Cultural Attractions Selection Process PDF

The Selection Process For Determining Cultural Attractions Can all cultural and heritage assets be a cultural tourism attraction?  SELECTION OF CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS Five Phases 1- The inventory phase. 2- The description phase. 3- The assessment phase. 4- The evaluation pha...

The Selection Process For Determining Cultural Attractions Can all cultural and heritage assets be a cultural tourism attraction?  SELECTION OF CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS Five Phases 1- The inventory phase. 2- The description phase. 3- The assessment phase. 4- The evaluation phase. 5-The packaging phase. 1- THE INVENTORY PHASE Step 1 Designate an area. The area of the inventory is clearly. Marked on a geographical map. Only those attractions found within the designated area are inventoried. 1- THE INVENTORY PHASE Step 2 (See the sample of inventory matrix) Prepare an inventory matrix sheet for the designated area. The attractions listed in the sample are not exhaustive, you should tailor-made a matrix. according to the real situation of the designated area. Example: If the country is China or Japan, Temple may be added to the list.  Step 3 Register number of existing and potential attractions under the corresponding category in the inventory matrix. E.g. 2E (existing) and 1P (potential) Archaeological sites. The name of each particular attraction is not recorded, because at this stage the concern is the total number of each type of attraction only.  Step 4 Step 4 Register number of existing and potential attractions under the corresponding category in the inventory matrix. E.g. 2E (existing) and 1P (potential) Archaeological sites. The name of each particular attraction is not recorded, because at this stage the concern is the total number of each type of attraction only.  1- THE INVENTORY PHASE Step 4 Prepare a full list of cultural and heritage attractions which include the codes and names of all attractions. Code the attractions according to the corresponding number of each type of attraction. Record down the name next to the code of each individual attraction.  1- THE INVENTORY PHASE Step 4 Prepare a full list of cultural and heritage attractions which include the codes and names. Type of Cultural / Existing codes Codes and names heritage attractions potential Archeological sites 2E 1a Al Ain Oasis 1b Hili Archeological garden 1p 1c xxxx 1- THE INVENTORY PHASE Step 4 The exact location of all the attractions should be marked on the map by indicating the code (i.e. 1a, 1b, 1c). The existing (E) and potential (P) attractions can be represented by different colors of dots in the map. This full code and name list will be the reference. for the Assessment Phase. 1- THE INVENTORY PHASE Step 5 Double check whether we have included all the existing and potential cultural and heritage attractions of each category in the matrix, in the map and in the name list. 2- THE DESCRIPTION PHASE All existing and potential cultural and heritage attraction in the inventory need to be accurately described. Their historical background should clearly be stated too. The purpose is to recognize the historic value of each attraction. You can include the descriptions in the full list or a new document.  2- THE DESCRIPTION PHASE The description should include essential information, such as: The year or era of the cultural and heritage assets built. Who built it. Content of the attraction. The style of the attraction. Historical significance. Unique point.  2- THE DESCRIPTION PHASE Example: Al Ain Oasis Built 1000BC A big date palm oasis. All trees in the oasis were irrigated by an ancient irrigation system called falaj, which consists of many narrow waterways. The system could carry water from the mountains 30km away. The irrigation system is well preserved. The oasis reflected Bedouin culture, traditions and ways of living.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Assess the suitability of the cultural and heritage assets. to be turned into cultural tourism attractions / products. Four criteria – “The Four As” Attributes; Authenticity; Activities; and Attractiveness.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Attributes Step 1 With reference to the description, attributes of each attraction can be found. The cultural and heritage resources are grouped together if they carry the same attribute. Examples of attributes. Historical period (e.g. 13th century). An architectural style (e.g. Art Deco). A famous artist (e.g. Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci). A movie or literature set (e.g. Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes). The identified attributes must be clear and distinctive enough, so the resources can be grouped accordingly. Some resources appear in more than one attribute group.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Attributes Step 2 Plot the attractions into a map (new). Each attribute should be assigned a particular color. All cultural and heritage attractions (both existing and potential) in a particular attribute group highlighted on the map by using the same color. If there are many attractions and many attributes (more than 5 or 6), every attribute should be allocated its own map. Each map shows the distribution of the attractions. grouped under the same attribute. 3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Attributes Step 2 At the end, we will know: A clear picture of numbers of attractions with the same attributes The spatial distribution of attractions with the same attributes How close are they located to each other? Are they clustered or dispersed? This can help us design the strategies in the Packaging Phase  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Attributes: 15th century (just for example) Attributes: how to analyze If several attractions with the same attributes are clustered together, this may provide economy of scale for marketing. If only ONE attraction carry one particular attribute which is very unique and important in the region, this may be an opportunity to the region. If an attraction or a group of attractions carry many different types of attributes, various groups of tourists may be attracted.