Analysis of Heritage and Cultural Tourism in the UK Industry Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the heritage and cultural tourism industry in the United Kingdom. It begins with an overview of the industry's growth and development, highlighting its significant contribution to the UK economy and the role of cultural heritage in shaping the nation's identity. The report then explores potential conflicts in the conservation of cultural and heritage resources, using the case of Lhasa, Tibet, to illustrate challenges related to tourism, conservation laws, and the impact of visitor behavior. Furthermore, the report assesses the purpose of heritage and cultural attractions in meeting the needs of diverse customer segments, focusing on the educational, research, recreational, and conservation roles of institutions like the British Museum and the Natural History Museum. Finally, the report evaluates the impact of different types of ownership on the management of heritage and cultural sites, categorizing them into institutional, governmental, and semi-governmental organizations and discussing their respective roles in conservation and promotion. The report concludes by analyzing the roles and responsibilities of organizations within the heritage and cultural industry, providing a holistic view of the sector's operations and challenges.

Heritage and Cultural
Tourism Management

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................4
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Growth and development of heritage and cultural industry of UK.......................................4
1.2 Potential conflicts in the conservation of cultural and heritage resources in the given case 5
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Assess the purpose of heritage and cultural attractions in meeting the needs of different
customers.....................................................................................................................................7
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Evaluate the impact of different types of ownership on the management of heritage and
cultural sites.................................................................................................................................8
3.2 Analyze roles and responsibilities of organizations in the heritage and cultural industry.. . .9
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................10
4.1 Evaluate methods and media used for interpretation within the heritage and cultural
industry for tourists....................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................13
2

Illustration Index
3

INTRODUCTION
Cultural heritage can be elaborated as the bequest of physical artifacts and intangible
characteristics of a society that are passed down from generations to generations and is
maintained and conserved for the future progeny (Ballesteros and Ramírez, 2007). It includes
customs, places, objects, artifacts, practices and values that express the way of living which was
developed by ancient societies. The present report features vital facets of culture and heritage
industry of UK. In addition to this, it also explores potential conflicts in the conservation of
heritage and cultural resources in the given scenario of Lhasa Tibet. Besides this, the report also
features various purpose of heritage and cultural attractions in meeting the requirements of
various customers of tourism industry. Apart from this, multiple roles and responsibilities of
heritage and cultural organizations is also analyzed along with the evaluation of methods that
are used for interpretation within heritage and cultural industry for tourists.
TASK 1
1.1 Growth and development of heritage and cultural industry of UK
Heritage and culture play very important role in the development of UK's tourism sector.
UK has always enjoyed a prominent position in cultural tourism on the global stage. The cultural
heritage has played a central role in shaping the UK's identity as well as anchoring the
development of the local and national economies. In addition to this, it also helps in providing
support to build sustainable policies to conserve and develop UK's rich cultural and heritage
resources (Li, M and Cai, 2008). Heritage and cultural industry of UK include museums,
galleries with collections of creative artifacts, heritage archaeology and landscape and associated
organizations. According to statistical figures of the year 2006 , the sector contributed to nearly
1.01 billion pounds to the economy of UK which indicates that it is one of the important factor of
economic growth in UK.
The cultural heritage of UK entails archaeological sites , landscapes and collection of
artifacts from cities and rural ares of UK as well as rich collection from across the globe. It is
owned and held in trust on behalf of UK's public. People of UK play the central role in
determining the cultural heritage of UK on the basis of values and beliefs which they place on it.
The sector encompasses all those entities that are involved in collecting, conserving, studying
4

