Essay: The Role of Museums and Cultural Attractions for Tourism

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Tourism and Heritage Management Module Assessment
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Table of Contents
Assessment 1: Essay: The role of museums and cultural attractions for tourism...........................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
Assessment 2: Project Report: Heritage interpretation as part of the tourism experience..............8
Introduction......................................................................................................................................8
Heritage tourism and heritage sites..................................................................................................8
The media of interpretation in the cultural and heritage tourism industry....................................10
Heritage interpretation strategies and approaches.........................................................................11
The role and significance of interpretation media in heritage tourism..........................................13
Contribution of the interpretation media to the visitor experiences..............................................14
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
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Assessment 1: Essay: The role of museums and cultural attractions for tourism
Introduction
Tourism can be defined by the activities of individuals while visiting and staying in places that
are distant from their regular circumstances which are aimed for leisure and do not exceed more
than one consecutive year. People travel due to many factors that are controlled by various other
factors like geographical characteristics, economic and social factors. Cultural and heritage
tourism is a part of travel which is driven toward the gain of knowledge and experiences of the
activities, heritage and arts that are the representation of the past and present stories of the
people. Cultural attractions are one of the major elements of the tourism industry and it is also a
strong tool for the economic development of the nation. In recent times, it has been observed that
the role of museums and cultural attractions are becoming an integrated part of the tourism
industry by playing major roles and also contribute to the broader field of arts.
Discussion
Heritage tourism, its types and role in the development of sustainable tourism
Heritage can be defined by the components of the past events that are greatly valued by us.
Heritage tourism is a part of the tourism industry that have by encircling the heritage (Richards,
2016). A stronger connection exists between heritage and tourism as travellers are more attracted
to those places that are rich in cultural heritage. It is a sort of tourism which has the objective is
to discover the sites and monuments. Heritage tourism has converted into a major activity of the
tourists and they execute frequent visits to historical and ancient sites of cultural heritage.
Heritage, culture, tourism and environment are interlinked and has gained considerable attention
all over the world. Heritage tourism is a global trend of cultural tourism and is considered as one
of the most preferable and famous categories of tourism. Heritage and cultural resources
contribute to sustainable tourism development economically. Hence, a greater perception of
heritage tourist behaviour with the tourist preferences and attributes of heritage service is
efficient in providing rendering knowledge and information that can lead to the experience of
managers of heritage resources in creating efficient strategies of sustainable development in
tourism (Smith, 2015). Heritage tourism includes the cultural tourism that includes arts and
crafts, traditional practices and festivals of a particular place. However, it also includes tourism
to monuments, historical buildings and industrial sites.
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There are different types of cultural attractions that can be classified into two groups that are
physical and non-physical cultural heritage. The physical cultural heritages include the
archaeological sites, monuments, vernacular heritage, historic urban areas, cultural landscapes
and movable heritage collections. On the other hand, the elements of the non-physical cultural
tourism are traditional knowledge, value systems, ways of life, languages, signs and symbols,
rituals, beliefs and myths etc. According to Heidenreich and Plaza (2015), tourists are influenced
by the built and cultural heritage and thus it is essential to preserve the different elements of the
heritage for their sustenance which is important for ensuring their usage in present and future.
The protection and conservation of heritage contribute to sustainable tourism.
Cultural attractions such as the galleries, archaeological places and monuments influence a huge
number of people to participate in cultural tourism. However, it is a growing concern of the
management of the heritage and cultural attractions that the accumulation of an increased
number of tourists may damage the heritage and thus, has the potential to create a major
problem. On the other hand, there are several benefits of gathering a huge number of people at
the sites as the profit that is earned from such kind of tourism directly contribute to the
development of the economy of the country (Forgas‐Coll et al., 2017). Another important role of
such tourism is that the visitors become aware of the culture, traditions, language, history of the
local places and the people.
The Importance of Cultural Tourism
Cultural tourism can be defined by the part of tourism that relates to the engagement of the
travellers with a region of the country, its people, their lifestyle, language, tradition and culture.