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Authenticity FOUR criteria to evaluate the authenticity of the cultural and heritage attractions. Historical value and significance Cultural significance Represent the ‘sense of place’ Every city carries its own substance, essence and ambience, these project an image of the city or country to tourists How well can the particular cultural and heritage attraction maintain, enhance or represent the substance, essence and ambience of the city / country?  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Authenticity FOUR criteria to evaluate the authenticity of the cultural and heritage attractions. Level of community participation. The more community participation, the more authentic. This is because the community carries the ‘sense of place’  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Authenticity According to the FOUR Criteria, rate the authenticity of each cultural and heritage attraction from 1 - 5 5 – high authenticity 1 – Not authentic at all High authenticity means that the attraction cannot be copied elsewhere ----- Unique. Highlight the authentic cultural and heritage attractions on the attribute map.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Activities The diversity of activity is an important element that considerably increases tourists expenditure and the length of tourists’ stay in a destination. The more activities, the longer the stay and the higher the expenditure. The development and planning of cultural tourism should try to consider the diversity of activities in the cultural and heritage attractions. Examples: Worship. Shopping. Excavate as archaeologists. Appreciate music / dance / art pieces.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Activities Rate the diversity or potential diversity of activities that can be offered by each cultural and heritage attraction from 1 – 5. 5: Many varieties of activities. 3: Some varieties of activities. 1: Little variety of activities.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Attractiveness This criterion is used to distinguish between potential primary (high hierarchy), potential secondary (medium hierarchy) and potential tertiary (low hierarchy) attractions. Primary attractions. They are the main reasons for a trip. They create the authenticity and uniqueness of a destination. They form the basis of the destination image. Secondary and Tertiary attractions. Individually they do not have the ability to pull the tourists to the destination. They provide additional options to tourists in order to increase tourists expenditure and the length of stay.  3- THE ASSESSMENT PHASE Attractiveness Rate each of the cultural and heritage attractions from 1 – 5 according to their ability to pull tourists to the destination. Primary attraction – 5 Secondary attraction – 3 Tertiary attraction – 1 Four elements of cultural tourism  Four elements of cultural tourism Tourism Cultural tourism is a form of tourism, not a form of cultural heritage management It means it is a business All decisions must be commercial decision – how to make a cultural asset work as a tourism attraction? This point of view may not be agreed upon by many cultural and heritage management communities  Use of cultural and heritage assets Major attractions in cultural tourism are cultural and heritage assets These assets are conserved for the significances of their aesthetic, architectural, historical, social, spiritual, or educational values, rather than for the commercial values as tourism attractions. Contradiction: Cultural tourism needs these assets while these assets are managed by the principles of cultural heritage management  Use of cultural and heritage assets (cont.) These assets also serve many different groups Local school children Traditional owners, e.g. indigenous or ethnic groups who own the cultural property or land rights associated with cultural or heritage assets Local residents Tourists. These groups may value the asset for different reasons and seek different benefits from its use.  presentation of the assets becomes more difficult.  Friction between tourism and cultural heritage management interests.  Consumption of experiences and products It involves the consumption of experiences and products Tourists want to consume a variety of cultural experience, e.g. appreciate Roman sculptures, painting, traditional dance… … Tourism suppliers need to transform cultural and heritage assets into cultural tourism products Cultural and heritage asset – raw asset Cultural tourism product – transformed specifically for tourism consumption  FOUR ELEMENTS OF CULTURAL TOURISM The tourist Travel primarily for leisure on a limited time and budgets and may know little about the significance of the assets to the locals Their behavior  affect the assets Successful cultural tourism products must be shaped with this type of visitors in mind Ideal case: cultural and heritage management communicate with tourists directly and shape their expectations and behaviors. Problem: most cases without direct communication  FOUR ELEMENTS OF CULTURAL TOURISM Interrelationship between the four elements Tourism industry: Make profit Cultural & Heritage Assets Cultural & Heritage Management: conserve the cultural & heritage Tourists: want to use the cultural assets for reasons other heritage assets and consume the than tourism cultural experiences The Selection Process for Determining Cultural Attractions  Objects: Evaluate cultural and heritage Attractions. Design the cultural and heritage attraction, mix strategies.  