Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
political centre and symbolic heart of the country. It is the site of crucial political
decision-making, yet it is also a setting for the nation's culture and history, where the past
is highlighted, the present displayed and the future imagined'. Although such statements
are obviously significant in political and cultural terms the wider significance of capital
city status for tourism has been grossly under-researched and, perhaps, under-appreciated
(J.Taylor et al. 1993; C.M.Hall 2000a, 2002b). Nevertheless, capital status is important.
As capitals provide an administrative and political base of government operations there
will therefore be spin-off effects for business travel in terms of both those who work in
the capital and those who are seeking to lobby government or influence decisions. In
addition to business related travel capital cities are also significant for tourism because of
their cultural, heritage and symbolic roles. They are frequently home to some of the
major national cultural institutions while also tending to have a significant wider role in
the portrayal, preservation and promotion of national heritage and which showcase
national culture (Therborn 1996). Such a concentration of arts and cultural institutions
will therefore have implications for the travel and activity behaviour of culturally
interested tourists as well as contributing to the image of a city as a whole. If capital
status is lost it can have a significant affect on visitor numbers, as in the case of the
transfer of the German national capital from Bonn to Berlin after the reunification of
Germany where Berlin has witnessed a dramatic increase in overnight stays and Bonn a
decline.
The use of the notion of a capital in terms of branding and culture is significant for
tourism not only regarding place promotion but also attracting high-yielding cultural
tourists. Indeed, given the growth of place marketing in an increasingly competitive
global economic environment such a development is logical in terms of branding places
and place competition. However, for the purpose of this discussion the notion of a capital
is related primarily to political, administrative and symbolic functions which operate at a
national or provincial level. Indeed, as Dubé and Gordon (2000:6) observed, 'Planning
for cities that include a seat of government often involves political and symbolic concerns
that are different from those of other urban areas'. The historical development of capital
cities may also provide them with a significant transport gateway or hub function, e.g.
London and Paris.
A good example of the relationship between capital city status and tourism is Ottawa
in Canada, which was declared the capital of the new Canadian Confederation in 1867.
Tourism now contributes well over a billion Canadian dollars to the Ottawa region
economy and makes a substantial contribution to employment as well as government
taxes. Ottawa is an excellent example of Gottmann's (1983) observation that 'capital
cities often act as hinges between different regions of a country'. Ottawa lies at the border
between French and English speaking Canada, a history of interaction between labour
and capital, as well as being at a location where different
ecological regions also coincide (NCC 1999). There are a number of primary benefits of
visiting Ottawa that are unique to a capital city. In a survey conducted in 1991 85 per cent
of respondents agreed that it was a good way for young people to learn about their
country, while the opportunity to learn about Canada was cited as important by 57 per
cent of respondents (NCC 1991). Indeed, a unique characteristic that is shared among all
visitors to Ottawa Hull is 'the desire to visit national cultural institutions and physical