The importance of cultural tourism is crucial in the tourism industry. People are involved and
attracted to cultural tourism over the years because of enhancing and improving living standards,
increased additional time and advances in infrastructure that have emerged in a drastic rise in
requirement for travel abroad and this has increased more in the recent years (Zamfir and
Corbos, 2015). Additionally, the reasons for promoting cultural tourism are the earning of greater
profits. Cultural tourism transforms the expression, understanding and appearance of a particular
area and it is also marked as the green industry of the world as it does not generate pollution. It
contributes to the national uniqueness. The progress of tourism in the global market involving
local tourists is able to repair the individuality of a nation. Apart from that, it also supports the
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fortune of the region. Cultural tourism encourages human intelligence and impacts the global
economy by bringing reprisal to society (Jovicic, 2016).
Concept of Museum
A museum can be defined by an institution that is permanent and also non-profit making entity
that serves the society with service and contributes to its development by acquiring, conserving,
researching, communicating with the purpose of provision of education, study and enjoyment to
the public and their environment (Barron and Leask, 2017). The idea of using museums for these
broad areas of purposes began in the 19th century and the museums were started to run for
enlightening and educating the people for civilizing them and improving the society. The
collection of the museum includes various selected material evidence of past and present
activities of the human beings and nature and also include other linked information. Museums
can also be regarded as cultural heritage. Museums are absolutely the form of complex
associations with various determinations, duties, and functions to achieve. One of the difficulties
for the museums is to maintain the balance in the preservation, maintenance and management of
the resources, and to retain that balance for a longer period of time. Museums are considered as
an essential and prominent attraction for the tourists as they can conserve and present the cultural
heritage and experience in front of the people preventing the risk of damaging the resources
especially to those which are fragile in nature (Smith, 2015). There is a greater connection
between tourism and museums. Museums are developed on the basis of culturally sustainable
development having the power and strength to serve the resource and the cultural heritage.
Role of museums in tourism
Behind the establishment of the museums, the idea is not only the collection of valuable and rare
materials or things and preserving them but also because of the fact that because that those
materials are capable of attracting the concentration of the public which is crucial for their
establishment. The items or materials that are collected and stored by the museums include
materialistic source, evidence, categories, items, existence and characteristics that are pursued by
the people and these are the common purpose of museums across the world (Romão et al., 2015).
However, some researchers believe that museums operate with the aim of the exhibition and this
may be obtained by architects for protection and conservation. The aim of museums is not only
to have expensive and valuable materials but also to concentrate on the improvement of the
quality of the materials. Museums that serve as the centre for cultural tourism also play a pivotal
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role in industrial chains and cultural values. Museums unite art, science and humanity. During
normal progress, museums can increase associated activities of cultural tourism like
transportation, housing, clothing, food and spiritual guidance. They migrate from the extremely
fundamental to the superior form and from simple to complex with intimate connections and
therefore can handle great power of education.
Business activities and efficient marketing are associated with the industry of cultural tourism.
The normalization of the organization and structure of a museum and tits policies directly
influence the industry in an effective way. Many countries across the world utilize their
museums as one of the major tourist attractions (Mousavi et al., 2016). For instance, the
Metropolitan Museum, USA; the British Museum, UK; the Forbidden City Palace Museum,
China; the Madame Tussauds of the UK are some famous tourist spots. Museums are pure and
valuable cultural platforms dragging the citizens for investigation and research and recognition.
On the other hand, recently built fine arts museums or some other museums excite and attract
travellers and make earnings with the utilization of their unique and latest collections or
gathering of cultural artefacts and also with the help of the available marketing channels. The
most significant role of the museums is that they provide the scope of philosophical as well as
aesthetic ideas and investigation to the visitors. It can be said that museums survive within the
expanse of the innovation of art. The prevailing commission of maximum museums is to instruct
and educate the tourists about the heritage, culture and history of a particular region or city or the
country regarding a particular subject of interest. It is also the greatest focus of the museums to
preserve the materials for the upcoming generations. The existence of a museum is generally
conjectured to symbolise the existence of relevant and valuable things that are worthy to be
shared with the visitors. It has been described by Di Pietro et al. (2015), that the principal
responsibility of the museums is the protection and maintenance of cultural heritage and their
utilization in attracting a greater number of tourists.