The assessment phase The assessment phase shortlisted the possible cultural and heritage attractions. These shortlisted attractions would be further. Evaluated according another FOUR criteria in order to examine their tourism potential Only those attractions carrying tourism potential will be considered as preferred attractions in the packaging phase. FOUR criteria 1- Quality 2- Activity expansion 3- Drawing power 4- Accessibility  Quality The physical and architectural quality of the cultural and heritage assets Except Ruins Are the assets well maintained? If the assets are destroyed, what’s the cost of restoration? No unwanted modifications had been made E.g. A lift installed in a castle that was built in the Middle Age Do the developments or businesses in the surrounding areas match the substance and ambience of the cultural and heritage asset? E.g. A McDonald’s in the middle of an indigenous heritage settlement area Discussion: What’s wrong?  Activity expansion The likelihood of activity expansion of the cultural and heritage assets depends on the following: If enough land is secured for possible expansion when the site needs to be further developed. If a pool of secondary and tertiary potential cultural attractions is sufficient and versatile enough to allow for continuous re-invention of the site. If the natures and characters of possible new activities are attuned with the surrounding environment as well as the socio-cultural values of the destination This is to minimize the possible negative impact of tourism  Importance of the possibility of activity expansion Prolong the lifespan of a destination and secure the sustainable tourism growth of a destination With new activity from time to time, this can attract new and re-visit travelers. Provide a basis for destination rejuvenation when the destination slips into decline after losing its tourism appeal.  Drawing power The number of tourists that the cultural and heritage assets can attract per year. The drawing power is affected by: Attractiveness (discussed in the Assessment Phase) Capacity Whether the assets can absorb visitation. Accessibility  Accessibility The transportation linkage from the airports, hotels, the city center and other attractions (particular those major attractions). Sometimes a few cultural and heritage attractions can form an attraction cluster Attraction cluster: a few cultural and heritage attractions appeared in the nearby area and formed a zone Transportation linkages between attractions within the zone.  The Packaging Phase The first FOUR phases determined the potential cultural and heritage attractions that can be selected to become part of the ATTRACTION PACKAGE Attraction package: a group of cultural and heritage attractions are selected, offered and promoted to tourists as tourism products. The Packaging Phase: Destination Management Office / Tourism Authority comes up with cultural attraction mix strategies to select and offer the cultural and heritage attractions to the markets  FOUR common strategies Labelling of the cultural and heritage attractions. Bundling of cultural and heritage attractions. Theming of cultural and heritage attractions. Altering of cultural and heritage attractions.  Labelling of the cultural and heritage attractions This strategy is to create an image of the cultural and heritage attractions which can enhance the image of the destination. This strategy is often applied to the primary attractions. Example: The Great Wall – 5000 years of civilization Water features in Venice - City of Water  Bundling of cultural and heritage attractions This strategy is to bundle / cluster a few cultural and heritage attractions with similar ATTRIBUTES together The cultural and heritage attractions need to be in a nearby location The bundling strategy can form one single cultural and heritage entity which can reinforce the attributes This strategy applies to secondary attractions very often One secondary attraction does not carry much drawing power; however, a bundle of secondary attractions can magnify their common attributes and draw tourists attention. E.g. If 10 buildings which were built 200 years ago are located near to each other, each individual of them are not significant and attractive enough. However, they altogether can form a historical district, which represent the architecture of an era. The attractiveness and drawing power of tourists increased significantly.  Bundling of cultural and heritage attractions Example: Little India in Singapore A very big Indian Settlement Each of these buildings is not a significant attraction, but they all carry the same attributes, i.e. Indians’ way of living in Singapore. Singapore Tourism Board bundled all the buildings in this district together and promotes them as a whole entity – “Little India”.  