Heritage Tourism and Societal Transformations: Al-Ula World Heritage Site

This chapter offers a new sustainability-oriented paradigm for cultural and heritage tourism studies: an integrated approach to heritage tourism and heritage conservation based on resilience. Its extensive literature review examines resilience in a range of disciplinary areas, including heritage conservation and tourism studies. An important aim is to “make visible” often neglected parameters in the interactions among social, cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions of heritage conservation and tourism. Within the broader concept of resilience, “cultural resilience” was identified as a crucial bridge between conservation and tourism. The study argues that resilience in general and its cultural forms in particular offer a potentially valuable framework vital for an integrated approach between the two in the common pursuit to manage change and uncertainty in cultural and heritage destinations. The chapter concludes with directions for further development of sustainability-oriented paradigm studies.

Systematic Contradiction Between Heritage Conservation and Tourism Development: Cleaning the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu

In China, conservation of minority heritage has been closely related to tourism development. Ecomuseums have also become a new model which serves to satisfy two major tasks: minority heritage protection and tourism development. In this paper, I explore how trails are planned in Gyalrong people's villages under the mode of ecomuseum. Through interviews and field survey in several villages, including review of three major tourism plans and proposals from local officials, I compared trails that were constructed by local ethnic groups with trails that are currently planned predominantly by the government. Through this comparison, I found that there are conflicts and an unbalanced relationship between the ethnic groups and the government. Furthermore, I emphasize the ways in which the philosophy of the ecomuseum is displaced and modified in the context of Chinese society. In conclusion, I point out problems faced by local ethnic communities as they find their way to achieving sustainable development under the framework of heritage tourism and nation-state political power. Ecomuseums and heritage tourism have been discussed a great deal in China and internationally; this study points out key problems and critical issues in current ways of developing heritage tourism in the landscape of minorities in China.

Africa is a small but expanding region of the global tourism economy. While its regions endowed with natural heritage resources such as wildlife, beaches and warm climates have been primary tourist places, regions endowed with cultural heritage resources including the colonial and indigenous tangible and intangible African heritage are also becoming more important in the African tourism product mix today. Regarding the latter kind of heritage, its use and development for tourism in Africa is inherently endowed with complex dynamics both theoretically and practically, especially when the local perspectives are given central focus. This chapter provides a historic overview to highlight the development of heritage tourism in Africa, and position it in the global heritage politics. In this way, it highlights the critical paradoxes in heritage tourism development and practices across the continent from a local Africanist eye. The chapter argues that, at a time when many African government and international organisations are acknowledging the developmental significance of heritage tourism, the use of heritage for tourism within the paradoxical frameworks that are based on Western doctrines is problematic. The current heritage tourism frameworks result into marginalisation of African heritage and traditions and local communities – the primary custodians of heritage – in heritage tourism development, mistreatment of African heritage, and ambiguities in heritage tourism promotion and marketing programs. Such frameworks were indoctrinated during the massive slave trade and colonialism, and further amplified through the prevailing neocolonialism agenda. Their effect – often given a shallow deliberation in tourism impact literature – are not only detrimental to heritage tourism longevity and sustainability but also humiliating to the cultural pride and self-esteem of Africans. The chapter advises heritage tourism and conservation policymakers and practitioners to reconsider broader theoretical issues that translate the means under which they ascribe sites as national heritage, formulate heritage tourism plans, and treat and develop African heritage for tourism. This chapter provides a historic overview to highlight the development of heritage tourism in Africa, and position it in the global heritage politics. It draws on local heritage concerns to provide an overview of critical issues facing heritage tourism in Africa, including prospects for developing heritage tourism, that appropriately integrate the local heritage narratives and practices. After independence from the late 1950s onward, most post-colonial African states had agendas of restoring lost cultural heritage that they held with high value and pride. The current heritage tourism frameworks result into marginalisation of African heritage and traditions and local communities – the primary custodians of heritage – in heritage tourism development, mistreatment of African heritage, and ambiguities in heritage tourism promotion and marketing programs. Such frameworks were indoctrinated during the massive slave trade and colonialism, and further amplified through the prevailing neocolonialism agenda.

