Over the passage of time the travel
and tourism industry have shown immense expansion as multiple nations across
the globe have undertaken the various strategies for the promotion of the
cultural and heritage sites located within the boundaries of the respective
nations. Travelling for the purpose of business and pleasure has been termed as
tourism which also emcompasses the business of attracting, serving,
entertaining and providing accommodation to the tourists. There are numerous
branches of tourism, one such popular and eminent branch of tourism industry is
the heritage and cultural tourism sector which comprises of natural, cultural
and historic resources.
Through the assignment the research
assistant proposes to identify the growth and development taken place within
the heritage and cultural industry and the role played by the heritage
destinations in the travel and tourism sector. Further, the researcher plans to
analyze the techniques implemented in assessing the requirement of the tourists
of the heritage and cultural industry. Specific reference to a case study
involving ‘Tibet’ as one the popular heritage tourist destination has been considered
for the research work. In
addition, the importance of heritage and cultural attractions has been
presented through a field trip undertaken to the British Museum and the
Victoria and Albert Museum.
The word ‘heritage’ is used to
denote a complete range of traditions, culture, monuments and objects that is
inherited or passed on to the later generation by the former generation.
Cultural heritage refers to the intangible attributes as well as the physical artifacts
whereas natural heritage is identified as the flora and fauna inherited from
the past. Through the introduction and development of heritage and cultural
tourism industry, the global tourism sector tries to uphold and maintain the
integrity of this industry. According to Timothy and Nyaupane, (2009, p.223) heritage tourism represents the
travelling experiences to places, witnessing artifacts and various other
activities that provide an authentic representation of the stories and the
people living in the past. Focusing on culture, it is perceived to be one of
the major objectives of travel. The timeline of the growth and development of
the cultural and heritage industry functioning within the travel and tourism
sector dates back to the 16th century with the formation of ‘Grand Tour’ in
Europe (Chen and
Chen, 2010, p.29).
The ‘Grand Tour’ was undertaken with the aim of unveiling the culture, roots
and the art of the western civilization. The timeline of the heritage and
cultural industry was highly influenced by major events in the form of
immigration and decolonization in addition involvement of religious travelling
in the form of pilgrimages and historical events.
With particular reference to the
United Kingdom it can be stated that the cultural and heritage tourism plays a
significant role as a part of the tourism industry in the country. Moreover,
due to the presence or existence of the cultural and heritage sector the
overall tourism industry has been able to record a remarkable growth and a
picture of noteworthy development and expansion (Richards and Munsters, 2010, p.334). Various important factors in the
form of increased cultural importance among the tourists or travelers and a
wide range of options being made available to them has contributed as success
factors in growing and developing the heritage and culture tourism industry. In
the context of UK, it can be stated that through the development and growth of
the heritage and cultural tourism sector in the country it has positively
impacted on the growth of the overall economy indicating 2.8% growth of the
tourism industry which is quite high compared to other industries that portray
a growth rate of 0.8%-0.9% on an annual basis (Ashworth and Larkham, 2013, p.336).
Figure 1: Statistics showing visits made to heritage and
cultural sites in Britain
(Source: VisitBritain.
2017)
Simultaneously, the growth and
development of the cultural and heritage tourism sector have been noticed
across the globe as tourists have shown more interest and attraction towards
visiting places having increased historical and cultural value. Among multiple
heritage and cultural destinations on the Earth, Britain is considered to be
one of the most recognized world class heritage and cultural destination over
the decades. As cultural and heritage sites allow the travelers to gain a real
experience of the intellectual creations and predominant existence of mankind
through those sites therefore the growth and development of this industry has
been on a rising spree.
Focusing on the history or
background of the city of Lhasa, it is identified as the administrative capital
of Tibet Autonomous Region which is commonly known as TAR belonging to the
People’s Republic of China. After Xining, Lhasa is the second highest populated
city situated on the ‘Tibetan Plateau’ (Radio
Free Asia. 2017).
Further, Lhasa has been identified as one of the highest cities across the
globe located at an elevation of 3490 metres.
As the city of Lhasa has remained
the administrative and religious capital of Tibet since the middle of 17th
century therefore the cultural significance of the city is considered to be
very high as it has important ‘Tibetan Buddhist’ sites namely, Norbulingka
palaces, Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple.
For the purpose of assessing the
potential conflicts confronted in the conservation of the cultural and heritage
resources two important aspects has to be considered. First, revenue generated
from the process of creating a place for tourist attraction considering the
heritage and cultural resources (Yang et al. 2010,
p.827).
