Heritage and Cultural Tourism: Analyzing Growth, Conflicts, Management

This report examines the growth and development of the heritage and cultural tourism industry, highlighting its economic contributions and employment generation. It discusses potential conflicts arising from tourism activities, particularly focusing on a case study in Lhasa, Tibet, where over-tourism has led to social and environmental issues. The report assesses the purpose of heritage and cultural attractions like the British Museum in meeting diverse customer needs through education, research, recreation, and entertainment, emphasizing the importance of market segmentation. Furthermore, it evaluates the impact of different types of ownership on the management of heritage sites and analyzes the roles and responsibilities of organizations in the heritage and cultural industry. Finally, the report evaluates the methods and media used for interpretation within the heritage and cultural industry, aiming to enhance tourist experiences and promote sustainable tourism practices.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
1.1 ANALYZE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE HERITAGE AND CULTURAL INDUSTRY. 4
POSTER.....................................................................................................................................4
1.2 DISCUSS POTENTIAL CONFLICTS IN THE CONSERVATION OF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL
RESOURCES......................................................................................................................................7
2.1 ASSESS THE PURPOSE OF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS IN MEETING THE NEEDS
OF DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS...........................................................................................................10
3.1 EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF OWNERSHIP ON THE MANAGEMENT OF
HERITAGE AND CULTURAL SITES...................................................................................................13
LEAFLET..................................................................................................................................13
3.2 ANALYSE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ORGANISATIONS IN THE HERITAGE AND
CULTURAL INDUSTRY.....................................................................................................................16
LEAFLET..................................................................................................................................16
4.1 EVALUATE METHODS AND MEDIA USED FOR INTERPRETATION WITHIN THE HERITAGE AND
CULTURAL INDUSTRY FOR TOURISTS............................................................................................19
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................22
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................23
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INTRODUCTION
The UK has a very rich cultural heritage and it has some very popular cultural tourism sites
which include Cathedrals, churches, monuments, castles and buildings. These cultural heritage
sites attract a large number of tourists every year and tourists generally prefer those places
including some historical or cultural sites. The UK government is also trying in every possible
way to maintain and preserve these sites with the help of government or private partnerships
as these tourist destinations create huge revenue for the state and also create employment on
a large scale( McKercher and Du Cros, 2002).
The current assignment analyses the growth and the development of the heritage and cultural
tourism industry. This industry gives a major contribution to the economy of the country and
helps to generate employment on a large scale. A discussion is made on the conflicts in the
heritage and cultural tourism. The assign highlights the market segmentation according to the
demographics and personal choices of the visitors and how the tourism industry can align their
services according to the requirement of the visitors (Timothy, D.J. ed., 2017).
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1.1 ANALYZE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE HERITAGE AND
CULTURAL INDUSTRY
POSTER
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According to a UNWTO report, the travel and tourism industry will be one of the largest
industries in the world economy and generate a large number of employment opportunities.
The heritage and cultural tourism industry is also a huge revenue generator as tourists all over
the world have shown interest in exploring cultural tourism (Ashworth, et al. 2013)
The heritage and cultural industry in the UK have seen unprecedented growth in recent years.
Britain has been hosting a number of cultural events, song, dance, language, fairs and light
shows, these cultural events present the rich heritage of the nation and the tourists from all
over the world come to the UK to visit these sites. Heritage sites like British Museum and
National history museum created a lot of interest among tourists. UK has 31 UNESCO world
heritage sites. The first site in the UK to be declared as world heritage site was Giant's
Causeway Coast, Cathedral and the ruins of Fountain's Abbey in the year 1986. The latest
addition is the Lake District in July 2017 which is located in England.
VARIOUS SITES OF ATTRACTION
Uk has a number of sites which attract millions of tourist every year. The main attraction is the
places associated with history and culture of the country. These sites are preserved by the
government by both public and private ownership. The primary objective is to make the visitors
aware of the rich cultural heritage of the country. The primary attraction is the museums,
architectures, wildlife, forests, flora and fauna. The organizations like English heritage are
established by the government to conserve these natural sites and ensure the environmental
sustainability (Smith, et al.2012).
NATURAL HERITAGE SITES
Natural heritage includes the ecosystem, flora and fauna, biodiversity, landscape, wildlife,
habitats, coastlines, national parks, forests and woodlands. These natural elements have been
existed from past generations up to now and efforts must be made to preserve these systems
in future. These natural heritages are the common heritage of the mankind and need to be
preserved, the sustainable tourism is one such effort which focuses on the responsible tourism
at these sites. The natural heritage sites of the UK include Durham and East Devon coast,
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Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast, Gough and Inaccessible islands (Kolar and Zabkar,
2010).
CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES
The cultural heritage sites are the attributes that are inherited from the past generation, these
sites are manmade and have been existing for a long time and are a part of history and heritage
of the country.These sites are the legacy which needs to be preserved. These sites include
tangible attributes like books, monuments, public art, sculptures, artifacts and work of art, and
intangible attributes like Knowledge, traditions, folklore and language.
Britain has a large number of cultural sites including Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, Blenheim
Palace, City of bath and Derwent Valley Mills.
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1.2 DISCUSS POTENTIAL CONFLICTS IN THE CONSERVATION OF
HERITAGE AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
The tourism especially the heritage and cultural tourism have many social, ecological and
biological issues and perspectives. The government does every effort to increase the travel and
tourism activities around these heritage sites, this sometimes creates conflicts with the local
inhabitants of the place. The poor planning by the government officials’ causes unrest among
the host community of the region which leads to agitations and protests and it projects a
negative image of these tourism sites. These issues must be handled carefully through
negotiations and the interests of the local community must be taken care to avoid any
confusion. The assignment discusses a case history of travel and tourism activities in Lhasa,
Tibet and the conflict arose in the region regarding these activities.
Figure 1 : Tibet
[Source: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/tibet]
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REASONS FOR POLITICAL CONFLICT IN TIBET
Lhasa is the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The city is situated at an
altitude of 11,995 feet and has many tourist attractions like Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and
Sera monastery. Tibet was closed to outside world till 1950. After China's invasion of Tibet, the
government allowed the tourism activities in Lhasa. According to the official Chinese figures
around 3.43 million tourists visited Tibet in the first half of the year, this is much higher than
the official population of Tibet and is creating a huge pressure on the ecology and biodiversity
of the country (Wu and Pearce, 2012).
She is crying on the hill, a blog post by a Chinese traveler showed how the Chinese tourists are
taking photographs in an aggressive way. These pictures were disturbing and raised many
questions on the marketing policy of the Chinese government regarding Tibet. The Chinese
government is presenting its own version of Tibet to the Chinese tourists and projecting Tibet
as a Disneyland which is creating huge pressure on the environmental balance of Tibet.
There were large protests against these policies in Lhasa city and on social media. The cultural
clash between the Chinese government and the indigenous population is growing strong and it
raises a question on the pressure exerted by over tourism activities on the local population.
ROLE OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
The Chinese government is doing aggressive marketing in the Tibetan region without taking
into consideration its small population. At present millions of tourists visit in Lhasa every year
which is much larger than its official population of Tibet. Majority of tourists visiting the Tibet
are from China and there are very little overseas tourists. The Chinese tourists are concentrated
in the Tibet region at a large scale and there is an uneven tourist activity in this particular
region. During Shoton Festival in Lhasa, around 2 million tourists visited the city. Although such
a large number of tourists generated huge revenue but such a large number of tourists in a
small city a time puts a great pressure on the environment as well as local population. China’s
national highway number 318 which connects Tibet to China is rated one of the most beautiful
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roadside scenery views in China .last year there was a large jam of cyclists visiting Tibet through
this highway. Such tourism activities create a great impact on the indigenous population and
ecology (Sheng and Wei, 2012.).
PROBABLE SUGGESTIONS
China is a member of United Nations world tourism organizations. The UNWTO promotes the
responsible and sustainable tourism which focuses on putting minimum pressure on the
indigenous culture and biodiversity. The government should contribute positively towards a
suitable balance and respect for the local community their culture and traditions.
These conventions also assure that the economic benefits must largely go the local population.
The government should make efforts to give preference to locally made articles like bags, toys
and showpieces so that the local community can improve their economy. The government
should also make efforts to reduce the influx of a large number of tourists in Tibet (Fu, 2010.).
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2.1 ASSESS THE PURPOSE OF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS
IN MEETING THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS
The British Museum was established in the year 1753 and it showcases the human history art
and culture of the UK. Today the museum has a large collection of natural history, books, and
manuscripts. The museum also has a very big library having books on art culture and history of
the region. The museum has a large collection of digital copies of all the works. The museum
also has a large collection of statues, colossal, paintings and monuments (Parry, 2013).
The Victoria and Albert Museum is located and London and is a centre of great works of art and
design. It has a collection of about million articles. It has a large variety of artworks from
Europe, North America and Asia, the collection includes glass, textile, costumes, jewellery,
furniture and drawing.
PURPOSE OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM
The British Museum was established with a purpose of providing information to the people
about the rich cultural heritage of the country (Robertson, 2015). People from all the fields and
age groups visit the museum to know about their past and the great artwork and sculptures by
the masters.
Following are the purposes of establishing the museum:
Education
The British Museum is a great source of knowledge for students as well as for adults. The
museum has a wide collection of books and articles which provide a great view of the
prehistoric times. With the help of these collections, the students are able to know their
country's art culture and history in a better way.
