Rock Art Tourism

Abstract

Rock art tourism facilities at publicly accessible sites range widely from a total absence of purpose-built infrastructure to multimillion-dollar interpretation centres, and from free and unrestricted visitation to full fee-paying, highly mediated visitation experiences run by tourism professionals. This chapter addresses questions surrounding the principles and practices of rock art tourism development in conjunction with issues of heritage management and conservation; each site is different, and development practices in one area cannot simply be transferred to another, although common methodologies may be followed. The most appropriate developments are constructed by first understanding the significance of places through genuine consultative processes that include all interested parties. Using examples from around the world, the authors provide an historical overview of rock art tourism in caves and open-air sites and discuss integrated rock art tourism management with a focus on conservation, interpretation, territoriality, and cultural connectivities.

“I have visited the Chauvet Cave”: the heritage experience of a rock art replica

“…After presenting the story of the construction of the Pont d'Arc Cavern replica, an analysis of its characteristics will highlight the emphasis placed on the emotional realm, seen here as a way for the visitor to have the experience of visiting the real cave. In a continuation of previous research (Malgat et al 2015;Duval et al 2017 2 ), the third part will discuss the possibilities for extending the "heritagity" (Adell 2013) between the original cave and the replica based on how the public perceives the replica. Finally, we extend beyond the realm of decorated caves, to explore the consequences for cultural heritage sites; we ask what is at stake in these processes, and what are the consequences for heritage management.…”

“…The principle is different in the case of full physical copies that are intended to recreate the sensation of being in the original cave, such as the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc, Lascaux and Altamira caves in France and Spain. For these decorated caves, the combined challenges of conservation and regional development has led to the fabrication of replicas that bridge the domains of archaeology and tourism (Duval et al 2017). They allow visitors to experience the simulated materiality of rock art sites that are closed to the public (Malgat et al 2015).…”

The Janus-faced Dilemma of Rock Art Heritage Management in Europe: A Double Dialectic Process between Conservation and Public Outreach, Transmission and Exclusion

“…In response to degradations (due to archaeological excavations and/ or tourism activities), as well as advances made in archaeological science, knowledge of environments, and the growing heritage values attributed to rock art sites, the institutional actors have made the principle of precaution their primary motivation (Brunet and Voué 1996). On this point, the manners of articulating between the protection requirements and tourist activities at rock art sites are now radically different than they were at the beginning of the 20 th century when they were marked by destructive excavations and the opening of several caves in south-western France and northern Spain to tourism (Duval et al 2019a).…”

Indigenous Rock Art Tourism in Australia: Contexts, Trajectories, and Multifaceted Realities

“…There is, however, a growing body of international research into the social contexts of rock art tourism and its relationships to communities. 1 Similarly, in their global study of rock art tourism, Duval et al (2018) outlined impacts of rock art tourism upon postcolonial…”