Reconciling the Conservation of Cultural Heritage with Rural Development

PurposeZimbabwean tourism, whose draw-card is wildlife, has been on the decline since land invasions that occurred in 2000. Due to the farm invasions, wildlife-based tourism is no longer a viable option. In cases where traditional industries are declining, cultural tourism has been found to be an effective alternative source of revenue. Cultural and heritage tourism represents a growing special interest market whose demand is very high; however, this sector is yet to be sufficiently explored in the empirical context of Northern Zimbabwe. The purpose of this paper is to explore the development potential of the sector.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative methodology was applied in this study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to 500 international tourists who visited Northern Zimbabwe’s cultural and heritage attractions between October 2013 and February 2014. Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 19.0 was employed in data coding and analysis. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests and one way analysis of variance were used in this study.FindingsOn the whole, the study found that there is potential to develop cultural tourism as an alternative for tourism growth in Northern Zimbabwe. Results showed that there exists a certain demand for cultural and heritage tourism in Northern Zimbabwe and should be developed. Cultural and heritage tourists’ spending is high per visit, despite the fact that Zimbabwe is an expensive destination. The intention to repeat visitation was found to be significant with the age, level of qualification and nationality of respondents.Originality/valueThe findings provides insights for cultural and heritage tourism managers in Northern Zimbabwe and similar places around the country to invest in this special interest tourism. The development of cultural and heritage tourism will contribute towards the diversification of the seasonal and threatened nature-based tourism in Zimbabwe. With a better understanding of the motivations, trip behaviour characteristics and perceptions of Northern region, this paper presents insights that are important in developing the cultural and heritage tourism sector. Research on tourism growth in Zimbabwe has predominantly focused on nature-based tourism, suggesting a clear relegation of the contribution that cultural and heritage resources can make towards tourism growth; thus, this study provides a significant contribution in the Zimbabwean context with regards to literature.

Contradictory or aligned? The nexus between authenticity in heritage conservation and heritage tourism, and its impact on satisfaction

This paper explores heritage conservation and tourism development en route to and after World Heritage Site inscription and the roles of local authorities and communities through the case of three heritage sites along the Grand Canal in Hangzhou. It interrogates how the World Heritage Site inscription nomination boosts heritage conservation and assesses how the inscription sustains ongoing heritage conservation and tourism business. The study discusses the authorized heritage discourse and the challenge of scalar mismatch with regards to heritage tourism in the Chinese context. It proposes a gradualist conservation approach that empowers local communities to achieve an inclusive heritage conservation and tourism development.

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world today, and heritage tourism is one tourism segment that has shown a rapid growth. Heritage tourism in Indonesia only began to grow in the beginning of this millennium, marked by emergence of heritage tourism organizations in a number of major cities. In the city of Bandung, heritage tourism activities were initially organized in 2003 following the birth of Bandung Trails. The organization has been active in organizing heritage tours annually. Identification of heritage tourism development, both from demand and supply side, is the goal of a research that became the basis for this paper. The type of the research is qualitatiive and the population taken was the participants of tours organized by the Bandung Trails between 2003 and 2007. Samples were chosen randomly involving around 750 respondents who were given questionnaires from which primary data of profiles and demand patterns were generated. Aside from that, secondary data from literatures were used to identify the conditions of heritage tourism products at the supply side. Heritage tourism is a new phenomenon in Bandung that began to develop in the early millennium and pioneered by grassroots communities in heritage conservation. Findings of this research include, from the supply side, some challenges in the development of heritage tourism in Bandung, such as weak law enforcement, limited economic condition of local communities, and lack of attachment between the communities and heritage objects. From the demand side, heritage tourists in Bandung was domnated by young people aged 19-30 (78%) and it is assumed that there is a connection between level of education and interest in heritage tourism.

Like many of the state-run industries of the former Soviet Union, the tourism industry is in disarray and often appears to be near collapse. Historic centers like Novgorod have been particularly hard hit by this collapse as the maintenance and the very survival of the town's heritage is dependent on income generated both directly and indirectly from tourism.This paper examines some of the problems connected with heritage tourism that Novgorod currently faces. In doing so, it raises more questions that it can answer, perhaps inevitably given the uncertainty that permeates most aspects of life in Russia today.

The article explores how cross-border heritage tourism is promoted in public schools to reimagine Hungary as an ethnically homogeneous nation by incorporating ethnic kin communities that live in neighboring countries. Cross-border heritage tourism has long served to establish strong ties to ethnic diaspora communities that live beyond the territorial borders of the nation-state. National borders in Central and Eastern Europe were repeatedly redrawn across ethnic groups over the twentieth century. Heritage tourism remains a key cultural and economic practice that symbolically questions current national borders and aims to increase the viability of ethnic enclave economies in countries where the given ethnic group is a minority. The article focuses on a large-scale student travel program that was launched by the Hungarian government in 2010, the year that marked the start of a brisk populist turn in Hungarian politics. The program provides funding to public school students for organized class trips to areas of neighboring countries (Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, and Ukraine) that belonged to the Hungarian state before World War I. It shows how the Hungarian government mobilizes the public education system to foster a narrow and exclusionary ethnic understanding of cultural membership by selectively overemphasizing Hungarian heritage in regions that have had multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural histories for centuries. This project extends research on identity-based heritage tourism to show how it has become an integral part of the propaganda toolkit of populist governments.

