Cultural Tourism - Case Study Example

Tourism Name Course Lecture Date Culture is defined as the totality of intellectual and physical products that are made by humans (Kaneko 2013). While considering tourism as a cultural product, culture is defined as the appreciation of literature, language and art. Mckercher and Cros (2002) categorize culture into a fourfold topology: 1, Culture as a cognitive Category or cerebral; it is a general state of mind used by a person to achieve the goal of socialization. From this typology the idea of High culture or cultures person emerge. 2. Culture is more collective and embodied: Culture is linked to the progress of human society and invokes a state of moral and intellectual development in society. 3. Culture is a concrete and descriptive category: This is the typology of culture that is mostly referred to as in tourism. Culture is the collection of intellectual and artistic work in a society. The creativity of society in fine art, individual reflection and fine art are considered the highest level of culture. 4. Culture as a social phenomenon: in this typology culture is the whole way of a life of a given society. The patterns of belief and value system of a society are considered part of the culture being considered. Culture thus is reflected in every person’s life and the society collectively. According to Kaneko (2013), tourism is one of the largest multinational activity. In one year tourism involves millions of people moving across national boundaries, it involves vast amount of money and generates millions of jobs in developing, transitional and developed countries. Tourism consumes multiple products and services in the destination, source and during transport to destination. Sigala and Leslie (2005) define tourism as the total sum of industrial and commercial activities involved in providing products and services for both domestic and local tourists. As a cultural product, tourism is concerned with travelling to a tourist destination to discover and appreciate the ‘quaint customs of indigenous and often exotic peoples’ (Mckercher and du Cros 2002). Cultural tourists are also concerned with souvenirs from the host’s culture and also want to identify with the colors, costumes and festivals of the host culture. Tourist as a cultural product refers to cases where a people’s culture is the basis of motivating or attracting people to the tourist destination (Mckercher and du Cros 2002). Another definition refers to the act of travelling from modern experiences to society where the modern way of life has not been adopted in order to satisfy individual’s cultural needs (Sigala and Leslie, 2005). Mckercher & du Cros (2002) define tourism as the act of developing and marketing various cultural practices as tourist products to both local and foreign tourist. According to the World Tourism Organization, tourism is the act of travelling to appreciate different cultures to such attractions as performing arts, cultural tours, festivals, sites and monuments, travel to “study nature, folklore or art and pilgrimages” (Mckercher & du Cros 2002). Cultural products have been defined as products that have some cultural content in them (Mckercher & du Cros 2002). In most instances cultural products are crafts, ethnic products, handcrafts or handcrafted products. Other cultural products are not mobile like festivals and performing arts. Cultural products have been in existence in the host culture for generation. Despite their value to tourists, cultural products are functional items in the host community. For example, in Asian cultures, Bamboo baskets are used for storage of grains, vegetables and grains, while bamboo backpacks are used for carrying babies, bamboo boats are also functional objects in the community (Wherry 2004). However, the people from other cultures these products are culturally significant and they will travel from their own countries to view the locals making bamboo items and buy the items as cultural souvenirs. As a cultural product tourism reflects the unique features of the destination including its history and environment. However, cultural products are not tourist products unless they are in a form that can be consumed by both local and foreign tourists. However, the cultural specificity of a tourism product is reflected by the fact that it must involve local values in its transformation process into a tourist product (Wherry 2004). The cultural specificity of a cultural tourist product is also reflected by the fact that it has to involve the specific local culture to be considered as a product of that culture. The definition by Richards & Munsters (2010) reflects both the global and local specificity of tourism as cultural products. The definition views tourism as a cultural product as consisting of two parts: The core product: this is the attraction tourist travel to see (cultural events, monuments and the general way of life of a culture) mostly these products are consumed by the tourist in the local environment thus showing the local specificity of tourism. Additional products: These are the products that support the offering of the core product. They include accommodation and transportation services. These are more globally specific as a foreign tourist begins his/her journey from his home country. A tourist can also be accommodated in multiple countries on his journey to view a locally specific cultural product. As a cultural product, tourism generates global demand. Most enlightened societies have a need to learn about other cultures as they find unique aspects of this culture attractive. To create demand, cultural products are designed to appeal to the needs and want of tourists (Wei 2006). To have more demand, cultural products must reflect the core cultural elements of a specific local culture. Thus tourism cultural products must involve the special cultural themes and unique characteristics of the local culture. The categories of cultural tourism products are a further reflection of the local specificity of tourism as cultural product. Historical cultural tourism products include relics and cultural heritage that require a person to travel to the locality to view them. The second category; Artistic cultural tourism products like folk music, folk art, architecture and performance art have to be performed or done by local people for them to be authentic. Regional tourism products also require tourism to travel to interact with local people; these products include local cuisines, local traditional culture, ancient architecture and local festivals. Religious events and sites comprise religious cultural products which are also performed in the immediate locality. Other cultural products include amusement parks, botanical gardens, zoos and theme parks. It can be noted that most of the cultural tourism