Cultural Routes and Heritage Trails - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 22

examples of cultural trails that follow natural features and may have origi-
nally been used for other migratory purposes. As well, a number of highways
have been officially designated scenic routes/byways for tourism, and heri-
tage railways are important linear cultural resources for tourism. Examples
of each of these will be examined in this chapter.
An evolutionary model presented by Murray and Graham (1997) helps
illustrate the phenomenon of organically developed heritage corridors, as
they evolved from being original tracks to developed routes (Figure 2.2).
They used the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail in Europe to illustrate
how an original cultural route, in this case one developed over several centu-
ries by Roman Catholic pilgrims, can evolve spatially, temporally and pur-
posefully from its original function into a more generalized touristic role.
According to Murray and Graham (1997: 522), the original medieval
route resembled a zone of movement wherein people circulated along a gen-
eral route from end to end, between the origin and the destination. During
stage two, support infrastructure began to appear, such as marked paths,
bridges, hostels, inns and other sojourner services. The end-to-end goal of the
path became less important as travelers adapted to the incursion of new
intermediate points and attractions along the way. During stage three, the
spatial format changes to a multi-entry configuration; voyagers are able to
access the trail from different locations and participate in the experience in
different forms, depending on time constraints and accessibility options.
During this phase, the ancient emphasis on the origin and destination is
superseded by multiple entry points, increased mobility, a greater diversity
of trail users, and more varied uses of the corridor, although trail use still
stresses a unidirectional movement toward the destination. The number of
intermediate nodes increases. Historic cities and towns begin to dominate
stops and entry points along the way, and more services are offered to trail
users, including lodging, dining and tourist information. User numbers
increase and the less attractive portions of the route are bypassed in favor of
more interesting locales.
During Murray and Graham's stages four and five, for many visitors,
the places along the way become more important than the end destination.
The route has become multi-use in nature and its original purpose becomes
secondary to its touristic use. During the fourth phase, the trail not only
becomes peppered with multiple entry points, it is also characterized by
multiple directions to and from the origin and destination, as well as
between trail nodes. Loops and multi-directional use are now common-
place, as are multiple transportation modes, including walking, horseback
riding, bicycles and motor vehicles. The amenity servicescapes now extend
far beyond the physical trail, even though they are developed in relative
proximity because their raison d'être is the trail. The final stage in the
evolution is typified by product diversification through new products and
market expansion efforts. The route becomes a 'spine of information' and