Second, the adverse impact felt on the cultural and heritage sites due to
increase in the number of visitors or tourists. Thus, an appropriate balance is
required to be maintained so that revenue needs are catered and at the same
time the adverse impacts are minimized that ultimate results into a conflicting
situation. In order to assess the conflicts it is important to identify the
stakeholders involved in the scenario. With reference to the case study of
Lhasa, Tibet the stakeholders have been identified as the local communities,
government, investors, tourists, environmentalists, global community and the
tourism agencies.
The potential conflicts have risen
due to the recognition of multiple projects by the Chinese government in Lhasa
such as establishment of a themed hotel named ‘Resort Lhasa Paradise’ by the Intercontinental
Hotels Group (IHG). Further, the recognition of renovation plan of the Barkhor
town and plans for establishing a theme park in the outskirts of the city were
subjected to conflicts as London based nongovernmental and nonprofit making
organization named ‘Free Tibet’ organized campaigns to oppose or boycott the
development initiatives outlined by the Chinese government (Radio
Free Asia. 2017).
The probable reasons that have been
identified to give rise to the conflicts are enumerated hereafter. First, the
primary reason for London based organization ‘Free Tibet’ to initiate measures
in order to boycott the ‘Resort Lhasa Paradise’ and the IHG hotels worldwide
stated that the high budget hotel project ignored the oppressive political
scenario or situation prevalent on the Tibetans living in the area (Radio
Free Asia. 2017).
Further, the ‘Free Tibet’ observed that the establishment of the hotel which is
situated at a distance of four kilometers from the Barkhor district is expected
to increase the number of Chinese tourists in the area thereby underestimating
or trivializing the culture of Tibet.
According to the researcher, it is
believed that a balance needs to be maintained between the process of commercialization
of the heritage and cultural sites as well as in the process of restoring the
culture and integrity of the heritage sites in Tibet (Hodder, 2010, p.861). Through this process, it is
perceived to create or reap higher benefits to the local communities living in
Tibet and also to the government of the region.
Through decades it has been observed
that cultural and heritage tourism has focused on attracting visitors to places
that has rich historical and cultural evidences of mankind. In the tourism and
travel industry, the role heritage and cultural attractions is of immense
importance as the cultural and heritage sites helps in upholding the tradition,
culture, ethics, norms and behavior of the people associated with the specific
culture and heritage sites (Wang et al. 2012,
p.871).
The different purposes served by the cultural and heritage attraction sites are
enumerated henceforth.
● Entertainment: The sites having heritage and
cultural importance are perceived to be huge source of entertainment for the
tourists or the visitors undertaking a visit or a tour to the heritage and
culture specific tourist destination. By undertaking a visit to such places the
tourists feel entertained as they are subjected to meet the reality which they
had witnessed probably in movies or pictures (Yoo et al.
2009, p.49).
For instance, the British museum has designed various museum activities and
events that make the visit to the museum far more interesting and attractive.
Furthermore, it is observed that different renowned museums such as the British
museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum provide entertainment facilities in
the form of shopping activities and exhibitions within the museum.
● Historical importance: As the heritage and cultural sites
have significant historical and cultural importance therefore the tourists or
the visitors are provided with the privilege or understanding and realizing the
historical background and the role played by the heritage sites previously in
the lives of ancient people or the people living in the past (Landorf, 2009, p.53). Moreover, the tourists enjoy a
feeling of nostalgia as the bookish knowledge appears in reality in the form of
heritage sites.
● Recreational purpose: In the current scenario, humans
have become more dependent on technology and gadgets. The scope of recreation
has been reduced (Girard
and Nijkamp, 2009, p.241). Thus, taking this view into consideration, it is observed
that visit to cultural and heritage sites are one of the best options.
● Educational value: The cultural and heritage specific
sites are perceived to possess huge amount of educational value. Thus, the
visitors that undertake a visit to these places are enriched with knowledge
that is helping for both future academic endeavors and personal experiences.
Multiple institutions offering higher education provide or organize educational
trips or excursions with the aim of acquainting the students with the rich
knowledge and information provided by the heritage sites (Richards, 2011, p.1225). It has been noticed that the
‘Victoria and Albert Museum’ undertakes the process of arranging various
educational programs in the form of thematic stories, drama and plays in order
to serve the requirements of the visitors and uphold the information that is
aimed to be provided to the tourists. In addition the British Museum also
provides ample opportunities of learning through various courses designed by
the museum on the historical events and aspects.
● Research aid: The heritage and cultural sites are
viewed as one of the most eminent research aids as they provide valuable
information on the research topic chosen particularly associated with the
heritage site (Richards,
2011, p.1225).