and communicating the past, present and future aspects with an aim to develop and promote
curiosity among individuals. The cultural and heritage industry of UK consist of a number of
institutions, organizations,tourism bodies and people. The core part of the cultural and heritage
sector of UK is predominately funded by public. The sector makes a significant contribution to
the socioeconomic growth of UK. Studies reveal that UK's major museums and galleries are
estimated to contribute 1.5 billion pounds annually to its economy. This estimation also takes
into account the expenses made by tourists.
Thus it can be observed that museums and galleries play very crucial role in the
economic development of the cultural and heritage sector of UK. These are the major attractions
for national and international tourists. In addition to this, visitors from different nationalities also
visit environment attractions that are important from the point of archaeology (McKercher and
du Cros, 2005). Apart from this, there are various privately owned historical houses which also
make significant contribution to economy of UK. In the recent years the sector has recorded
tremendous growth and development due to sound investment strategies. These strategies aim to
provide large grants for the development projects across UK in order to preserve and promote
cultural heritage sector. The legislative changes related to protection of cultural and heritage sites
and attractions has significantly influenced the growth and developed the sector in UK.
1.2 Potential conflicts in the conservation of cultural and heritage resources in the given case
Conservation of heritage and culture refers to the deliberate act of protecting artworks,
architecture, archaeological sites, museum and gallery collections. Other than protection it also
involves the restoration of these tangible resources by using various methods that are effective in
maintaining their original state as long as possible. Conservation of heritage and cultural
resources play very cardinal role in creating sustainable societies in the world. It is also vital in
terms of global tourism. It has been observed that international and domestic tourism act as
important determinant of cultural exchange However it is found that tourism s a complicated
concept that entails multiple dimensions such as social, cultural, environmental, economical and
political. It has the potential of capturing the economical benefits of heritage and cultural aspects
of a region (Kajanus, Kangas and Kurttila, 2004). However there are number of issues that may
rise in the conservation of cultural and heritage resources. In order to discuss potential conflicts
5

in the conservation of these resources in the given scenario of Lhasa, Tibet following points can
be elaborated:
 In the given scenario of Lhasa, lack of proper understanding and knowledge regarding the
significance of heritage and cultural resources among local people and travelers results
into reduced initiatives to conserve these resources.
 Poorly manged tourism activities negatively affect the cultural and heritage resources if
social, cultural and environmental dimensions are not at the center of these activities. In
the given case study of Lhasa international tourists are prohibited in the area due to these
issues.
 In addition to this lack of conservation laws and practices also raise concerns in the
protection and restoration of cultural and heritage resource. The laws and practices
provide essential guidelines for Tibetan Communities to monitor the tourism activities
that cause potential damage to natural and cultural heritage attractions of Tibet.
 Excessive tourism activities negatively impact the integrity, biodiversity and ethnicity of
the region. These activities leads to undesirable changes to cultural and physical
attributes of heritage and cultural resources. In the given case of Lhasa Tibet it has been
observed that Inter Continental Hotel group had to withdraw from its ambitious plan of
establishing a themed luxury hotel called “Resort Lhasa Paradise” in Lhasa against the
boycott of London based Free Tibet campaign.
 Behavior and attitude of national and international travelers towards cultural heritage
sites leads to undesirable consequences. It has been found that irresponsible and
inappropriate behavior of tourists towards heritage attractions and sites of sacred
importance negatively affect emotions and sentiments of local communities (Dallen,
2007). These communities have high regards for spiritual heritage buildings. From the
given scenario, it can be analyzed that international visitors and journalists are prohibited
from entering into Tibet although local tourists are given access to enter holy temples and
Buddhist monasteries.
6

TASK 2
2.1 Assess the purpose of heritage and cultural attractions in meeting the needs of different
customers
Heritage and culture play very vital role in sustainable development of the tourism
industry of UK. It has been observed that culture, art and heritage are those vital determinants
that makes museums attractive to national and global tourists. Museums contribute significantly
in the economic growth of UK (Royo-Vela, 2009). It is estimated that there is an inflow of
approximately 1.5 billion pounds per annum from museum visits by domestic and international
tourists (British Museum, 2016).The two important museums of UK are British Museum and the
Natural History Museum. British Museum was one of the ancient national public museum in the
world which was founded in the year 1973. The museum is dedicated to arts, culture and human
history. On the other hand the Natural History Museum of UK aims to portray a broad range of
specimens from different segments of natural history such as life and earth sciences. The purpose
of British and natural History Museums are elaborated in the following points.
Research Purpose
Both British and Natural History museums aim to provide effective groundwork for
research to many scholars from all over the world. British Museum houses approximately 8
million objects and artifacts which are related to ancient culture and history depicting the tale of
human evolution. It provide a great amount of information to various scholars that are involved
in the study of various branches such as archaeology, social sciences, etc. Research scholars visit
museum to acquire knowledge on various aspects of culture and heritage and on the basis o that
observation they carry out their studies. On the contrary the Natural History museum of UK
houses 80 million specimens that help researchers of life and earth sciences such as Botany,
Zoology, Entomology, Mineralogy, etc to gain useful information. The museum is popularly
known as a research center that specializes in conservation and taxonomy.
Educational Purpose
Other than research, the purpose of British and Natural History museum is to educate
domestic and local tourists about cultural heritage and human evolution. These museums are the
center of great learning to gain knowledge on cultural and natural history of the world. The
Natural History museum library encompasses large number of books, manuscripts, journals and
7

