‘Locating’ or ‘dislocating’ heritage and cultural tourism within the humanities

Abstract

Heritage and cultural tourism (HCT) is currently one of the fastest growing fields in the tourism domain. Tourism as a composite field of study has traditionally been located within the economic and business management sector. However, due to the range of social, political and ethical issues pertaining to heritage and cultural tourism, it can be argued that it should be also located within a humanities context. After elucidating certain key concepts, the paper will consider the interdisciplinary nature of tourism with specific reference to the groundbreaking work of the leading international tourism theorist John Tribe. The relevance of tourism and its relationship with the humanities cluster of established disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, art, literature, history and heritage will be discussed. It will become apparent that heritage and cultural tourism is also locating itself within the domain of the humanities, despite efforts to dislocate it.

Ethnic Soups from Rupea Area (Romania) as Resources for Sustainable Local Development

“…Current demand in tourism is moving towards differentiated and personalized, even niche products, namely towards alternative approaches to Fordist tourism [17]. Tourism thus becomes more sustainable [18], operators are directly and more interested in protecting sensitive natural and cultural objectives [19] and their interests converge with sustainable community development [20]. A sustainable approach fosters social innovation, takes a more participatory approach and focuses on the adaptation of touristic offers to local resources [21].…”

The Groups of Caroling Lads from Făgăraș Land (Romania) as Niche Tourism Resource

“…On the dynamic and competitive tourism market, niche tourism is gaining ground [7,8] as a viable alternative to mass tourism [4,5]. Heritage tourism is considered the most successful form of niche tourism by the actors on the market [4].…”

“…Niche products are very much liked by small numbers of people [7]; the groups of niche tourists are very homogeneous [2]. By meeting differentiated requirements, tourism becomes more sustainable and oriented towards the protection of culturally and naturally sensitive areas [8]. Niche or special interest tourism is more sustainable and ethical than mass tourism given the smaller size, higher education and experience of tourist groups [9].…”

“…Approaching the topic of local identity, which is of anthropologic interest, and the topic of intangible forms of culture, which is of historical interest, the paper features characteristics of a work on heritage tourism: it is interdisciplinary and includes a humanist component [8].…”

Places of literary tourism in Romania. Case study: Borgo Pass and Bram Stoker’s Heritage

“…Literary tourism is a form of cultural tourism, based on material (books, buildings, monuments) and intangible heritage (imaginary places, imaginary events), specific to literature, which can help promote places as tourist destinations and generate unique experiences for visitors. In the literature there are numerous works dedicated to tourism generated by literature and art that show the purpose and concerns for shaping the theoretical framework of this form of leisure (Richards et al, 2010;Carvalho et al, 2012;Chon, 1990;Craig, 1989;Ferreira et al, 2020;Foley and McPherson 2000;Franklin, 2018;Garrod and Fyall, 2001;Gibson et al 2005;Ghețău and Eșanu, 2011;Herbert, 1995;Herbert, 2001;Hernández-Escampa and Barrera-Fernandez, 2017;Hoffman, 2006 ;Hoffmann, 2013;Hoppen et al 2014;Hughes, 2002;Quintana et al 2018;Lenzerini, 2011;Jiang and Yu, 2020; ABSTRACT: Literary tourism is a form of cultural tourism, which capitalizes on the material and immaterial heritage in the field of literature, thus contributing to the promotion of places as tourist destinations. Such a place is Borgo Pass, located in Romania, in Bârgău Mountains, between Bistrița-Năsăud and Suceava counties, between Transylvania and Bucovina, which is mentioned in the novel Dracula, by the Irish writer Bram Stoker.…”