Theming of cultural and heritage attractions This strategy is to give a theme to the attraction in order to enhance its uniqueness and subsequently it competitiveness. This strategy can be applied to secondary attractions Example Filming location as a theme Korean Tourism Organization promote the attractions under the names of Korean drama and movies. They especially created a category of Filming Locations in their website. Tourists can design the itinerary according to their favorite Korean dramas and movies. http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_4_2.jsp?sets=drama  Altering of cultural and heritage attractions This strategy is to make some changes to the attractions in order to make it more appealing. The changes can include the functions, more facilities and activities. However, the original appearance should be kept as much as possible. Examples Convert an old castle into a hotel; a significant house into a museum  Altering of cultural and heritage attractions A few points need to be considered before alterations: The surrounding environment and the ambience. The image of the destination and the nearby attractions. The socio-cultural impacts induced by the changes The cultural and heritage assets which can match with the surrounding environment and ambience; enhance or not contradict the image of the destination and the nearby attractions; and carry minimal socio-cultural impact will have the priority to be included in the package. This strategy is applied to the potential and rundown attractions. Altering of cultural and heritage attractions Example Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. An important seaport in 18th century. Because of the competition from the nearby ports in Suez Canal, the traffic dropped significantly. Lots of historical buildings which were constructed in the Victorian era along the waterfront could still be found, though in a poor condition. In 1988, South African Government conserved the historical buildings and carried out an alteration plan. The whole waterfront area was altered into a cultural, leisure and retail complex and became one the must-see attraction in Cape Town.  Altering of cultural and heritage attractions – Example (cont.) The complex includes: The South African Maritime Museum The Two Oceans Aquarium The Red Shed Craft Market The Victoria Wharf Shopping Precinct Diverse food outlets, live music bars, cinemas and shops  Strategies mix – which strategies to apply Consider the followings in order to decide which strategies to apply: The assessment and evaluation of the assets, whether they are primary or secondary attractions. For primary attractions, LABELLING strategy can be applied. For secondary attractions, the other three types of strategies should be considered.  Strategies mix – which strategies to apply Consider the followings in order to decide which strategies to apply: Spatial distribution of the attractions in the given area with similar attributes. The attributes could be the architectural style, the construction era, a famous person, movies… … If they are located close enough to each other, the strategy of bundling can be applied. If they are not located close to each other, the strategy of theming may be applied if they can carry the same theme.  Strategies mix– which strategies to apply Consider the followings in order to decide which strategies to apply: Preservation level of the buildings. If the preservation level is low which mean the buildings are in poor condition, alteration strategy can be applied. It is because this strategy can restore the original appearance of the buildings and conserve the historical buildings. The bent pyramid is opened for visiting for the first time How does Tourism Work? ROLE OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Major pull factor: One of the major reasons of traveling to a particular destination Cultural attractions: probably the most important attractions in many destinations Form the core of tourism experiences Are the most important component in the tourism system.  5 Aspects of tourism 1- The nature of tourism. 2- Attractions drive tourism. 3- Factors influencing visitation levels. 4- Tourist behavior. 5- Cultural tourism.  1- The nature of tourism Tourism is a commercial activity The world’s largest or second largest business Tourism suppliers’ major objective is to make profit: Airlines, hotels, travel agents, restaurants, theme parks. But the majority of the revenue is not going to cultural attraction suppliers who provide the majority of the experiences to the tourists. Where does the money go? Government’s major objective is to bring economic benefit to the society, such as: Employment Foreign exchange Income to different sectors  1- The nature of tourism Tourism involves the consumption of experiences. Cultural tourism is the same – consumption of experiences Other industry – consumption means exclusive rights over the use of the resources Tourism, particular cultural tourism – the resources are part of the society of the destination Tourism can be an insidious form of consumption Create different kinds of damage to the cultures and attractions in the destination ------------- major issue to the management of these assets 1- THE NATURE OF TOURISM Tourism is entertainment Only a small number of tourists really seek a deep learning experience when they travel. The majority travel for pleasure and enjoyment 1- THE NATURE OF TOURISM Tourism is a demand-driven activity Difficult to control, why? Can we control the types of tourists who travel to our destination? Ideal scenario: “RIGHT” type of development will attract. “RIGHT” type of tourism suppliers, which will appeal to “RIGHT” type of tourists RIGHT type of tourists Experienced travelers. Aware of and sensitive to local cultures. Want to stay in local accommodations. Eat locally produced food. Will be satisfied with basic facilities. Willing to pay high tariffs. 1- THE NATURE OF TOURISM Tourism is a demand-driven activity The “RIGHT” type of tourists are only a very tiny portion of tourists The majority of the “WRONG” type of tourists – still travel anyway. How do we satisfy the needs of the vast majority of people who travel? 