Heritage and Cultural Values in Nature based Tourism
Abstract (100 words)
Table of Contents
Introduction
Tourism is an industry that depends on the physical environment. The tourism industry has grown phenomenally in the past few decades. Greater numbers of people worldwide are traveling nationally and internationally and, concomitantly, global spending on travel and tourism has more than doubled (1999).
In Australia, tourism is one of the largest industries. The industry accounts for .7 billion or 8.6% of Australia's Gross Domestic Product. The industry represents a greater contribution on the GDP than the other sector such as the agriculture and communication services.
In the international economy, tourism is a major force as it generates 11.2% of Australia's total export earnings, more than traditional exports such as coal, iron and steel products. It is forecast that tourism's export growth rate will outperform all key sectors by 2004-2005. Tourism is an important economic driver.
Revised forecasts from the Tourism Forecasting Council predict international visitor arrivals to Australia will reach 9.4 million by the year 2010. International visitors are forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 6.6% over the next 10 years.
The Australian economy is fundamentally shifting from primary industry to a service and knowledge base. The total number of jobs increased by 17.3% between 1986 and 1996, but employment in agriculture (11%) and mining (6%) declined. Farming is losing its position as the primary industry of most rural economies. Decreasing farm profitability and labour efficiencies from agricultural technology and mechanisation have changed rural employment.
Tourism can promote and facilitate economic activity that supports aspects of regional life. For example, farm stays, cellar doors and the purchase of local produce support agriculture, while the purchase of other products supports local retail and industry. Tourism spending also has a multiplier effect in the local economy as it is spent and re-spent by employers and employees.
Tourism may generate income for local government in the form of rates and levies or as a result of patronage of local government owned attractions and services. This income contributes to the quality and quantity of local services and facilities provided for the benefit of both residents and visitors.
Coupled with the growth in tourism is a booming interest in history, heritage, and culture.
Heritage tourism, a niche segment that first rose to prominence among researchers and the tourism industry in the 1990s, remains one of the most significant, and fastest growing forms of leisure travel
Heritage tourism involves travel to sites that in some way represent or celebrate an area, community, or people's history; identity or inheritance. Heritage attractions are typically divided into three categories: natural, cultural and built.
Figure 1. The Three Categories of Heritage Attraction
NATURAL CULTURAL BUILT
Landforms, Festivals, Historic homes,
rural scenery, arts/crafts, monuments,
flora and fauna traditional practices/ industrial sites
products
Figure 2. Specific Types of Heritage Tourism
Type of Tourism/Attraction Description and Example(s)
Literary tourism Travel to "literary places," linked to
writers (e.g., their homes or birthplaces)
and/or the settings of their novels
( 2001)
Legacy tourism Travel related to genealogical endeavors,
e.g., to search for information on, or to
feel more connected to, ancestors
and ancestral roots ( 2003)
Historaunts/ Restaurants as heritage attractions,
eatertainment providing not just food and beverages, but
a complete tourist experience
( 2004)
Dark tourism/ Travel to places associated with death,
thanotourism disaster or other tragic or gruesome
occurrences (2000;
2002)
Industrial heritage Visits to unused industrial sites such as
tourism former collieries and factories (
1998; 2002)
Heritage tourism can take place at individual sites, as well as, increasingly, in "heritage areas" (e.g., the MotorCities--Automobile National Heritage Area in Michigan) and along "heritage routes," "corridors" and "trails" (e.g., the Coal Mining Heritage Route in southern West Virginia, South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, and Maine Maritime Heritage Trail). In some cases, cities may promote themselves, or districts within them, as heritage destinations, as discussed in (2000), (2002) and (in press).
What is Heritage, Tourism?
(1989) and others (1988; 1986) suggest that heritage tourism is "about the cultural traditions, places and values that ... groups throughout the world are proud to conserve." Cultural traditions such as family patterns, religious practices, folklore traditions, and social customs attract individuals interested in heritage ( 1983; 1992) as do monuments, museums, battlefields, historic structures, and landmarks ( 1982; 1991). According to(1990), heritage tourism also includes natural heritage sites -- gardens, wilderness areas of scenic beauty, and valued cultural landscapes. Regardless of the heritage attraction, (1996) and (1993) argue that heritage tourism is about searching for something that links the past and the present. It is integrally tied to nostalgia. For example, a family makes a weekend vacation of traveling to and visiting their ancestral homestead.
Unfortunately, due to the attractiveness of heritage as a commodity, an increasing number of areas are being promoted as "heritage" destinations (1995). Essentially, in tourism, the term heritage has come to mean landscapes, natural history, buildings, artifacts, and cultural traditions that are "either literally or metaphorically passed on from one generation to the other, but those among these things which can be portrayed for promotion as tourism products" {1993).