products require a person to travel to the locality where they are found in order to view and appreciate them. Features of Tourism as a Cultural product Providers of cultural products to tourists need to analyze the tourist market well in order to provide new and innovative products to tourists. According to Mckercher and du Cros (2002), two aspects of tourism as a cultural product need to be considered. They propose a redesign of the cultural tourism product to increase the core value of the product. Secondly, providers need to create new tourism products. According to Mckercher & du Cros (2002) tourism as a cultural product should exhibit the following features: 1. It should tell a story: Cultural tourism products should tell a story about the tourist destination, tourist should seek to visit the associated destination in the process of hearing the whole story. Providers can relate the story to life to attract interest from tourists. A story about a cultural product also enables tourists better understand the local culture and history. Furthermore, a story attaches meaning to the tourist product and is guides the tourist interpretation of a cultural tourist product. 2. Bring assets alive: messages to consumers of cultural tourism products should be exciting and creative so that the tourists yearn for an enjoyable experience. Good experience for tourist leads to a deeper consumption of the product and they are more likely to spend more time at the destination. 3. Participatory activity: To enhance their experience tourist should participate in cultural activity. According to Mckercher and du Cros (2002), such cultural events as festivals and performances should include opportunities for tourists to participate. In so doing providers enhance the satisfaction and enjoyable experience of visitors with a particular cultural tourist product. 4. Relevant to the Tourist: Cultural tourism product should meet the needs and wants of particular tourists. Some cultural products are not relevant to some tourists from specific cultures. It is the obligation of the providers to make them relevant to these tourist frame of reference and knowledge. Presentation of the product must always appeal to the group of tourists it is targeted at. 5. Quality and Authenticity: Consumers of cultural products are mostly sophisticated and well-educated and have higher levels of cultural awareness. While selecting a cultural tourist product these consumers engage in a value trade-off; they select the product that is offered at a reasonable price and is the best quality. When it comes to cultural tourist product, authenticity is key to attracting tourists. According to Sharpley (2008), tourism is a fast growing and valuable sector of many countries economies. It is significant to the economy and lives of thousands in tourist destinations. In some communities, tourism is considered to have changed the economic well-being of whole societies. However, most local communities perceive tourism with a level of apprehension. This real or perceived fear comes from mismanagement of tourism resources. According to the providers of tourist products must strive to minimize the negative effects of tourism on local communities. Most importantly, providers must make sure, net benefits are more than the net losses to the community. According to Sharpley (2008), most communities who receive cultural tourist are afraid this may lead to a loss of their cultural identity. Catering for the needs of international and some classes of local tourist is certainly means that some aspects of local culture are affected. In the views of Sharpley (2008), exposing some cultural products to tourist has compromised the cultural identity of these destinations. The motivation for cultural travelers increases the fear of losing cultural identity. Most tourists confess that their travel motivation is to participate and experience cultures that are different from their own. The tourist experience of cultural travelers includes experiencing or doing what they do not normally do at home. According to Sharpley (2008) involving the community in the development of a tourist product leads to more positive attitudes towards tourism. Passively thinking that a community will support a tourist endeavor is the wrong approach in developing a cultural tourism product. Providers of cultural tourism products should also make sure they use their proceeds from tourism in community development. The perception that the community is benefiting is key to ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of a cultural tourism product. Benefits of Tourism In most cases, the local and global benefits of tourism are well documented. In 1997/98 tourism contributed $58.2 billion to the Australian economy about 4.5 per cent of the country’s GDP (Sun and Walsh 1998). The tourism industry employed 6 per cent of Australian workers. At the local level, tourism enables rural communities to absorb economic shocks. According to Sharpley (2008), the tourism market is more recession proof than other markets which are adversely affected by economic shocks. For Australian aborigines this is important as their villages continue to receive cultural tourists throughout the year. As cultural tourist products are found regional areas they benefit small locally operated businesses leading to thriving local economies. Where communities own and operate cultural products, tourism revenue recirculates creating a multiplier effect in the economy. Visitors to local areas pay for services like accommodation, travel, food and entertainment (Dwyer and Forsyth 1993). The most benefits to local communities are those visitors who spend their night in local accommodation. However, substantial revenue is collected from visitors who pass through. This revenue provides employment opportunities to the population of regional areas and is especially beneficial to regions undergoing structural adjustment changes. According to Sharpley (2008), tourism provides great employment opportunities to the young unemployed population. Cultural tourist can benefit local communities without the need to develop cultural tourism products from scratch. According to Sharpley (2008), cultural tourists are attracted to cultural products that have been in the community for ages. This includes heritage, natural and cultural experiences that are unique to that community. Leveraging communities existing attributes leads to a range of benefits to the community. Such benefits include infrastructure and services which enhance the quality of life for local communities (Sharpley 2008). It is obvious that tourism products that enhance the quality of life of locals will obtain that community’s support. According to Sharpley (2008), tourism to a certain destination creates a sense of pride in the host community. These