Heritage and Cultural Tourism Management: British Museum Report

This report analyzes heritage and cultural tourism management, focusing on the British Museum. It examines the growth of the heritage and cultural sector in the UK, potential conflicts in heritage conservation using Barcelona and Venice as case studies, and the British Museum's role in meeting diverse customer needs. The report details the museum's history, security systems, visitor types, and the importance of its attractions, highlighting its contribution to tourism and cultural preservation. The document emphasizes the importance of preserving cultural heritage and addressing challenges like overtourism and security threats, while also providing a reflective overview of the museum's significance.

Heritage and Cultural Tourism Management
British Museum

Table of Contents
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
1.1 and 1.2 – Leaflet....................................................................................................................3
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................1
2.1 – Reflective Report................................................................................................................1
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................5
3.1 and 3.2 – Leaflet....................................................................................................................5
Task 4...............................................................................................................................................1
4.1 - Management Report...........................................................................................................1
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................3
References.......................................................................................................................................4

Introduction
The theme of this assignment is “Cultural Tourism Management” which is providing a deep
knowledge of the heritage and cultural industry in the UK. The organizations that are engaged
in providing the services to the tourism industry are also highlighted in the assignment with the
help of considering the live examples. The major purposes of the attraction along with the
methods that are using in the interpretation process are focused on the assignment. Working as
a research analyst in a medium sized consultant firm in London, I have made this assignment to
highlight one of the visitors' attractions. The organization is giving many opportunities to me
and the other employees to have field trips and based on these experiences, the assignment is
covering all the details about the “British Museum” which is located in the Bloomsbury area of
London, UK. This assignment is based on my own experiences and observations that I have
gained from the field trips along with the research that that has been carried out on the
heritage and cultural industry.

Task 1
1.1 and 1.2 – Leaflet
The heritage and cultural industry are one of the most important sectors in the tourism industry
in the world and same with the UK. In this section of the assignment, the growth and
development of this sector are highlighted in a leaflet form. The development, as well as the
growth of this sector, is only focusing on the UK (Fang, Ye and Law, 2016). Later, the description
of the potential conflicts in the conservation of heritage and cultural resources has been
highlighted with the help of a case study of Barcelona (Spain) and Venice (Italy).
A timeline which is showing major events and development in the heritage and cultural
tourism in the UK
1.1 - Analyzing the growth and
development of the heritage and cultural
industry with special reference to the UK
This sector in the tourism industry is not
only helpful in growing and developing the
economic status of the country but also

helpful in safeguarding the natural heritage
that is the main attraction of the visitors.
The heritage and culture industry is
dedicated in the preservation of the natural
heritage sites that are located in the UK and
resulting in the increasing the community
identity and bounding in the UK (Chen and
Chen, 2010). Thus it can be said that this
industry is having the greatest importance
when compared to the other sector of the
tourism industry.
This sector is the backbone of the tourism
industry in the UK which is also considering
the overseas visitors market. In the overall
annual expenditure, the heritage and
cultural tourism are contributing
approximately 28% in the UK. In addition to
it, this sector is also the major growth area
where the tourism industry in the UK can
develop in future.
The heritage tourism is contributing in the
GDP with around £5 billion and also giving
may job opportunities to the people. This is
also because the people are engaged in the
services and are attracted towards the
concept of heritage and culture
preservation. Many of the cities in the UK
are focusing on this sector like the Liverpool
and Glasgow. The following figure is adding
some more details about the contribution
of the Heritage and cultural sector in the
UK.
This figure is showing that the heritage and
cultural sector is having many of the
upgradations and development in the last
few years. In addition to this, the figure is
also representing that the four cities that
are very important with respect to this
sector in the UK, and they are, London,
Glasgow, Edinburg and Liverpool. This is
because they are having a large number of
heritages, monuments and cultural sites
which need to be preserved for the future
references. For example, these places are
having different heritages and cultural sites
like the following:
Traditional cities Developed cities
London (Dominator
of the UK)
Glasgow (European
Culture capital)
Museums
Galleries
Natural sites and
monuments like
Tower of London
Major cultural and
art festivals are
celebrated in this
city like the
Mayfest.

Edinburg (Capital of
Scotland)
Liverpool
This city is famous
for its castles and
festivals
Home to various
cultural events in
the UK like the
Mathew Street
Festival.
Victoria Museum
and Gallery
National Museum
1.2 Discussing potential conflicts in the
conservation of heritage and cultural
resources
Unmonitored tourists activities, biodiversity
features, both social and cultural
dimensions are the major potential threats
to the heritage and cultural tourism in the
UK. This is because the people who are
visiting the tourist places were showing
minimal respect for it. The tourists are also
damaging the places and monuments. The
activities of the tourists are also creating
disturbance in the life of local communities
and their wellbeing. There are many life
events in which the tourist's groups are
provoked for stealing the cultural and
heritage properties. The tourism facilities at
some of the visitors' attraction are not
planned properly so many of the potential
conflicts occur in the preservation of that
places. This is because the government
needs the support of the local communities
in this process.
The case of Barcelona and Venice
The growth of terrorism is the main threat
in protecting the heritage and culture of the
UK. The government needs to alter their
policies and strengthen their acts as the
terrorism is putting a lot of challenges in
front of them. After the case of Barcelona
and Venice, the government of the country
is trying to focus more on the protection of
these two cities. This is because; a large
number of people are travelling to these
cities in order to explore the beautiful
places. This dangerous act of the terrorism
has affected the tourism industry of these
two places to a great extent and also put an
impact of the nation’s economic growth
(Timothy, 2017).
CONFLICTS IN TOURISM