For instance, visitors to the British museum comprises of researchers whose
purpose of visit is to gain in-depth knowledge on the topic of research by
accessing the facilities provided by the museum.
● Sense of Unity: Through the maintenance of the
heritage sites a sense of unity is established as it helps people of different
communities to connect with one another having different background and
culture. In addition, preservation of the heritage sites in order to establish
it as a tourist attractions helps in creating a connection to the lost
traditions and culture pursued by mankind in the past. It is important to uphold
the cultural and heritage identity for the purpose of preserving the history
and create a feeling belongingness among the individuals (Richards, 2011, p.1225). Through the preservation of the
heritage and cultural sites it caters to various needs of the customers or the
tourists as it provides information on the happenings and events taken place in
the past.
● Economic improvement: Another important purpose of
cultural and heritage destinations is to enhance the process of revenue
creation for the economy of the country.
Management of the cultural and
heritage sites by the cultural and heritage organizations is one of the most
important aspects that are required to be planned and executed by the
management of the particular organizations with appropriate attention and time.
Further it has been observed that various factors in the forms of management
structure of the heritage and cultural organizations, government regulations
and policies have also influenced the process of managing the cultural and
heritage sites. Cultural and heritage organizations are broadly classified into
two categories, namely, publicly owned heritage and cultural organization and
commercially owned heritage and cultural organization. Depending on the
ownership of the organization the management styles and structure also differs.
As the publicly owned heritage organizations are supported by government
funding therefore the services and the facilities offered by such organizations
is perceived to be at a higher notch compared to the commercially or privately
owned heritage organizations.
Two prominent public and
commercially owned heritage organizations have been identified such as English
Heritage and Save Britain’s Heritage respectively. The publicly owned
organization named ‘English Heritage’ is governed and managed by a Board of
Trustees who undertakes the process of setting strategies for the organization
and ensures that the goals and the purpose of the entity is established (www.english-heritage.org.uk). Further, the operational activities
are managed by the chief executive of the organization who is provided with a
support from the executive board consisting of eight directors.
On the other hand the management of
the Save Britain’s Heritage organization has been divided into three different
segments in the form of staff, committees and the trustees (Savebritainsheritage.org.
2017).
In the United Kingdom there are multiple
public organizations, voluntary bodies and government entities that have been
providing services towards the maintenance of the cultural and heritage sites.
The role and responsibilities of two popular heritage organizations have been
presented in the following section.
● The National Trust: The trust is
committed towards preservation and beautification of the historic buildings,
art and architecture of the past. The National trust was established in the
year 1895 and the statutory powers were granted to the trust in the year 1907
with the introduction of the National Trust Act (VisitBritain.
2017).
The headquarters of the trust is located in Swindon, United Kingdom. Further,
the trust has employed around 6000 staffs to carry out the preservation and beautification
work of the national heritages. The purpose of the trust is to preserve the
objects having national or historic or artistic relevance. It has been recognized
as one of the largest ‘membership’ form of organization operating in the United
Kingdom.
● Heritage Lottery Fund: The ‘Heritage
Fund’ has been established with the aim of creating sustenance and
transformation of a number of heritage sites in the United Kingdom. The Fund
undertakes the transformation work of the heritage sites in the form of
projects that aim in conserving the diverse heritage of the country (VisitBritain.
2017).
Further, through the transformation projects the ‘Heritage Lottery Fund’
involves community participation and provides importance to their opinion on
the heritage sites. The administrative body for the ‘Heritage Lottery Fund’ is
identified as the ‘National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF)’
For the purpose of developing and
expanding the cultural and heritage industry it is important to interpret the
responses and the experiences of the visitors’ making a visit to the heritage
sites. The interpretative exercises are undertaken by the heritage
organizations in order to assess the perception of the tourists or the visitors
(Wang et al. 2012, p.371). Further, by implementing necessary
measures the organizations aim at improving the facilities provided by the
entity. For instance, development of special packages or special attractions in
order to enhance tourists experiences while visiting the cultural and heritage
sites. It has been observed that both government and non governmental bodies
implement different approaches in the form of onsite activities, audio-visual
documentaries, prospectus and interactive technological aids for the purpose of
interpreting the experiences of the visitors and undertake further development.
Through the growth and development
of the cultural and heritage industry as a part of the travel and tourism
industry ensures overall improvement in the economy of the country as well as the
cultural heritage of the nation. The cultural and heritage organizations
perform various roles and responsibilities that help in enhancement of
stakeholder experience and encourage community participation and overall
development of the nation. However, it is important for the government of the
respective countries to develop strategies, laws and regulations ensuring a
balanced in maintained between development of heritage sites and the local
communities.
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