Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The channels through which a country presents itself to tourists can be considered its cultural factors.
These are the entertainment, food, drink, hospitality, art, architecture, theater, festivals, manufactured
and handcrafted products of a country, and all other characteristics of a nation's way of life.
Successful tourism is not simply a matter of having better transportation and hotels but of adding a
particular national
flavor in keeping with traditional ways of life and projecting a favorable image of
the bene
ts to tourists of such goods and services. A nation's
cultural attractions
must be presented
intelligently and creatively. In this age of uniformity, there is a risk that the products of one nation can
become almost indistinguishable from those of another. Consequently, there is a great need for
encouraging cultural diversity. Improved techniques of architectural design and artistic presentation
can be used to create an expression of originality in every part of the world.
Taken in their narrower sense, cultural factors in tourism play a dominant role chie
y in activities
that are speci
cally intended to promote the transmission or sharing of knowledge and ideas. Consider
the following factors:
1.
Libraries, museums, exhibitions
2.
Musical, dramatic, or
film performances
3.
Radio and television programs, recordings
4.
Study tours or short courses
5.
Schools and universities for longer-term study and research
6.
Scienti
c and archaeological expeditions, schools at sea
7.
Joint production of
lms
8.
Conferences, congresses, meetings, seminars
In addition, many activities that are not educational or cultural in a narrow sense provide
opportunities for peoples of different nations to get to know each other.
A 2009 study titled Cultural and Heritage Tourism Study by Mandala Research shows continued
and strong interest in travelers
desire to experience cultural, arts, historic, and heritage activities. The
study reports that a remarkable 78 percent of all U.S. leisure travelers participate in cultural and/or
heritage activities while traveling, totaling 118.3 million adults each year.
3
The study demonstrates that cultural tourists are some of the best when it comes to economic
impact as they spend more than other types of travelers. They average $994 per trip compared to
$611 for all U.S. tourists. This spending translates to a contribution of more than $192 billion
annually to the U.S. economy, making cultural/heritage travelers a lucrative market for destinations
and attractions.
The study was conducted for the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Cultural Heritage Tourism
Marketing Council, and sponsored by Heritage Travel, Inc. It found cultural/heritage travelers are more
frequent travelers, reporting an average of 5.01 leisure trips a year versus noncultural travelers 3.98
trips. Cultural heritage travelers engage in a variety of activities on their trips. The 2009 Mandala
Research Study identi
ed the top cultural and heritage activities as:
4
'
1.
Visiting historic site (66%)
2.
Participating in historical reenactments (64%)
3.
Visiting art museums/galleries (54%)
4.
Attending an art/craft fair or festival (45%)
5.
Attending a professional dance or performance (44%)
6.
Visiting state/national parks (41%)
7.
Shopping in museum stores (32%)
8.
Exploring urban neighborhoods (30%)
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