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CHAPTER 4

CULTURAL TOURISM DEFINED

MAOMBE MM
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CHAPTER OUTCOME

• Explain the two main approaches to defining cultural

tourism.
• Explain the differences between the broad and narrow
UNWTO definitions of cultural tourism.
• Explain the significance of the ATLAS and ICOMOS
definitions of cultural tourism.
• Distinguish between the main types of cultural tourism
• Explain the characteristics of cultural as special-interest
tourism.
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After this chapter you should be able to answer the following questions

• What is the meaning of a cultural attraction?

• What is the meaning of the various elements of culture for
the host community?
• What is the meaning of a cultural experiences for a
tourists?
• What is the meaning of tourism to a community?
• What is the meaning of authenticity and uniqueness as
pull factors for tourism travel?
• What does all this mean for the success of cultural
tourism development in a destination?
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Tomlinson’s proposal for looking at the ways in which the term ‘culture’ is used

• Culture is seen as a process. It is seen as indicative of a

particular way of life and regarded as the continuous, adaptable,

ever-changing process of the ‘production of meaning’ ( e.g the
way in which venda people live, that they pass it on to their
generation).

• Culture is seen as a product it is seen as the artistic and

intellectual works, activities and practices of groups or

individuals to which certain specific meaning are attached. ( e.g
u phasa , malombo ).
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APPROACHESTO DEFINING CULTURALTOURISM

• It is argued that culture plays a major role in cultural

tourism in more than one respect.

• First on the supply side each destination has its own,

unique cultural (tangible and intangible) elements that

form part of its own distinctive cultural tourism offering.
These distinguish one cultural destination from another.
• Secondly on the demand side the desire to experiences a

destination s culture is the main motivator of cultural

tourism travel.
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APPROACHES TO DEFINING CULTURAL TOURISM

• Since culture holds a central place on both sides of the

tourism ‘supply-and-demand’ equation it is reasonable to

expect proposed approaches to defining tourism to be
built on the two approaches to defining culture: cultural
seen as a product and culture seen as a process.
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Bonink identified two basic approaches to defining cultural tourism.

• The first approach that Bonink identified as the site and

monuments approach is derived from the product-based

definition of culture. It is on:
• Type of attractions visited by tourists in the particular site

or destination.
• Type of culture products consumed by tourists, which

gives a narrow view of the activities and motivations of

cultural tourists (1996:22)
Prepared by M.Manuga •

Bonink identified two basic approaches to defining

cultural tourism
• The second approach, the conceptual or activity approach to defining

cultural tourism is derived from the process-based approach to defining

culture. The conceptual approach to cultural tourism attempts to ‘describe
motives and meaning attached to cultural tourism activity (1996:22. My
emphasis).

• Understanding why and how people engage in cultural tourism travel

instead of simply counting their numbers is the main focus of the conceptual
approach. It forms a basis for qualitative research on cultural tourism where
an attempt is made to define the characteristics of cultural tourism demand.
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UNWTO DEFINITIONS OF CULTURAL TOUIRSM

• Based on the two approaches to defining culture tourism, UNWTO (1985) developed two definitions of

cultural tourism commonly known as the narrow definition- derived from the technical, product based

approach to defining cultural tourism –and the wide definition-based on the conceptual process-based

approach.

• The narrow definition includes movement of person for essentially cultural motivations such as study

tours, performing arts and cultural tours, travel to festivals and other cultural events visits to sites and

monuments, travel to study nature, folklore or art and pilgrimages( a journey to a holy place or religion

purposes ) (Richards, 1996:22).

• The wide definition includes ‘ all movements of persons … because they satisfy the human need

experience and diversity , tending to raise the cultural level of the individual and giving rise to new

knowledge experience and encounters ( Richards , 1996:22).

•
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THEATLASAND ICOMOS DEFINITIONS OF CULTURALTOURISM

• ATLAS came up with two cultural tourism definition:

• The technical definition of cultural tourism.