Research
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The articles relating to ancient history are helpful in the research conducted about the history
and culture of the medieval period. A large number of historians and scholar visit this museum
to closely observe these sculptures and monuments and understand about these in a more
detailed way.
Recreation
British museum also provides recreation activities for the families. Many exhibitions, food
festivals, picnics are scheduled around the year to cater the specific needs of the visitors. Due
to these efforts, large numbers of families visit the museum and it increases the revenue of the
museum greatly.
Entertainment
Many entertainment shows like light shows, music and food festivals are organized in the
museum around the year and these shows depict the historical and cultural things in an
entertaining way due to which these shows attract a large number of tourists (Simpson, 2012).
NEEDS OF THE TOURISTS
The tourists visiting the museum are of different kinds of families, children, students, scientists
and media. The museum needs to assert these different kinds of visitors in order to serve better
and provide all the information in an organized way based on the customer choices. The
different customer categories are:
Segmentation
The segmentation of the tourists is done on the basis of the purpose of visit. The primary
segmentation is into students, family, scientists and researchers and media. The assortment of
the articles is done in the museum keeping in mind the need of these groups.
Target Groups
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The target groups are that person which needs to be attracted to the museum in order to
increase the number visitors. This group includes the new generation tech-savvy youths. The
museum has launched its digital platform to cater the needs of these groups. The British
Museum has digitized all its book collection in order to make them available online.
Usage rates
The usage rates are different for different age groups and extra charges are taken from the
overseas tourists. The affordable pricing is done on ticket prices to attract a large number of
visitors.
Specialist groups
Special groups like scientists, media and school groups are provided special facilities. Special
guides and volunteers are used for the purpose. These guides provide a detailed explanation of
the history related to the particular article.
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3.1 EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF OWNERSHIP ON
THE MANAGEMENT OF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL SITES
In the UK there are three types of ownership public, private and voluntary which are working
for the management and preservation of cultural and heritage sites in the UK. These three
types of ownership are discussed below:
LEAFLET
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PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
In this type of ownership, all the repairing and maintenance of the cultural places is under the
government control. All expenses are maintained by the government funding. The cultural sites,
as well as the organizations, are owned by the government.
The objective of these types of organizations is to preserve the natural and cultural heritage
and to organize different programmes to attract tourists and increase the tourism activities in
the country. The vision is to create revenue through these tourist activities and generate
employment (Tribe, 2015).
The English heritage is one such organization which was established by the National Heritage
Act 1983. The primary aim of this organization is to make the people aware of their history and
culture and provide economic growth to the country with the help of tourism activities.
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
These types of organizations are controlled by the private institutions and the objective of these
type of organizations is to earn revenue and increase their profitability. The places of tourism
are owned and maintained by individuals and all the expenses on the maintenance and
preservation of these sites are carried by the private fund of these individuals. The funding is
managed by the advertising and the tickets in these sites. These organizations do not get any
grant from the government and all the expenses are managed by the individual peoples
(Sueyoshi and Goto, 2012).
VOLUNTARY OWNERSHIP
These types of organizations are independent and work for the preservation of cultural
heritage. The aim of these organizations is to promote tourism and provide the benefit of
tourism activities to the local population. These organizations get funds both from the
government and individuals and work for the common goal of preserving the biodiversity,
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natural habitat, flora and fauna, natural history and culture of the planet (Iossa and Martimort,
2015).
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one such organization which operates on an
international level and it is a charitable trust. This organization works for the preservation of
the environment and the biological diversity. The organization was established with an aim to
protect the natural environment and increase the travel and tourism activities. The WWF
operates in more than 100 countries and supports many environmental sustainability projects
all over the world.
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3.2 ANALYSE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ORGANISATIONS IN THE
HERITAGE AND CULTURAL INDUSTRY
LEAFLET
The leaflet above shows the roles and responsibilities of two cultural organizations of the UK,
The English Heritage and the Woodland trust. These organizations work for the development of
heritage and cultural tourism. The primary responsibility of these organizations is to make a
conducive environment for the cultural tourism (Hiltunen, et al.2013). This can be done with
the help of implementation or legislative reforms or implementing new technological changes
in the industry. Other responsibilities include:
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FUNDING FOR THE HERITAGE SITES
Organizations like English Heritage, Woodland trust and Heritage lottery fund are contributing
in a very positive way for the repair maintenance and conservation of the heritage and cultural
sites of the country (Mei, et al.2012). These organizations also provide funding for the
maintenance of these heritage sites. These organizations receive funds from the government as
well as from private entities which are used in maintaining the facilities at the cultural sites.