This chapter (i) discusses the growth in cultural and heritage tourism as a global market; (ii) defines cultural tourism and describes who cultural tourists are; (iii) defines heritage tourism and discusses its attributes such as authenticity and nostalgia; (iv) discusses the growth of cultural and heritage tourism in Europe, the USA, and Australia; (v) analyses the changing role of museums as a heritage tourism attraction; and (vi) recommends key strategies to attract older people to visit museums.

Catarina es una ciudad que forma parte de los pueblos blancos, localizados en el contorno de la Laguna de Apoyo. Este estudio que se presenta tiene corno objetivo la identificación del potencial turístico de Catarina a partir de la variedad de recursos naturales y culturales que presenta el territorio. Para su realización se hicieron reiteradas visitas a la localidad, consultas bibliográficas, entrevistas a líderes comarcales y a responsables de las instituciones, además se aplicaron encuestas a los turistas. Catarina está localizada a 6 km de Masaya en el sector noroccidental de la Laguna de Apoyo. Tiene como principal atractivo la Reserva Natural Laguna de Apoyo. Esta Reserva la conforman la misma Laguna, la variedad de flora y de finura, las altas pendientes, y la espesa vegetación para practicar el eco turismo. El cráter de La Laguna Apoyo se formó hace unos 23000 años, su belleza paisajística la convierten en un destino muy interesante para los turistas nacionales y extranjeros que desean estar en contacto con la naturaleza. Para los recursos culturales, el potencial turístico de Catarina está representada por la iglesia católica, con una arquitectura colonial, además cuenta con centros artesanales que trabajan la madera, el barro y las fibras vegetales. De igual manera cuenta can numerosos jardines, viveros y un impresionante mirador. Completan el potencial turístico de la ciudad la infraestructura, sus restaurantes y hoteles, localizados en la ciudad, al borde del mirador y a la orillas de la Laguna. Las actividades turísticas implementadas son: el senderismo, el turismo de aventura la natación y el ecoturismo.

This study examines the adaptive reuse of an abandoned heritage ensemble, Sa'd al-Saltaneh Caravanserai, in Qazvin, Iran, through ‘place making’, a multifaceted approach to create urban spaces. We applied a qualitative research approach, focusing on in-depth semi-structured interviews and on-site observations. The findings revealed that the adaptive reuse project and place making had created a positive image of the city and a popular place for citizens and tourists to visit. The results support the assertion that tourism place making, using arts and culture, could be a helpful way for heritage conservation in long-neglected historical centers and improve the image and experiences of urban places. However, the neglect of the community needs in the process of place making may hinder the realization of effective urban regeneration and sustainable tourism development. Through the case of Qazvin, we argue that the lack of a comprehensive and multidimensional approach in the process of tourism place making can worsen the situation for residents and eliminate the residential role of central neighborhoods. The study contributes to the literature on heritage adaptive reuse and tourism place making from the perspectives of different groups of stakeholders.

Gastronomy, as a part of cultural heritage, has exceptional potential in tourism, and its key representatives and conservationists/guardians are hospitality facilities that provide food services. Vojvodina (the Republic of Serbia) is a region inhabited by more than 30 ethnic minorities that have nurtured their cultural heritage and have been incorporating it into gastronomy for many years. The subject of this paper is the gastronomy of ethnic groups in Vojvodina and its significance for tourism development from the point of view of hospitality workers as important actors in the sustainability of heritage. One of the motives behind this study is the twelfth UN sustainable development goal (SDGs) defined in 2015, which refers to providing sustainable forms of consumption and production and which emphasizes the development and application of tools for monitoring the impact that sustainable development has on tourism that promotes local culture and products (12b). The aim of this study was to obtain data on the preservation of heritage, that is, on authenticity within the region/area and ethnic groups, and then to perform a valorization of dishes and define steps on how to make gastronomic heritage a more visible tourist attraction, from the perspective of sustainability. Our survey included a sample of 508 respondents, all employees in the hospitality industry. The obtained results were statistically processed. The research showed that the Južnabačka district has the greatest importance in tourism from the aspect of the implementation, preservation, and sustainability of gastronomic heritage in tourism. Among the ethnic groups, the Vojvodina Hungarians place the greatest importance on the preservation of gastronomy, which includes dishes such as goulash and uses ingredients such as river fish. The research led to the conclusion that those in the hospitality industry are of the opinion that gastronomic heritage should be promoted through activities such as tourist exposure, marketing activities, and promoting the diversity of authentic food offers in catering facilities.