HTT530 TOPIC 7

• Heritage trails are established routes linking significant items of an area's heritage
• Heritage trails are an increasingly popular means of promoting an area's heritage
• A heritage trail can be explored as a guided tour or in self-guided form
• Heritage Trails can be found at different scales:

  • Mega (International) examples: Silk Road through Central Asia and the Middle East; Slave Road in West Africa
  • Large (national and regional) examples: Mormon and Oregon Trail in USA, Buddha Pilgrimage Route (Nepal & India)
  • Small (local) examples: Freedom Trail in Boston, USA, Penang and Malacca Heritage Trails, KK Heritage Trail, Sandakan Heritage Trail, Via Dolorosa Trail, Hajj Pilgrimage Route
• Functions of Heritage Trails:

  • Four functions of heritage trails: increase awareness of the local heritage, promote the area's history to visitors, publicly acknowledge significant conservation activity, provide a ready-made recreational or educational excursion
• • Select the design, format and material of heritage trails: Three major formats of heritage trails - Linear format, Circuit format, Network format
• Designing Heritage Trails:

  • Thematic approach commonly applied to heritage trails that target specific user groups: architectural styles, features, pilgrimage, industrial heritage, underwater heritage, significant people, historical processes or events
  • Considerations for specific user groups: Senior citizens, Students, Conservationists, Visitors
  • Identify route marking needs: Decide the extent of trail marking to be used (marked trail vs. unmarked trail), directional signs & plaques
• Select the design, format and material:

  • Typical types of symbols and text used in plaques
• Installation and maintenance:

  • Cleaning
  • Checking for stability
  • Repairing/replacing
  • Re-painting
  • Relocating
  • Removing if needed
  • Clearing away unnecessary appearances