IMPLEMENTING THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
Many legislative changes take place regarding the sustainability laws and other laws related to
the travel and tourism industry. The English heritage has the role of creating awareness about
these rules and regulations and ensures that all the tourism activities are carried keeping in
mind the laws of sustainability, and the local population is not getting affected due to these
activities.
NEW TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION
The tourism sector is experiencing many changes in the technology. The English heritage
organization helps these cultural sites to impart the changes in technologies in their systems.
The online booking of tickets has been stated at all the national museum websites. With the use
of new technology these organizations help the young generation to know their heritage and
culture and give their contribution to preserve these sites.
INCOME GENERATION
For the maintenance and better tourist services, the sites need some income of their own this
income is generated through the sale of tickets and advertising contracts. The role of the
woodland trust here is to facilitate the regular flow of income to these organizations so that
new infrastructure can be developed and better facilities can be provided to the visitors
(Swarbrooke and Page, 2012).
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NEW MERCHANDISING
The English heritage also has the responsibility of proper merchandising of the heritage and
culture tourism. The efforts are made to educate people about the cultural diversity of the
country and to know the past of the country. For this purpose, these organizations organize
cultural shows, exhibitions, live music shows drama and plays to educate to a wide range of
audience. These efforts help the people know their rich heritage and culture in an interesting
way.
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4.1 EVALUATE METHODS AND MEDIA USED FOR INTERPRETATION
WITHIN THE HERITAGE AND CULTURAL INDUSTRY FOR TOURISTS
The heritage and the cultural tourism have a great role of interpretation. Proper interpretation
of the artworks makes the audience able to understand some complex incidences in history in a
comprehensible way (Kolar and Zabkar, 2010). The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert
Museum in London are one of the most popular museums in London and a large number of
tourist visit this museum daily.
DIFFERENT MEDIA USED BY THE MUSEUMS FOR INTERPRETATION
The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum use of a variety of media to enhance
the visitor experience at the museum. These mediums use various audio-visual and published
materials including drama and role play for better interpretations of the art pieces in the
museum. These media are discussed in detail below:
Exhibitions
Many exhibitions and art galleries are organized by the British Museum to create a better
understanding of these artworks. These exhibitions showcase the original works done by the
artist and the tourist can increase their knowledge about a particular artwork or artist. Various
contests and campaigns are organized for school and college children to encourage them to
visit the place (Smith, et al. 2012).
Family events
Many family events are organized especially for children like Greek way of dressing, dressing
like an Egyptian mummy, wearing animal masks and many such activities. These activities help
the children learn about the art culture and heritage in an interesting manner.
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Digital workshops
The digital workshops are arranged for students to make an effective use of photography skills
and learn interactive ways to use these digital mediums to enhance their learning. The students
can also share their works in social media to get better exposure.
Drama and role play
The drama and role play are organized at the Victoria and Albert Museum to participate the
visitors in the cultural activities. These activities include dressing in the medieval period clothes
and performing a small play. Organizing dramas and theatre acts help to connect with the
targeted audience and the museum gets publicity by word of mouth (Prideaux, et al.2013).
Printed media
To promote the cultural tourism the museums publish the information about upcoming events
in the newspapers and magazines. Brochures are also used for this purpose to get detailed
knowledge about the target audience and the details of the timings of events. These printed
mediums of interpretation are cost-effective and reach up to a wide audience. Interviews with
the cultural scholars are published in these magazines which provide an effective promotion of
the importance of heritage and culture.
Performing arts
The performing arts like dance music and singing are a very effective medium for
interpretation. These mediums make a better connect with the visitors and they are able to
know the historical events in a more illustrative way and they are able to connect with their
past in a better way. The performing arts provide the knowledge to the visitors in an
entertaining way. This also includes live musical shows and performances of great artworks by
the great artists of past.
Social media
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Social media is the new tool for the better interpretation of the museum services. The audio-
visual files are shared from one system to another and are proving to be very effective
mediums for the promotion. As most of the people are operating smartphones the promotion
and interpretation have become very convenient. YouTube is also very widely used to promote
the various exhibitions and live shows performances at the museums. The online booking of
tickets is also very helpful to attract the younger generation to the museum.
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CONCLUSION
The heritage and cultural sites of a country play an important role in the preservation of a
country’s culture and history. The tourism activities help the country earn huge revenues at the
same time give an opportunity to know the history and culture of a community.
The current assignment analyzed the growth and the development of this industry and the
efforts by the government to preserve these natural sites. The assignment discussed three
types of ownership public, private and volunteer and the roles and vision of this organization.
The English heritage and the woodland trust are two such organizations working for this
purpose. The assignment highlighted the various media used for the promotion of these
cultural sites. These promotion mediums are very helpful in making the population aware of the
history and culture of the country. The tourism activities should be carried in such manner in
which there is a minimum impact of these activities on the indigenous population and the
ecological biodiversity of the natural site.
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