Museums across the world are utilizing the digital technologies for conducting daily activities
and for the provision of information regarding events, prices, ticket booking, exhibitions,
museum materials and items, opening hours etc. Few museums utilize the tools of social media
like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube and several others for enhancing the interaction with the
visitors and audiences. Such tools assist museum management to serve adequate service to the
potential customers and accordingly draw the attention of an increased number of visitors
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(Richards, 2018). Nowadays, museums are also maintaining their own websites to providing
information to and strengthening the relationship with their audiences and also with the rest of
the world. Museums are not only networked within a specific confined geographical region or
community but also networked internationally through special interests, a greater number of
contacts, social networks and various cultural communities. In other words, websites give birth
to facilities for enhancing global connectivity. Thus, the visitors become aware of the greatest
sites of world heritage and are able to plan their tours. In this way, more tourists are brought into
the museums because of the tremendous transformation of the museums in this technologically
advanced era. Heritage tourism is one of the substantial factors in the sector of tourism especially
in the developing countries and this industry stimulates the growth of the economy in a
significant manner. Research shows that visitors of heritage sites generally spend prolonged time
there as compared to the other tourist spots. In this context, a vigorous network of visitor
services and travel attractions is facilitated by museums.
Conclusion
The above-conducted study reveals that there is a significant impact of the operations and
functioning of the museums on the travel and tourism industry in every country of the world and
it directly influences the growth, development and prosperity of a country by making a
significant contribution to the economy. Cultural attractions are very effective in catching the
eyes of a greater number of tourists who wants to know about the culture, tradition, history,
language and people of a particular region of the country. The role of cultural attractions in the
development of the tourism industry is huge as they promote the growth of different industries
such as the food, clothing, transportation and hospitality. Museums with their involvement with
the preservation and protection of rare, historic and valuable materials provide education and
knowledge to the visitors and with the implementation of the digital technologies are able to
attract more tourists.
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Assessment 2: Project Report: Heritage interpretation as part of the tourism experience
Introduction
Heritage tourism or cultural heritage tourism is a major part of the travel and tourism industry
that concentrates on the local and global cultural heritage. The UK is rich in the heritage sites
and there are broad arrays of interpretation media that helps the visitors to gain knowledge of the
places that are visited by them. This project report enlists the heritage sites in the context of the
UK and also global context and describes the approaches and strategy that are used by visitors
for interpretation of the heritage sites. It also explains the contribution of the interpretation media
to the experiences of a visitor.
Heritage tourism and heritage sites
As per the National Trust for Historic Preservation, heritage tourism is the sort of travelling that
is aimed to gain experience of the places, artefacts and the activities that in a genuine manner
describe the stories of the people and tells the events of their pasts (Staiff, 2016). For gaining
knowledge about the culture and tradition of a particular place and to know about the stories of
the people residing there, a visitor chooses the option of heritage tourism. For conduction of the
present project, varieties of places across the UK are visited and the visit has revealed many
ideas, information about those places that are indeed valuable for anyone.
The first place that was visited is the Durham Castle of England. The castle is a Norman Castle
located in Durham city of England. The castle is situated above the River Wear and on the top of
the hill. The castle is occupied by the University College, Durham since 1840 and is open for the
visit to the visitors (World Heritage UK., 2016). The building is also a home for more than a
hundred students and thus the management strictly ensure that the tour is guided.
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Figure.1: The Durham Castle and Cathedral
(Source: World Heritage UK., 2016)
The second place that is visited is the British Library, which is a national library of the UK and
also regarded as the biggest library in the world. The library is located in the Euston Road,
London and was established in the year 1973 (The British Library., 2019). The collections of the
library include books, magazines, newspapers, journals, patents, stamps, maps, drawings,
recordings, manuscripts and databases. The library holds a total number of 150-200 million
materials. Digital library system, exhibition and reading rooms allow the visitors to gain
knowledge about the various subject of their interest.
