GUEST POST BY BUSINESS OF THE ARTS
Why do we want cultural tourism development in our communities?
When you ask that question of a tourism promoter, the answer is: to generate revenue for the municipality/region, to create jobs, to provide economic opportunity, to support a host of activities that we couldn’t support just with our own local population.
That’s all true but that’s not the root of the answer.
The root of the answer is: We encourage tourism development to improve the quality of life for our local community. And it’s against that measuring stick that everything we do to promote tourism in our communities must be measured. If you’re not generating a means for improving the quality of life in your community that is equal to or greater than any adverse impact you may be having on your community, you’re not stepping forward.
Stakeholders
Local Entrepreneurs:
Cultural heritage has a strong human dimension and only becomes authentic if it’s owned and driven by locals and integrated in their everyday life. Getting locals involved and encouraging them to promote “their own” cultural tourism oriented business can contribute to the economic development of the region and to better standards of living for the locals, as it can reduce unemployment and create additional income.
Furthermore, it increases the likelihood of sustainable tourism initiatives, because the benefits of tourism will be reaped by the local population rather than by big tourism operators.
Potentials of the stakeholders involved:
Small local entrepreneurs make “their” tourism offer more appealing, as they create the framework for building a cultural tourist destination atmosphere.
They offer the infrastructure in accommodation, crafting, traditional cooking and local customs, which personalizes and enriches the region’s tourism offer with coherence and strengthens identity.
This raises the potential of the town/region for selling its cultural offering on the tourism market.
My current involvement in Cultural Tourism initiatives:
This is a beginning – or, if I may so bold, a “re-beginning” of an initiative that garnered a deal great support in the 1980’s – worth a “re-visit”, no doubt.
I am currently involved in 3 Cultural Tourism Events in 3 different locations around the world that engage many different and diverse cultures.
A picture is worth “1000” words.
Some cities have realized what a potential there is in cultural tourism. Seattle Opera has made that city a destination for visitors from all over the world because of their productions of Wagner operas, especially the Ring. San Francisco has promoted its art galleries, its opera, and its symphony as major reasons to visit. Even Victoria attracts visitors because of the innovative productions of Pacific Opera Victoria. And who goes to Paris in order to boat on the Seine? To see what our provincial government thinks are the main and only reasons why people should visit our province, just see this pre-Olympics video. http://bit.ly/5Esdz8 By the way, most of the recognizable celebrities seen here are not even living in Canada any more.
I added another image to the post on Cultural Tourism – about hotels and how they may impact Cultural Tourism. @ http://scwr4.wordpress.com
Tom you are right on about Seattle and San Francisco promoting Cultural Tourism. I remember the Seattle Opera’s first Ring cycle and there were lots of out of town folk at this Cultural Tourism event.
San Francisco was the first city to apply a “tax on hotel occupancy” dedicated to cultural institutions in the city. I believe the funding from this “tax” supports “operations activities” of the cultural organizations of San Francisco. (It is less “sexy” to get grants/donations/sponsorships for “operations activities” that often need this kind of support to survive).