The tourists are having a large number of
perspectives when they are visiting a
particular place, and if they are not met,
then the conflicts occur. Social and culture
of the tourist destinations are the main
reason for conflicts in the tourism. This is
because; the nature of the local
communities along with their behaviour is
putting both positive and negative impact
on the mind of tourists. Lack of
infrastructural and hospitality services are
also the major cause of conflicts as some
places are not even capable of providing
resources and services to the tourists. Lack
of support from the government and local
communities are also causing many of the
conflicts in the tourism industry of the UK.
Along with this, the people believe that the
government is not having proper policies
for protecting the tourism industry and due
to which they are forced to wave the anti-
tourism campaigns all over the UK.
Increasing population in both the cities is
also putting an impact on its tourism
industry.
Some factors and causes of conflict in
Barcelona and Venice
1. Overpopulation in Barcelona –
population in the year 1990 was 1.7
billion which has increased to 7.80 in
the year 2014.
2. Increase in industrialization –
infrastructural buildings are filling
the major open areas of the city due
to which its beauty is impacting
3. Over-crowding of tourists – in both
the cities are making a disturbance
in the lives of local communities.
4. The behaviour of people – Is
changing towards the tourists and
their harsh behaviour is putting a
negative impact on their mind
(Richards, 2011).
From the table, it can be concluded that all the four cities are the major four pillars in the UK's
heritage and cultural tourism. This is because they are having some of the major visitor's
attraction and attract a large number of people towards themselves. Both the Glasgow and
Liverpool are having remarkable growth in the tourism industry in the last few years and both

the traditional cities are developing various strategies to attain the criteria of sustainable
tourism.

Task 2
2.1 – Reflective Report
Executive summary
The UK is having one of the richest and diverse cultures and heritage in the world and thus it
needs to be preserved for the future generations. There are many historical and cultural places
in the UK are showing that the country is having a rich culture and history. This is because many
of the tourists are attracted towards the country and hence efforts need to be taken for the
upliftment of the tourism industry’s protection and conservation.
Introduction
This report is helpful in listing the importance and description of various visitors’ attraction in
the UK which comes under the Heritage and cultural sector. The main focus of the report is on
the British Museum which is one of the most famous heritage attractions in the UK. The above
information is based on the observation and experience which has been gained from the field
trip to the British Museum.
Body
Purpose of heritage and cultural attractions in meeting the needs of different customers
BRITISH MUSEUM
History and location
It is located in the Bloomsbury area in London and it is a public institute which is showing the
main evidence of the human history along with their art and culture. The museum is having a
large number of documentation that is related to the human culture’s story from the early life
to the present era. These documentations are based on the evidence and collection of Sir Hans
Sloane which is a famous physician and scientist in the UK (THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 2018). The
museum was established in the year 1953 but it was first opened in front of the public in the
year 1759 in Montagu House.

In the year 1972, due to the British Library Act, the library department of the museum is
detached from it. It is one of the most famous non-departmental public bodies in the UK which
is supported by the Department of Digital, Culture, media and sports (THE BRITISH MUSEUM,
2018).
Security systems at the Museum
The fire alarms at the museum are helpful for the security purpose in the situation of danger
and accidents. These fire and smoke alarms are helpful in safeguarding a large number of
people (around 4000) due to the overheating of a light fitting. The emergency exist are made at
every possible reach in the museum which is helpful at the time of this type of incidents. The
CCTV cameras are fitted at every corner of the museum through which the criminal or
unwanted activities can be detected by the security department experts. These are also helpful
in examining all the people who are visiting the museum (THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 2018).
The security system at the museum is also helpful in protecting all the man-made attractions
along with both the purpose and non-purpose built attractions. Automated model of the ship,
the food tablet, Lewis Chessman along with the Mosaic of Christ and King of Fire are some of
them (THE BRITISH MUSEUM PLAN, 2006/07).
Type of Visitors, activities and importance of various attractions
Mainly the science and archaeological students are attracted towards the museum as it is
having a large collection of manuscripts, antiquities and natural specimen. The museum is
organizing various activities for these students along like exhibition and seminars and also
offers membership to them (THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 2018). Apart from the students, the
museum is also focusing on the business group of the UK by organizing various events and
providing corporate entertainment to them. Apart from the local communities, a large number
of tourists are also attracted towards the museum because of these attractions and services.
The following figure is showing the details about the number if visited that have visited the
museum in the past few years till now (THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 2018).

Figure 1: Number of visitors between 2008/09 to 2016/17 in the British Museum (in 1,000s)
[Source: The Statistics Portal, 2018]
Following are the main purpose of heritage and cultural attractions which are helpful in
fulfilling the needs of different customers:
At city level At community level
 Tourism development
 Job creation
 Poverty reduction
 Urban planning
 Infrastructure provision
 Transportation management
(THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 2018)
 Security and safety resilience
 Community well-being
 Communal participation
 Creating a sense of place
 Education
 Entertainment and recreation
 Urban identification and pride
 Research
 Historical and cultural preservation

Conclusion
The museum is having all the facilities and hence it is attracting a large number of visitors which
is helpful in creating a large popularity towards the destination. The services and facilities of the
museum are helpful in creating a satisfactory mindset of the youth, children and elder people.
The families, scientists along with the children and media’s needs are fulfilled by the museum in
the form of education and research subjects.