collection of artifacts with an aim to provide extensive information to national and global
visitors.
Recreation Purpose
Many domestic and international travelers are fond of visiting museums as a part of
leisure traveling. Other than research and educational purpose British and National History
Museum also aim to provide recreation to travelers Timothy and Boyd, 2006). It has been
observed that people who have keen interest in world history and ancient life sciences tend to
prefer museums as compared to any other cultural heritage sites.
Conservation Purpose
The British Museum aim to collect and preserve important works of archaeology such as
sculptors, artifacts and literature which provide relevant information related to cultural and
natural history. Similarly the Natural History Museum also focus on the conservation of large of
number of specimens from different life sciences in order to preserve them for future research
work.
TASK 3
3.1 Evaluate the impact of different types of ownership on the management of heritage and
cultural sites
There are several types of ownership in the management of heritage and cultural sites of
UK. The cultural and heritage sector of UK is predominantly funded by public. There are three
types of ownership that play important role in the management of cultural heritage sites in UK
(Farahani, Abooali and Mohamed, 2012). The types are broadly categorized into three forms that
include institutional, governmental and semi governmental organizations. Looking at the
economic benefits of cultural heritage tourism many government and private organizations are
trying hard to get the ownership. In order to evaluate the impact of these types are briefly
discusses in the following points:
Impact of Institutional Organizations
Institutional organizations are those organizations that works for the conservation and
promotion of heritage and culture in UK. The term is broadly used for public and charitable
organizations of UK. These include museums, art galleries, archives and churches. Museums
play very important role in the conservation and restoration of works of history such as objects,
8

sculptures, literature, specimens, manuscripts, etc. These objects make the cultural and heritage
tourism of UK very appealing to international tourists. Therefore they significantly impact the
economic growth of UK as they help in generating foreign revenue. For example: British
Museum is an institutional organization which play very important role in the care and
management of archaeological objects that are useful for the purpose of learning and research on
world history.
Impact of Public Organizations
Public organizations are government owned bodies that take care of cultural and heritage
sites in UK. For instance: Natural England is one such government owned organization that is
responsible for protection and amelioration of natural environment of England which include
land, flora and fauna, geology and soils. It play very important role in making people aware of
the importance of natural environment of the place (Natural England, 2016). The organization
focuses its activities on important ares which include building healthy environment, creating
methods for sustainable use of natural ecological aspects and securing environment for future
use.
Impact of Partnership Organizations
These organizations wok in collaboration with UK government to preserve and mange
cultural and heritage sites of the region. For example National Trust is a private non profit
organization which is dedicated to preserve the cultural heritage in UK (National Trust, 2016).
The organizations primarily focus is to ensure the conservation of archaeological objects.
3.2 Analyze roles and responsibilities of organizations in the heritage and cultural industry.
The public, institutional and collaborative organizations play very crucial role in the
development of heritage and cultural tourism in UK. The roles and responsibilities of
organizations including National Trust, English Heritage, Heritage Lottery fund and Natural
England are broadly analyzed in the following following points: Natural England : The prime role of this public owned organization is to protect the
natural environment of UK. It mainly focuses on preserving ecological aspects of the
region such as land, geology, flora and fauna, biodiversity and soils through effective
measures (Natural England, 2016). Natural England makes sure to include those
activities and resources to create healthy natural environment and sustainable use of
9

