniquely compelling.
o Downtown or tourist-zone museums generally see higher attendance than those
in remote suburbs.
4. Location and Market Assessment:
o An attraction's location relative to its target audience is critical when evaluating
its tourism potential.
o Only exceptional attractions can overcome challenges like distance and difficult
access, as they motivate people to invest extra time, money, and effort to visit.

Time availability influences the quality and depth of experience sought

1. Time Constraints for Tourists:

o Tourists typically have limited time due to schedules set by tour operators, family
needs, or flight timings.
o They prioritize activities that are quick, easy, and guarantee a worthwhile
experience.
2. Cultural Activities and Free Time:
o When culture is not the primary focus of a trip, time spent on cultural activities
depends on the tourist’s free time and competing activity options.
o Tourists often avoid time-intensive activities in favor of quicker, more appealing
alternatives.
3. Challenges in Cultural Tourism:
o Cultural tourism often demands time or emotional engagement, leading to two
key challenges for providers:
 Activities requiring effort may deter visitors, negatively impacting
business.
 Simplifying the experience to attract more visitors risks diminishing the
quality and authenticity of the cultural message.