communities feel they have a unique offering which people travel to see. Where communities can offer tourist good services they feel proud of their facilities. Tourism also facilitates cultural exchange between host communities and domestic and international tourists. Cultural tourism aims are to experience the unique aspect of another community. In so doing visitor cultures become more aware of other cultures and are aware of other perspectives of the world. According to Sharpley (2008), local cuisine and hospitality are more part of a tourist’s unique experience more than other built cultural attractions. Cultural tourism can also be used by local communities as a platform for attracting attention to community issues. Communities that are host to cultural tourist products can air their grievances against national and local administrators. Cultural tourism plays an important part in the conservation effort of cultural tourism products (Milne and Ateljevic 2001). Culturally aware visitors are more likely to contribute to present and future initiatives aimed at the conservation of a tourist product. Furthermore, cultural tourists increase the need for effective management of cultural tourist products. Cultural tourism highlights the importance of keeping traditional culture in regional areas alive. Where visitors travel from far places to view cultural events and celebrations they assert the cultural identity of the local community. Local communities therefore find it imperative to preserve their local traditions to keep benefiting from cultural tourism. Local areas stick to traditional cuisines and culture as they form the basis for attracting cultural tourists. Through cultural tourism, food, local crafts and practices become a way of raising funds for the community. According to Sharpley (2008), cultural tourism enhances the transmission of traditional culture to younger members of the society. Furthermore, the incentive to preserve natural resources among local communities is increased. Finally, some communities revive their traditional culture in a bid to offer more relevant cultural tourism products. According to Sharpley (2008), the benefits of tourism mostly go to individual enterprises rather than to communities whose culture is exploited to form cultural tourist products. For example, the international airline industry is one of the largest global beneficiaries of cultural tourism. However, the communities where air operators transport tourists do not benefit from the air travel proceeds gained by the operators of airlines. Accommodation is also provided by large multinational and national enterprise and the benefits rarely trickle down to the local community. Most planning for tourism is market led and frequently ignores the social and cultural impact on local communities. Local sometimes view the presence of visitors in their community as invasive. Communities feel their lives are intruded by visitors and they lose their privacy due to this invasion. Furthermore, a sense of crowding also develops among local communities. Why cultural tourism products change when transplanted According to Scott (2000) cultural tourism product are consumed for their aesthetic value rather than for their value or attractiveness. According Hesmondhalgh (2002), cultural products lean towards signification more than the actual value and are meant to transmit or communicate meaning. However, the meaning attributed to cultural tourism product is different according to the culture of the consumer. This means consumption of a cultural product is culturally-dependent just like the production of the cultural tourism product. According to economists, tourism as a cultural product, when transplanted into a different culture changes because it has some addictive qualities. On the other hand sociologists believe that tourism cultural products are more important in some cultures as they reflect the higher social status of the consumers (Gibson and Kong 2005). According to Sharpley (2008), having the notion that a tourism cultural product will have the same identity in different cultures is faulty. This notion ignores the fact that culture influence aesthetic taste and the meaning and identities of tourism cultural products are culturally constructed (Negus 2002). Taste in cultural products between different countries cannot be expected to converge as each culture will obviously have a different taste. Therefore, Chinese visitors will appreciate different cultural product in comparison with American tourists. Therefore the marketability of a cultural product is dependent on its perceptions by consumers. It is difficult to market cultural tourism products to countries that consider themselves more culturally superior to the producer’s culture. According to Johannes (2001), cultural tourism products are forced to consider the foreignness of their consumers. Sharpley (2008), reports that most cultural tourism products have been transformed to become more relevant to foreign consumers. For example, cultural rites that involve shedding of blood have to be transformed to make sure they do not scare away tourists. Folk music that involves nudity has been also transformed to make sure it does not offend tourist from other cultures. According to Connell and Gibson 2004 this significantly reduces the cultural specificity of a cultural tourist product. In most cases this means the authenticity and exotism cultural tourist seek is hard to achieve if a tourism cultural product is to be marketed across international boundaries (Mizzau and Fabrizio 2008). According to Aoyama (2007), such cultural products as the Spanish Flamenco dance have had to be transformed to reflect different tastes. Conclusion Tourism as a cultural product has had a huge impact on global and local economies. As seen in Australia cultural tourism is a large contributor to the country’s GDP and employment. On the local level cultural tourism has a number of benefits and drawback that can be minimized through good management. While cultural tourists want exotic and authentic products, this is not possible as they also demand that the same products be relevant to their culture. References Aoyama, Y 2007, The role of consumption and globalization in a cultural industry: the case of flamenco. Geoforum, 38: 103-113. Dwyer, L & Forsyth, P 1993, Assessing the benefits and costs of inbound tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 20 (4), 751-768. Gibson, C and Lily K 2005, Cultural economy: a critical review. Progress in Human Geography, 29 (5): 541-561. Hesmondhalgh, D 2002) The cultural industries. London: Sage. Johannes, GJ 2001, The development of the literary field and the limitations of ‘minor’ languages: the case of the Northern Netherlands, 1750-1850. 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