ecological resources. Other responsibilities of Natural Environment is to ensure to help
people in developing their understanding related to natural environment of England. English Heritage : English Heritage is a registered charity in UK that is responsible for
taking care of heritage collection of the region. It encompasses approximately 400
historic monuments, buildings and heritage sites in UK (English Heritage, 2016). The
major responsibility of this organization is to preserve the social and cultural aspect of
these historic sites in their original state as long as possible. It also ensure to provide
important information to research scholars, school and college students and domestic and
international tourists about the rich ancient human culture. The organization also play
important role in attracting foreign travelers from all around the world who have keen
interest in cultural and heritage sites to UK. This helps in the generation of foreign
revenue.
 National Trust: National Trust as discussed earlier is focused to conserve the cultural
heritage of UK (National Trust, 2016).The organization's prime role is to ensure the
preservation of physical artifacts and natural attractions of UK. Therefore they play very
vital role in conserving both archaeological as well as natural attractions of the place in
order to develop sustainable communities in UK. In addition to this it positively impact
the growth and development of tourism sector of UK.
TASK 4
4.1 Evaluate methods and media used for interpretation within the heritage and cultural industry
for tourists
Heritage interpretation can be defined as ways in which information is communicated to
domestic and foreign visitors to cultural and heritage sites such as museums, historic monuments
In other words it can be elaborated as the communication of particular information about nature,
origin and explanation of cultural and natural heritage sites using various methods. Heritage
interpretation is performed at sites like museums, archaeological sites, art galleries, botanical
gardens, parks and other sites. There are many methods which are used for interpretation of
heritage and cultural industry in UK that are evaluate in the following points.
10

The methods of interpretation of cultural heritage include guided walks, audio guides,
brochures, drama, talks, labels, signs, etc. Freeman Tilden has developed six principles of
interpretation that provide guidance to interpretation professionals. These professionals are
involved in the practice of heritage interpretation UK such as guides, museum curators, heritage
communicators, educators and tourist service staff of the heritage organizations of UK.
According to the first principle of Tilden's interpretation the methods are designed to interpret
the cultural and heritage industry of UK to provide useful information about historic and
ecological sites to domestic and foreign travelers (Tilden’s Six Principles of Interpretation,
2016). For example: British Museum make use of signs, labels, brochures in addition to audio
and visual media to present accurate facts and on the origin, nature, historic relevance and other
vital piece of information to travelers from different nationalities. The staff of the museum make
sure to provide clear information to tourists in a comprehensive language. Clarity of information
is a must in order to facilitate clear interpretation of cultural and heritage significance of the
region to foreign travelers who come from different social and cultural background. In addition
to this, audio and video method is also useful in increasing the knowledge of tourists regarding
natural and cultural heritage objects and sites. Interpretation professionals play very crucial role
in carrying out the heritage interpretation effectively. According to Tilden's principles
interpretation is considered as a art that should stimulate visitors to acknowledge the work of
ancient cultural and natural history of UK. Besides this, the principles also lay emphasis on the
development of interpretative program as per the needs of visitors of different age groups. For
example in order to address the needs of children the program should include simple methods
and media so that they can connect themselves with the significance of cultural and heritage
sites of UK. Therefore it is very important to design effective methods and media that can be
beneficial in interpretation of heritage and cultural industry of UK to increase tourism.
CONCLUSION
In a nutshell, heritage and cultural tourism play very important role in the growth and
development of tourism sector of a region. The present report develops a clear understanding of
different aspects related to cultural heritage within travel and tourism industry of UK. In addition
to this, it has been studied that there are numerous conflicts that may arise in the conservation of
11

cultural and heritage resources of a region. These conflicts takes place due to poor management
and excessive tourism activities in those areas. Besides this, the report also provide essential
learning on various purpose of heritage and cultural attractions within travel and tourism sector
in UK. In addition to this there are public, institutional and collaborative organizations that play
very crucial role in influencing the cultural and heritage tourism management in UK.
12