Despite the loose definition of heritage tourism, its growth is beyond contention (1993). Between 1991 and 1995 interest in heritage tourism increased 16 percent. And this interest continues to grow. Recently, TIA reported that approximately 54 million adults had visited a museum or historical site in the past year (1999). There are no indications that this trend has topped out.
According to numerous analyses ( 2001; 2003; 2003), the typical heritage tourist is of middle age or older. and of above-average levels of education and income. The heritage tourist tends to seek more in the type of experience and benefits expected, than other types of tourists. Heritage tourists "usually seek an informed visitor experience rather than merely gazing" (1998).
They also expect outcomes that include learning about their destination and gaining an insight into its past. While enjoyment is still crucial, the heritage tourist often expects a greater degree of involvement with, or immersion into, the site(s), with a heavy educational component. The heritage tourist may be described as a "thoughtful consumer," one who is of above-average cultural competence and wary of the "dumbing down" so prevalent in today's culture (2002).
Heritage and cultural sites are attracting a growing number of tourists. Interest in heritage tourism is generating corporate sponsorships to maintain and rehabilitate historic places and structures. Historic and cultural destinations aren't as popular with leisure travelers as cities, visits to family and friends, beaches, and lakes. Yet they are on the minds of a significant number of travelers.
The interrelationship between tourism and culture is complex. Tourism, while viewed by governments as the savior of struggling economies, has led to instances where cultural artifacts, ceremonies, traditions, landscapes, and ways-of-life have been commodified into a sellable resource for tourist consumption. This has given rise to many issues relating to tourism and culture, including the transformation of cultures, cultural politics, and questions about the (in)authenticity of touristic experiences, to name but a few.
Cultural tourism is examined from the perspectives of culture heritage and tourism management. These perspectives often view cultural tourism differently and there is a spectrum of possible relationships between tourism and cultural heritage management ranging from full partnership to open conflict. It suggests that the failure to appreciate the nexus between cultural heritage management and tourism results in the sub-optimal delivery of cultural tourism products and the continued unsustainable development of the sector.
Discussion
Cultural/heritage tourism is based on the mosaic of places, traditions, art forms, celebrations and experiences that portray the diversity and character of a community, a region, or a nation. Travelers who engaged in cultural heritage tourism activities visit:
- historic sites
- museums and art galleries
- theater and performing arts venues
- cultural events, festivals and fairs
- ethnic communities and neighborhoods
- architectural and archaeological sites
- national and state parks
Heritage-based travel, like all segments of the tourism industry, offers the potential for numerous economic benefits in destination areas. The attraction of new visitors to a site or area increases spending and may lead to the creation of new jobs and businesses, thereby stimulating the local economy both directly and indirectly, through the multiplier or trickle-down effect. Taxes on spending can be used to benefit all members of a community, not just those directly involved in the tourism industry, through the improvement of physical infrastructure.
In addition to the economic benefits that the attraction of tourists to a heritage site or area can generate, the recognition of such locations may also bring with it a number of other advantages. Identification of a site or area as of historic, cultural or natural importance should promote greater awareness of, and appreciation for, its value, thereby increasing the chances of its preservation in the future. Realization of the existence and significance of its unique resources by local residents is likely to enhance community pride and help strengthen sense of place and identity, as evidenced by (2002) in their analysis of the perceptions of residents of the Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway in southwestern Colorado.
Heritage sites provide real-world classrooms where both children and adults--local and visitors--can learn about the history, nature and/or culture of an area. Beyond these opportunities for education regarding the site or wider vicinity, lies the additional potential for increased awareness and understanding of resource preservation. (2003) describes the more profound impact that heritage sites can have on the formation and maintenance of national identity among domestic visitors. Heritage sites can offer nostalgic images of traditional lifestyles, as well as of the progress of a region or country.
Heritage-based tourism can also be tied into the notion of sustainability. The creation of tourism attractions using existing assets--whether natural, cultural, or built--negates the need for the building of new facilities, allowing communities to "look to the past for a sustainable future" ( 2002).
Environment: defined
Environment is defined as the sum of all external factors, both biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving), to which an organism is exposed. Biotic factors include influences by members of the same and other species on the development and survival of the individual. Primary abiotic factors are light, temperature, water, atmospheric gases, and ionizing radiation, influencing the form and function of the individual.
Nature Based Tourism
Nature based tourism is a segment of rural tourism is referred to as nature-based tourism, ecotourism or sometimes recreation-based tourism. Nature-based tourism attracts people interested in visiting natural areas of the United States for the purpose of enjoying the scenery, including plant and animal wildlife. Examples of nature-based tourism include hunting, fishing, photography, bird watching, and visiting parks.
Conclusion
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