A heritage ‘trailscape’: tracking the exploits of historical figures – an Australian case study

ABSTRACT

One of the many distinct problems encountered in tracking the exploits of historical figures such as folk heroes – especially in their guise as tourist icons – is engagement, not only with the principal routes and trails taken by them, but also with the minor pathways and the many small-scale rural settlements, meeting grounds, base camps, and replenishment stopovers which serviced their lifestyle. An aggregation of these trails and servicing points would contribute significantly to determining, firstly, the regional operational areas of such folk heroes (including highwaymen, outlaws, social bandits, and bushrangers) and secondly, a potential pattern for history-linked and heritage-based regional tourism. It is likely that in responding to the meanderings of the folk hero, the spatial pattern would conform more to the idea of a ‘themescape’ than to other linear-like configurations, and the outcome could be envisaged and interpreted as a ‘trailscape’. Using as a case study the story of the Australian folk hero Edward (Ned) Kelly, this paper experiments with ‘ways of looking at the evidence’ and of interpreting and engaging with the ‘trailscape’ which is a hallmark of the overlapping spheres and clusters of the hero’s activities.     

Identifying cultural tourism: a theoretical methodological proposal

This article explores the effectiveness of tourism as a means to heritage conservation in urban areas, focusing on the case study of Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, an inner-city industrial heritage site in Sydney, Australia. The Finger Wharf redevelopment represents a familiar scenario whereby an old industrial site located at a sought after inner-city location has been redeveloped and transformed from a derelict structure into a popular leisure and recreation precinct. The findings of a study of local stakeholder perceptions of the redevelopment are presented and then evaluated according to the goals of sustainable tourism development. The findings highlight the importance of planners and managers of heritage tourism sites thinking beyond the cosmetic conservation of the tangible asset to also consider how best to preserve the non-material value of the site. Through the provision of more effective interpretation heritage, managers can create a visitor experience which is authentic and meaningful to visitors and local stakeholders.     

对世界遗产的旅游价值分析与开发模式研究

本文结合我国世界遗产旅游价值的开发实际,通过对世界遗产旅游及其价值的分析,指出世界遗产有形价值与无形价值的内在联系以及相互的依存关系,并通过提出假设及其理论论证与检验,指出开发世界遗产的无形价值将有助于提高遗产的旅游价值和旅游者的满意度.并在此基础上,根据世界遗产资源的类型与特点,对我国世界遗产的旅游价值开发模式以及相应的实施对策进行了探讨.     

中国遗产旅游业的经营制度选择--兼评四权分离与制衡主张

本文从遗产的价值特性和权属特性以及遗产事业使命出发。讨论遗产旅游业的经营制度选择。本文认为：遗产区的“遗产的旅游展示类服务”事务应由遗产单位进行非营利性经营;遗产区外的“非遗产展示类旅游服务”事务(行、住、食、购、娱等)应交由旅游公司、当地政策、周边社区进行营利性经营;当遗产区内的“非遗产展示类旅游服务”事务规模较大时,可以特许经营方式交由非遗产单位进行营利性经营。本文进而评论了“四权分离与制衡”主张的不合理性,并且认为,中国遗产旅游业经营制度中的“中国特色”应表现在对“贫困地区遗产公益性”、“遗产区门票的价格定位”、“门票优惠”、“遗产区旅游收益的分配”、“让利于地方”等五个方面问题的具体处理上。     

Development of intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource: the intangible cultural heritage practitioners’ perspectives

ABSTRACT

Authentic intangible cultural heritage (ICH) provides a community with a unique selling point in the globally competitive tourism industry. The process of commodification of ICH, however, has threatened its authenticity and thus sustainable tourism approaches are required to achieve successful transmission and promotion of ICH as a sustainable tourism resource. This paper explores the priorities of ICH practitioners in relation to the development of ICH as a sustainable tourism resource, by utilising South Korea as a case study. The results revealed that from the ICH practitioners’ perspectives, authenticity is a holistic notion integrating the transmitted customs, inherited meanings and the practitioners’ identities. ICH practitioners agree with the potential positive symbiotic relationship between transmission of authentic ICH and promotion of ICH as a tourism resource. To achieve the positive symbiotic relationship, locals’ awareness of ICH, ICH practitioner empowerment and parallel development between tourism development and transmission of ICH are necessary. To date, the practitioner approach to the authenticity of ICH and ICH as a sustainable tourism resource is little explored in the literature, thus this paper makes a valuable addition to the area of sustainable heritage tourism.     

The network of Spanish Jewries: in praise of connecting and sharing heritage

This article presents the case study of the Network of Spanish Jewries (‘Red de Juderías de España’ – Caminos de Sefarad) and discusses the implications of networking between heritage sites linked through thematic routes. Although the impact on the performances of the different sites can hardly be measured, the value of the Spanish Jewries is attributed especially to its potential to redress regional imbalances in tourism activity (one of the main concerns for Spanish tourism) and to be packaged as a more integral, economically viable, and enticing experience than stand-alone heritage-based products. Evidence from the case study gives rise to more general considerations on the value of heritage networks for a more sustainable tourist activity, knowledge-sharing, and coordination in management. The article also looks beyond tourism impacts to regional cohesion and economic development opportunities that could be reaped from the extension of the network across national borders.     

Free Time in an Art Museum: Pausing,Gazing and Interacting

Art museums are popular places where people choose to spend free time. Leisure in art museums may be characterized by silence, contemplation, reaction to art, and interaction with other visitors. The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to understand more about the nature of the art museum experience, using as a setting the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna, Austria. Between 2006 and 2008, a total of 100 adults who visited this museum engaged in conversational interviews with the researcher. Conversations showed that visits to art museums during free time stimulate complex interactions between visitors and art. Patrons consider art museums to be spaces for visual contemplation and playful leisure behavior, and sites of continued education that can inform our understanding of serious leisure.     

Tourists' Perceptions of Aboriginal Heritage Souvenirs

Heritage souvenirs are an indispensable part of indigenous tourism and the authenticity of indigenous heritage is a vital aspect of such tourism. This study adopts a mixed methods approach to explore the perceived authenticity of glass bead souvenirs of the Paiwan Tribe in Pintung County, Taiwan. The study explores differences in the evaluations of authenticity among stakeholders and the factors that influence perceptions of authenticity. An understanding of tourists' perceptions of indigenous heritage offers valuable information for the creation of indigenous souvenirs and for reviving the promotion of indigenous culture.     

Cycles and capacity: Incipient theory or conceptual contradiction?

The concept of tourism cycles is one that has evolved from within the discipline of tourism research, whereas that of carrying capacity has been well developed in other fields and then come to be applied within tourism studies. This article describes and evaluates these two concepts and examines underlying assumptions of them which may be in conflict and may make it difficult to reconcile the two in tourism research.