Almatourism - Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development
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Shrines and Holy Places in Tuscany between Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism: the Difficult Relationship between Knowledge and Valorization
Full text linkAfter an introduction to the correct classification of the relationship between knowledge and valorization as a strategic subject in territorial development policies, the article moves on to talk about the Via Francigena through historical and territorial Italian culture. In the accumulation of successful initiatives not everything has been estimated and minimised, but many occasions have been wasted, beginning with that of a systematic survey of historical testament. The Francigena, the most ancient and important European pilgrim route has frequently facilitated the biggest and most important historical-cultural subject of medieval viability which, for example could include the numerous vie romee. Selections made have eliminated the financial support to the basic research on cultural heritage from which knowledge inexorably derives a non-substitutable foundation for the divulgation and dispersal of knowledge. In the matter of the Tuscany, it would have been possible to highlight, not only the important historical moments of historiography, by to also make the large documentary, literary, artistic and architectural depositories available from the presence of ecclesiastical institutes on a local level. The article develops, deepening the theme of the cult of the Mother of God in the Italian Middle Ages and Renaissance with relation to narrative tradition, thus recomposing the framework of Marian exaltation to be brought to light and valorized spiritually as well as culturally
Changing Preferences, Moving Places and Third Party Administrators: A Scoping Review of Medical Tourism Trends (1990-2016)
Full text linkAn overview is given of latest trends in medical tourism and its conceptualization with an industry analysis. The rapidly evolving health awareness and preferences of medical tourists, in tandem with medical treatments’ higher levels of affordability across the globe, have changed the global medical tourism industry sharply in recent decades, and many international health systems are being opened to patients’ greater cross-border movements. A scoping literature review (1990-2016) depicts the recent boom in medical tourism as presenting certain opportunities, and uncovers many challenges which are involved in its policymaking. These developments denote greater mobility of places (P) for medical treatments, affordability (A) levels to bear the inflated treatment costs (C), changing preferences of medical tourists with the passage of time (T) and participation of third party administrators (TPAs) in their overall operations. The study espouses a rise in medical tourism from the United States (US), and participating countries in Europe, Asia and Africa with participating countries, identifies a need for profound policymaking, and highlights the importance and applicability of TPC-TPAs link chain in medical tourism context. This study further recommends understanding the role of industry stakeholders, particularly governments, in the policymaking of medical tourism in order to steer the industry appropriately
The Role of Lighthouses in the Construction of Coastal Identities
Full text linkMysterious and fascinating figures – a light that brightens the land where it meets the sea – lighthouses have always played a vital role not only in drawing the line of the coast, but also in creating the social and cultural identity of those people who live at the edge of the land, in the finis terrae. Lighthouses have known an architectonic and maritime history of their own, but most of them were abandoned after the decline of the maritime economy and the introduction of new technologies. Nowadays they are being rediscovered, both as part of a process of territorial re-appropriation enacted by the local communities, aiming at transforming them in modern houses or recovering their traditional use, and as part of tourist development policies, making of them new tourist accommodation for people wishing to live new types of cultural experiences or interested in re-discovering the history and memory of a territory. The article analyses the role of lighthouses in the creation of territorial identities and in the tourist exploitation of the European coastal landscapes in areas with a strong maritime identity, inexorably connected with these coastal “giants”, symbols of both defense and openness towards otherness
The International, Regional and Local Interaction in the Promotion of Cultural Tourism in Mozambique
Full text linkThis paper discusses the tourist promotion of the cultural and natural heritage in Mozambique, one of Africa’s poorest countries, whose strategy for the reduction of poverty highlights the role of tourism in supporting territorial development and implementing the Millennium/Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nation plan to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. The country has produced a national strategy for the development of tourism that is based on the integration at the national level of international and regional policies implemented through the territorial action of several subjects working at the local level. Among them, regional and international Ngos, that play an important role in promoting actions aimed at capacity-building, advocacy, empowerment. This strategy makes of Mozambique a very interesting example of the rescaling process in tourism development that guides the political agenda of both the international tourist organizations and the national governments
Key Problems and Gaps in the EU Funds Absorption for Heritage Attractions Development: the Case of Bulgaria
Full text linkHeritage tourism has always been considered an important part of Bulgarian tourism portfolio and a significant regional development driver. It is officially set as a priority in a number of strategic documents at a national, regional and local level. Substantial financial resources for heritage socialization have been allocated after the accession of the country to the EU in 2007. A special scheme for tourism attractions development was implemented within the Operational Program “Regional Development” (OPRD) 2007-2013, with approved funding for a total of 120 heritage sites throughout the country. Yet, the EU funded projects have raised a fierce public debate regarding the delicate balance between heritage commodification and conservation as well as the disputable costs and benefits in terms of heritage protection, tourism development and its regional impacts. Based on the understanding that attractions are the core element of a competitive tourism product, the paper presents a brief review of the OPRD 2007-2013 supported projects and analyzes the experience gained in the process of projects’ selection and implementation.
