HTT530 TOPIC 1

• Understanding heritage and heritage tourism:

  • Graham et al. (2000) defines heritage as what humankind inherits from the past and utilizes in the present
  • UNESCO (2023) defines heritage as our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations
  • Heritage decisions for future generations and tourism marketing are based on value assumptions
• Two prominent misunderstandings of heritage:

  • Heritage does not have to be old to be important
  • Heritage does not have to be tangible; intangible heritage is equally worthy of conservation and tourism promotion
• Heritage intersects with other forms of tourism:

  • Pilgrimage, sport tourism, shopping tourism, agrotourism, and nature tourism all fall under the heritage tourism spectrum
• Development of heritage tourism:

  • Heritage tourism is the oldest form of tourism
  • Pilgrimages were popular for religious and spiritual reasons, visiting burial sites, and mystical locations
  • The Grand Tour in the 1600s to mid-1800s involved young men traveling to classical art cities and architectural wonders in Europe to become cultured nobility
  • Thomas Cook in the 19th century arranged train trips and tours with cultural heritage focus, such as visits to the Great Pyramids and historic sites in the USA