2- ATTRACTION DRIVEN TOURISM Not all tourism attractions are equal Hierarchy of the attractions --- High--- Low Obligation to visit. High ---- Low Discretionary of visitation---- High—Low High hierarchy attraction (Primary attractions) Important attraction in tourists mind Obligation to visit - High Tourists especially want to see the attraction, therefore they travel to the destination Determine the volume of visitation it will receive Discretionary of visitation - Low Decision of visitation is purposive More willing to spend much time on it 2- ATTRACTION DRIVEN TOURISM Cultural and heritage attractions are part of tourism. They carry touristic appeal. Challenge to cultural and heritage attraction management Different types of tourists will visit – Both ‘RIGHT’ and ‘WRONG’ types Implication to cultural and heritage attractions management: How do we manage the assets to ensure that the needs, wants and desires of tourists are satisfied while the cultural and heritage assets are well maintained? Not all cultural assets are cultural tourist attractions. Not all cultural assets have tourism potential. An asset may be locally significant but that does not make it attractive to tourists. GROUP DISCUSSIONS Not all cultural assets are cultural tourist attractions Discuss local examples 2- Not all cultural assets are cultural tourist attractions Common features of cultural heritage assets with tourism potential. They are well known beyond the local community. Famous regionally or internationally. They provide experiences that can be consumed. They are interesting and unique. They can absorb visitation. They are accessible. 3- FACTORS INFLUENCING VISITATION LEVEL Access and proximity Distance decay Demand for tourism attractions declines as distance between tourist origins and destination increases. If the attraction is close to or in a major tourism destination, the visitation will be high naturally. Market access Demand for tourism attractions declines with the number of similar or competing destination available between the tourists origin and the destination. If many attractions in a destination are of the same kind, they will compete with each other and affect visitation rate. Time availability can maximize or minimize the effect of distance decay and market access. 3- FACTORS INFLUENCING VISITATION LEVEL Time availability influences the quality and depth of experience sought Most tourists have limited time in any one destination Therefore tourists will spend their time in the most cost-effective manner. They will try to consume as many experiences as possible during their stay They will choose those attractions that can be consumed quickly, easily and with the certainty that they will get a guaranteed experience. The nature of cultural attractions need the tourists to spend substantial amounts of time Two dilemma results: Providing high quality and in-depth experience which require a long period of time to experience -------------- low visitation. Providing simple experience which require a short period of time to consume will bring high visitation. -------------- low quality and superficial experience  4- TOURIST BEHAVIOUR The tourist experience must be controlled Purpose: To limit the negative impacts of tourists on cultural and heritage assets. How to control Standardize, modify and commodify the experience Control the movement of people through an asset. while ensuring the visitor gain as much experience as possible. Because most of the tourists may visit an attraction only once in their lifetime. They want to get the most experience out of the attraction which is presented in a manner that can be easily consumed. * Standardizing the presentation of the attraction ensure the quality of the experience can be maintained at a consistent level across the majority of visitors. Standardizing the experience also ensure the visitors can experience the essence of the attraction on limited time budget without wasting their time on some unimportant elements. 4- TOURIST BEHAVIOUR Mass tourists are often ignorant of the cultural and heritage assets they are visiting. Mass tourists are usually motivated by pleasure/ leisure. They seek enjoyable experiences, not education. They have very little knowledge about the cultural and heritage assets, although they have a great interest in experiencing cultural and heritage attractions. Mass tourists are often ignorant of the cultural and heritage assets they are visiting They gained the knowledge from mass media or lifestyle. television shows ------- stereotype the attractions and seek experiences that confirm their stereotypes. Managers of cultural and heritage attractions must accept this fact and adjust their presentations accordingly and make them become user-friendly to the mass tourists.  5- Cultural tourism Not all cultural tourists are alike Many different types of cultural tourists with different motivations, needs and wants. Cultural tourism products may be challenging and confronting: Most of the tourists seek for a break from their stressful life, not a challenge. They don’t want to be reminded about the current social problems. E.g., some Nazi Camps that have become cultural and heritage attractions may be too stressful to visitors. The truth about some destinations were heavily damaged during World War II -- confronting the mass tourists’ purpose of seeking leisure experience Implication for attraction manager: How to present the products without mentioning the challenge and social problems?  5- Cultural tourism Tourists want “Authenticity” but not necessarily reality Some in-depth knowledge of the history is needed in order to judge the authenticity of the cultural and heritage attractions The reality of pollution, poor sewerage, poor maintenance of some landscapes are not the experiences that the tourists can accept. Most of the tourists wish to experience what they are happy to believe to be authentic, but not necessarily reality. Some cultural and heritage attractions created bubbles for the tourists which isolated them from the reality. SUCCESSFUL CULTURAL & HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS A cultural and heritage attraction will not be successful by simply putting a sign in front of the entrance! These underlying principles must be considered when entering cultural tourism market.