• All movements of persons to specific cultural attractions such as

heritage sites, artistic and cultural manifestation arts and drama

outside their normal place residence (Richards, 1996:23).
• Conceptual definition of cultural tourism:

• The movement of persons to cultural attractions away from their

normal place of residence, with the intention to gather new

information and experiences to satisfy cultural needs (Richards,
1996:23).
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THE ATLAS AND ICOMOS DEFINITIONS OF

CULTURAL TOURISM
• Although the technical definition did not provide any valuable addition to the previous

definitions, the conceptual definition represents a breakthrough in defining cultural

tourism. It identified the following two main cultural for tourism.

• Education (element of formal and informal learning).

• Novelty (authenticity and uniqueness).

• The ICOMOS charter on cultural Tourism of 1976 defines cultural tourism as:

• That form of tourism whose object is among other aims, the discovery of monuments

and sites. It exerts on these last a very positive effect insofar as it contributes to satisfy
its own ends to their maintenance and protection. This form of tourism justifies in fact
the efforts which said maintenance and protection demand of human community
because of the socio-cultural and economic benefits which they bestow on all the
populations concerned (Article 3 of the ICOMOS charter, 1976, my emphasis).
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VALENE SMITH S WIDELY ACCEPTED TYPOLOGY OF TOURISM.

Valane Smith in host and guest clearly distinguishes

between five main forms of tourism based on the types of
travel experience offered by a destination. She renowned
for her group-breaking research in the field of host-guest
interrelationships and her explanation of the impacts that
tourism can have on a host culture. Significantly her original
classification (1989:4) did not include the sixth form:
business tourism which was a later addition. She lists the
five main forms as:
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VALENE SMITH S WIDELY ACCEPTED TYPOLOGY OF TOURISM.

1. Ethnic Tourism
-Travelling for the purpose of experiences and observing the cultural expressions and
lifestyles of exotic (indigenous) people.
-Activities include: visiting native homes, attending dances and ceremonies, observing
religious rites and rituals and shopping for authentic curios and primitive ware.
2.Cultural Tourism.
-Travelling for the purpose of experiencing and participating in the vanishing lifestyle
that lies within human memory (1989:4). Smith calls this peasant culture characterized
by the picturesque or local colour with old style houses (1989:5), food grown in
vegetable gardens, dairy products made the traditional meals in old inns, folklore
performances, and costumed wine festivals. Rural peasant area are often easily
accessible from major tourist Centre and attract many tourist.
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VALENE SMITH S WIDELY ACCEPTED TYPOLOGY OF TOURISM.

3.Historical Tourism (also known as museum –cathedral tourism).

-Emphasizes the glories of past civilizations, such as ancient Greece, Egypt and
the Incas. Historical tourism is highly institutionalized, economically driven and
lacks a meaningful host-guest inter-relationship. Tourists involved in historical
tourism are mostly education-oriented. Activities include guided tours to
monuments and ruins, visits war sites and light and sound performances that
recreate lifestyles and key (historical) events.
4.Environmental Tourism.
-Often ancillary to ethnic tourism (1989:5) therefore incorporate both: nature-
based tourism, where the motivation for travel is getting back to nature and
indigenous tourism as a secondary motivation to experience and learn about the
host culture.
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VALENE SMITH S WIDELY ACCEPTED

TYPOLOGY OF TOURISM.
5.Recreational Tourism.

-The overriding motivation for tourism travel is the opportunity to relax and
experiences a changes of scenery. The 3S and 4S sun-lust mass tourism
forms are based on popular recreational activities such as sunbathing and
swimming. Other recreational activities include skiing, golf, gambling and
social gathering.

