Cultural Tourism News

Paris has just launched a new creative tourism portal, giving access to a wide range of creative tourism experiences. From the website:

Paris : Creative destination

Do you want to see another side to Paris and the city’s history, heritage and culture? Are you ready to awaken your creativity in one of the most stimulating settings?

As a popular and magical destination, Paris and its creative tourism sets itself apart as a pillar of cultural, interactive and sustainable tourism.

A report from the Council of Europe edited by Kseniya Khovanova with contributions from ATLAS experts including Diane Dodd, Graeme Evans and Jordi Tresserras. Includes an analysis of the current and future trends in cultural tourism and case studies from a range of Major Cultural Routes, including the Hansa Route, TRANSROMANICA, the Routes of the Legacy of al-Andalus, The Routes of the Olive Tree and the Via Francigena.

South Africa's Tourism Department is currently developing a 'National Strategy on Heritage and Cultural Tourism’ which will provide a framework for the future development of cultural tourism in the country. Developing cultural tourism research will be one element of the new strategy. Further details will be posted when available.

Audiences London has brought together together some quick reference guides from their contributing organisations who have advice and experience about how to engage the cultural tourist.

Eurobarometer survey of 27,000 consumers giving latest trends in toruism demand. Includes questions on cultural heritage and festivals and events.

A study of the potential for cultural tourism in Ontario by Lord Cultural Resources. The paper identifies key global trends in cultural tourism and gives numerous examples of best practice.

This document articulates this group’s collective vision. It sets out their strategy for increasing cultural tourism within Vancouver -- and from Vancouver as a gateway to the rest of British Columbia –- through partnerships between the tourism and cultural sectors to strategically build, brand, promote, develop and deliver cultural offerings that create an exceptional visitor experience.

Cultural activities, experiences and products contribute significantly to the overall satisfaction of both international and domestic tourists in New Zealand. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage believes that cultural organisations and businesses could benefit greatly from a more strategic engagement with the tourism market and is interested in actively encouraging the development of strong and enduring relationships with the tourism sector. Two reports form the basis for the development of a Cultural Tourism Strategy to be released for consultation later in 2008.

Provides a very useful review of recent research in cultural and heritage tourism, including a review of different definitions and typologies of cultural tourists.

Introduction (p. 5)
Chapter 1        Symbiotic Relation between Culture and Tourism (p. 8)
Chapter 2        History of Cultural Travel and Tourism (p. 13)
Chapter 3        Defining Cultural Tourism (p. 19)
Chapter 4        Features of Cultural Tourism and Cultural Trips (p. 24)
Chapter 5        Cultural Tourists (p. 32)
Chapter 6        Typologies of Cultural Tourism (p. 45)
Chapter 7        Cultural Heritage Tourism (p. 62)
Chapter 8        Arts Tourism (The Arts, Entertainment and Their Events) (p. 89)
Chapter 9        Creative Cultural Tourism (p. 98)
Conclusion (p. 108)
Bibliography (p. 110)
Annex (p. 117)

The consumption of culture is one of the most important aspects of tourism activity. Cultural tourism includes experiencing local culture, traditions and lifestyle, participation in arts-related activities, and visits to museums, monuments and heritage sites. This book reviews a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods applied to the field of cultural tourism, including surveys, mystery tourist visits, visitor tracking, grand tour narratives, collage, researcher-created video, photo-based interviews, ethnographic and actor-network approaches. It provides a practical guide on how to conduct research as well as a discussion and evaluation of the methods.