Figure.2: The exterior of the British Library
(Source: Carnegie UK Trust., 2017)
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The third place that is visited is the Great Wall of China that is the longest wall of the world and
is among the greatest heritage sites in the world. The wall was built by First Emperor of Qin
about more than 2300 years ago with the aim of the defence of the territory from the external
forces. Walk on the longest wall of the world enables the visitors to enjoy the sites of mountains
of China, allow them to understand the history of the country and the ways and strategies that the
kings used to protect their kingdom from attack. It is also the representation of the culture and
heritage of the Chinese people.
Figure.3: The Great Wall of China
(Source: China Highlights., 2019)
The media of interpretation in the cultural and heritage tourism industry
It is a major criterion for the effective growth and development of the travel and tourism industry
to analyse the importance of the interpretation media on the experiences of the visitors. The
methods and media of interpretation are used and conducted aiming to catch the eyes of the
visitors and aiding them to build a clear perception about the place that is visited so that they can
enjoy the special attraction of the heritage sites. It is the duty of the management of the heritage
sites to implement various strategies and approaches and specify them for holding the perception
of the visitors.
During the visit to the first heritage site, Durham Castle of England, a range of interpretation
media has been identified that have helped to understand the history of the castle, story of the
people engaged with the castle and the present functions of the castle. The tour guide had helped
to discover various items inside the castle which was indeed a important media for revealing the
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secrets of the site. The pictures in the walls inside Bishop Bek’s Great Hall speak about the
history. Apart from that the events arranged in the castle such as the event on Beautiful birds that
speaks about the inspiration of the artists from the hornbill birds. The students of Durham
University are also involved with theatre, lectures and concert which is open to the public. These
events enable visitors to gather knowledge about the current tradition of the castle and how they
have maintained the culture of the castle.
While visiting the second site of heritage that is the British Library, numerous media and
methods of interpretation have been discovered. The different interpretation media includes the
exhibition, audio-visual presentation, tours arranged by the management to discover the history
of the places. Apart from that the management of the library arranges for events that enable the
visitors to gather knowledge about different subjects of their interest (Carnegie UK Trust., 2017).
Inside the library and its entrance hall different signs, thematic stories, boards containing
information and labels were identified that have helped to get an overall idea about the history,
culture and information regarding the books, statues, pictures and other rare materials available
in the library.
For drawing the perception of the travellers regarding the Great Wall of China the government of
China have maintained a museum that is associated with the wall. The museum represents to the
visitors the history of the wall. Apart from that shows and drama is arranged by the authority for
giving the visitors an immense idea about the story of the wall, the constraints that it has faced
through years and how it is becoming damaged with the activities of the human being (China
Highlights., 2019). It is observed that the authority allows tour guides to tell the story of the wall
to the people which are also an important media of interpretation for this greater heritage site.
Heritage interpretation strategies and approaches
The term heritage interpretation is nothing but the sequential as well as hierarchical way of
learning about a particular historical place (Graham et al., 2016). In some other words it can be
defined as the tool which is used to convert, preserve and maintain both the heritage of the
culture as well as environment. It is used to create a connector between the visitors and the things
that they can uncover or locate from the heritage and historic places. There are four basic things
that are associated with the interpretation are:
● It includes the interests of the guests and enthusiasm for what might be a new topic for
them.
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● It correlates the knowledge, background, history of the place
● It defines the importance of the spot or the statues which the visitors can identify,
understand and respect.
There are several benefits of visitors as well as the manager of the place. Benefits are discussed
below:
Heritage interpretation helps the managers of the site, the tourists as well as the tourism
destinations in order to:
● Accomplish the objective of the organisation, relationship with the visitors and the
stakeholders.
● Accomplish the goals regarding the knowledge of the visitors.
● It enhances the awareness of the particular spot and the site managers can easily get
financial support to maintain that spot.
● As money is required in order to visit the spot, hence due to the money it helps the site
managers to make a profit.
The term interpretation plan can be defined as the policies or strategies that are used to interpret
any heritage or historical place. In the case of British Library they used advanced management
tools and technologies in order to preserve documents. Moreover, British Library used different
sections for individual books in order to preserve the books. Apart from that, the management
team of the British Library used CCTV cameras to secure the books.
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