6.Business Tourism

-Distinctive forms of business-motived travel commonly referred to as

MICE tourism. Although the travel motivation is predominantly business,
any activities characteristics of the five types of tourism can incorporated.
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MELANIESMITHSMAINFORMSOFCULTURALTOURISM

1. Heritage tourism

-Cultural heritage tourism is traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and

people of the past and present. It includes historic, cultural and natural attractions.It affirms that we have identified

significant elements of our places as important enough to preserve and to pass on to future generations. Heritage Tourism

also denotes that we are dedicated to caring for these resources and sharing them. Heritage Tourism is an active,

engaging, and ongoing process that involves community residents, organizations, civic institutions and governments

working together.

E.g. Mapungubwe

2. Arts tourism.

-An area of tourism that is often overlooked is the question of the arts and tourism. One of the reasons for this consistent

overlooking may be the fact that it is hard to define the term “the arts”. In popular parlance the term usually means what is

technically called the “plastic arts”. That is those forms of the arts that are restricted to paintings, sculpture and other visual

concepts. Of course, the term can mean much more, from musical and dance performances to theatre, from architecture to

poetry readings all are art forms. In fact, anywhere that we find that the embodiment of the soul in a communication with

other souls we find art. As such we may also think of both athletics and religious expression as a form of art.

E.g. Noria Mabasa Art Gallery.

MELANIE SMITH S MAIN FORMS OF CULTURAL TOURISM

3. Urban cultural tourism.

-The demand for travel to cities has greatly increased over the last few decades. While many travel for business or

convention purposes, others are traveling on leisure time to learn about other cultures, to develop their specific interests,

and to seek entertainment.

-E.g. visiting Cape Town for a holiday.

4. Rural cultural tourism

-Any form of tourism that showcases the rural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations, thereby benefiting the local

community economically and socially as well as enabling interaction between the tourists and the locals for a more

enriching tourism experience can be termed as rural tourism. Rural tourism is essentially an activity which takes place in

the countryside. It is multi-faceted and may entail farm/agricultural tourism, cultural tourism, nature tourism, adventure

tourism, and eco-tourism. As against conventional tourism, rural tourism has certain typical

-Characteristics like; it is experience oriented, the locations are sparsely populated, it is predominantly in natural

environment, it meshes with seasonality and local events and is based on preservation of culture, heritage and traditions.

-E.g. queen mujanzhi kraal.

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MELANIE SMITH S MAIN FORMS OF CULTURAL

TOURISM
5.Indigenous cultural tourism.

• The term ‘indigenous’ is used most broadly to refer to the first peoples of a given region but

regional terms vary. Complicating this is that some of these other terms are considered, in some

contexts or settings, to be either appropriate or inappropriate (in fact sometimes racist) to use.

6.Contemporary (popular) cultural tourism.

• The perceived quality of a destination’s cultural offering has long been a significant factor in

determining tourist choices of destination. More recently, the need to present touristic offerings

that include cultural experiences and heritage has become widely recognized, that this aspect of

the tourism experience is an important differentiator of destinations, as well as being amongst the

most manageable. This has also led to an increase in the management of such experiences

through special exhibitions, events and festivals, as well as through ensuring more routine and

controlled access to heritage sites.

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CULTURAL TOURISM AS SPECIAL-INTEREST TOUIRSM (SIT).

• Advent of special-interest tourism (STI) also known as alternative

tourism, coincided with a differentiation of the mass tourism market in

1980s and the birth of new tourism by the development of new, more
specialized, tourism forms.

• As mass tourists gained travel confidence through participating in mass

package travel experiences they began to perceive holidays as an

opportunity to pursue more intensely their personal interests and to use
leisure time to travel with a purpose. Holidays become an essential part
of a holistic lifestyle that includes of scenery and climate but
complements established special interests (Douglas et al 2001:8).
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SIT is defined as the provision of customized leisure and recreational experiences driven by the specific
expressed interest of individuals and groups (Douglas et al, 2001:3).

• Cultural tourism
• Adventure (extreme and soft) tourism.
• Cruise tourism
• Health tourism
• Golf tourism
• Wine and food tourism
• Dark tourism
• Sex tourism
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END OF THE CHAPTER