Cultural Tourism

Cultural Tourism
 Characteristics of Culture:
 Language
 Dress
 Food
 Music
 Sports
 Art
 Architecture
 Religion
 Language
 There are an estimated
1500-2000 African
languages
 Afro-Asiatic (NE)
 Nilo-Saharian
 Niger-Saharian (Niger-
Congo)
 Khoisan (Western)
Dress

 Often vibrantly colored

 Religions

 "Africans are notoriously

religious, and each people
[society in Africa] has its
own religious system with a
set of beliefs and practices.

 Religions Video
Music

 Sample - Vocals

 Sample - Folk
 Cultural Tourism

 Cultural tourist sites can be either

physical or man-made, as long as the
site holds some type of meaning to a
culture.
 Many tourists believe that the heart of
cultural tourism is viewing the past to
learn a culture. ie. Museums / Art
Galleries
Cultural Tourism

 Appreciating Culture:
 High Culture
 Pop Culture
High Culture

 High culture tends to have an elitist

stereotype attached to its attractions.
 Ex. opera, theatres, museums and
architecture
***specialized knowledge of art or
architecture is often needed
Popular (Pop) Culture

 Attractions are targeted for the

masses
 music, theme parks, festivals,
dances
***Any specialized knowledge is
usually not needed.
Threats to Cultural Sites
 Destruction of cultural sites -
tourists wanting pieces of Rome's
Coliseum or the Great Barrier Reef
as souvenirs
 Overcrowding
 Vandalism
 Human lifestyle - acid rain destroys
historic landmarks
 Increased crime rates
 Conservation Programs
 Many programs have been initiated to
preserve cultural and environmental sites

 AKA: Heritage Conservation

 EX: International Council on Monuments

and Sites (ICOMOS)
 ICOMOS
 Purpose: safeguard and conserve important
heritage sites and ensure that people are
educated about the importance of
maintaining monuments
 The ICOMOS uses a variety of methods to
spread the word on the importance of
preserving significant sites for future
generations
ICOMOS
 What they do:
 Awareness campaigns
 The development of training programs
 Architectural library in Paris's ICOMOS
Documentation Centre
 Advising UNESCO on possible World Heritage
Sites
 Publication of newsletters
 Conferences
Culture

 “A Source of exchange, innovation and

creativity, cultural diversity is as essential
for humankind as biodiversity is for
nature.” -UNESCO
Examples of Cultural Preservation
 Where is it?
 What is it’s cultural significance?
 Who built it?
 What characteristic of cultural is it?
 What happened to the original site?
 Who is helping to restore it?