Challenges faced by world tourism cities – London’s perspective

World tourism cities perform multiple functions and exhibit various characteristics that influence tourism development within their boundaries. They are the main gateway for tourists visiting a country and their success has a direct impact on the visitor economy of that destination. London, the focus of this research, has been one of the world’s top tourism cities for many years, and a key gateway for domestic and international visitors. But despite the important role tourism plays in the economy of the city, there is limited research on the development of this activity in the capital. Using London as an exploratory case study, this paper contributes to better understanding the challenges faced by policy makers when planning and managing tourism in world cities. The adopted research method offers the advantage of gathering insightful information using multiple data collection techniques. Examining this new evidence contributes to expanding the knowledge on the particularities of tourism development in one of the top world cities, which could help policy makers in their efforts to better prepare for potential challenges faced by these complex but important destinations.     

铁路＋物业服务＋效益——新一代铁路旅客车站设计探索

我国近期建设的以高铁站为代表的第三代铁路客站,强调“以人为本”的理念,创新成就斐然,但对车站的经济效益尚缺少分析和规划,存在经营短板。在铁路体制改革的今天,“以人为本”的服务更需要长期良好的经营效益来保障和维持。在分析铁路客站发展轨迹的基础上．着重从铁路与物业结合的方式、旅客与顾客的关系、建筑设计与商业策划原则等方面探讨“铁路＋物业”的客站模式,以期为新一代铁路旅客车站的建设方向提供参考。     

Urban transformation and diffusion of tourist practices: visiting Alcântara at the turn of the twentieth century

This article examines the effects of tourism on the transformation of the perception of the urban world. I aim at exploring the role that tourist practices have played in the evolution of the organisation and uses of urban spaces or, in other words, in the way the city has been experienced and lived. The development of tourist practices and situations has contributed to framing the discontinuous progress of urbanisation. To better understand this process, I propose to move beyond exploration of specific tourist contexts and places, and to think about the complex relationship between, on the one hand, the material and social arrangements of the city, and on the other, the discourses and representations produced around it. My research draws on a specific case study, namely: The transformation of representations of the Alcântara neighbourhood in turn-of-the-century Lisbon, from an industrial suburb to a popular and ‘urban’ place [Vidal, F. (2006). Les habitants d'Alcântara. Histoire sociale d'un quartier de Lisbonne au début du XXe siècle [The inhabitants of Alcântara. A social history of a Lisbon neighbourhood in the early twentieth century]. Villeneuve d'Ascq: Presses Universitaires du Septentrion]. During the turn to the twentieth century, Alcântara became ‘visible’ and ‘visitable’. The former industrial suburb was thenceforth perceived as a pleasant and urban place, both in a practical way (patent, for example, in the experience of walking down the streets or of visiting industrial sites) and in a symbolic way (through the construction of neighbourhood identities and heritage policies).     

Re-enactment Events and Tourism: Meaning,Authenticity and Identity

Re-enactment events have began to play a significant role in the calendars of individual attractions, regions or even nations to generate media exposure, develop inbound tourism activity and raise the cultural heritage profile of a locality for community development and/or regeneration purposes. The (re-)presentation of cultural heritage in these forms creates a unique set of interactions between landscapes, local communities, tourists and heritage organisations. In the recent past however, re-enactment events have been subjected to increased debate and criticism as to their educational value and meaning and for their contribution to understandings of cultural heritage in post-modern consumer societies. This paper presents an interdisciplinary review of these debates and draws on small scale research findings to reassess the value of re-enactment events as a means of presenting heritage to audiences. The paper argues that re-enacted historical events achieve a range of purposes and provides examples of evidence from a range of differing perspectives including: public policy and event organisers; re-enactors and academics in the field. It argues that the professional heritage industry, tourists, and re-enactors all contribute to making such events meaningful and as such they represent unique frames through which to understand issues of authenticity and identity in the production and consumption of post-modern cultural heritage attractions.     

Tourism,development and ‘destination Dubai’: cultural dilemmas and future challenges

The aim of this conceptual paper is to provide a critical assessment of Dubai's approach to tourism development, focusing on its cultural implications. The work initially observes ways in which the destination is building an image based on iconographic grandeur, monumental innovation and super-modernism. In doing so, the enquiry indicates that one fundamental sociological concern for destination Dubai is its perceived lack of cultural consistency, particularly in terms of the absorption of the old into the new. This position is evident through a paucity of heritage resources and institutions associated with the tourism market, as well as limited public knowledge concerning the ethnic and traditional elements of the indigenous society. Emphasising a more culturally focused tourism agenda could help to socially sustain and ground local communities (and identities) threatened by rapid urbanisation and Westernisation. However, one noted dilemma relates to the complexity of defining and deconstructing indigenous forms of ethnicity and identity. Nevertheless, the discussion claims that it is imperative not to lose sight of the possible opportunities for the productive advancement of localised forms of tourism and cultural capital. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of examining the diversity of local perceptions of tourism, culture and development within an empirically informed framework.     

The development of Park and Ride in Scotland

The provision of Park and Ride services is one of the principal means of addressing problems caused by traffic congestion in urban areas. Bus-based Park and Ride schemes are intended to attract motorists from outside an urban area to park at a peripherally located car park and travel by bus to the town centre. A number of local authorities in Scotland have been developing such schemes. These will introduce a new form of land use on the fringe of Scotland's towns and cities. In addition, the provision of Park and Ride is also likely to influence the catchment areas of retail and tourist centres and the residential location of employees in towns thus served.     

Dense,mixed-use,walkable urban precinct to support sustainable transport or vice versa? A model for consideration from Perth,Western Australia

ABSTRACT

Within the majority of the literature on sustainable transport, it is accepted as ideal to arrange new urban growth in close proximity to major public transit services. While the literature on this subject of transit-oriented developments (TOD) is positive and optimistic, for the most part such assertions are conjectural. This article will attempt to fill this gap by revealing a modeling process undertaken for a local area's reurbanization project to understand the potential and limitations of several modes of transport to support the increased activity density in the precincts. Several of the most standardized policy levers were employed, such as parking ratios and mix of use and building height, and contrasted with the trip generation and transit mode's hourly capacity to reveal potential real-estate yields. The outcomes indicate not only the immediate yields but also the capacity for urban transformation due to each level of sustainable transport investments. The model is unique in that the capacity, parking ratios, and assumptions are highly transparent.