World Heritage Sites through the Eyes of New Tourists – Who Cares about World Heritage Brand in Budapest?
Full text linkBudapest is one the most emerging tourism destinations in Central-Eastern Europe, and besides the popularity of the regenerated “multicultural and design” district, its cultural heritage, particularly those on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage, assure its growing attractiveness. However the cultural sites are the most visited sightseeing attractions, our proposition was that the tourists are not aware of the fact, that they are visiting UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS). The main aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of the WHS in cultural tourism, and to introduce the significance of place branding in it. A structured content analysis were taken out to analyse the reviews of the Tripadvisor considering the attractions of Budapest, with the objective of crystallizing the main motivations and awareness of the tourists visiting the world heritage site of Budapest. Further on our objective was to analyse their satisfaction with interpretation, attraction, and visitor management issues. Then their overall experiences, development needs and ideas for the world heritage sites attracting cultural tourism were taken into consideration. Our presupposition was that new technologies can improve a site’s popularity by pulling the attention on its real values that can be experienced by the visitors
Cultural Policies Development in Italian Regions between Heritage and Landscape
Full text linkThe aim of this paper is to investigate how cultural policies developed in Italy. In particular the attention is focused especially on the development of public policies between the Sixties and the first half of the Seventies. This period can be defined as a summit of the debate and policies that in Italy began, after the Unification and stills on today. The decentralization of the State’s functions and consequently the first regional initiatives in the field of culture are a central passage of this process. In this way, in the relationship between national and local organisation appears a new attention to the development of cultural policies. A definition of heritage and landscape that is nowadays related to the evolution of cultural itineraries that involves local institution in cooperation and interaction towards the support of this form of sustainable and cultural tourism.
Basilicas in Venantius Fortunatus’ Miscellanea
Full text linkThe article deals with the basilicas in Venantius Fortunatus’Miscellanea. Indeed, the eleven books of Carmina by the italic poet who lived for many years in the merovingian France, describe several samples of such buildings dedicated to prayers and worship of God and saints. The attention is drawn not in particular to their architecture, but to the role and function they usually held in the frame of a society where Christianity attempted to overcome still notable opposition of unchristians. Artificer of these holy buildings was the bishop, whom Venantius gives a lot of praises to, seeking that same way of still and rich life which he could reach when probably he was no longer young.
Saint Agatha Religious Festival in Catania: Stakeholders’ Functions and Relations
Full text linkThe purpose of the paper is to develop an explorative analysis of the functions and relations among actors involved in the organization and implementation of the Saint Agatha Religious Festival in Catania attracting nearly one million presences during the first week of February. The research is based on the survey of different sources of information, such as literature, news, media, and deep interviews with key informants pertaining to civil and religious institutions. The survey is designed to profile the Festival in terms of history, the character of the stakeholders, size, origin of assets, venues used, decision-making structure, and programs. The Festival’s use of volunteers and sponsors is specifically addressed. Empirical research sketches the network of stakeholders, the relationship between organizations, the importance of local social actors and strategies in enhancing local culture and sustainable tourism, regarding, in particular, the socio-cultural impacts of religious tourism. The local society has historical peculiarities which impose prudential considerations in generalizing about findings, and a comparative study with other Sicilian and/or Italian religious festivals will be important, mainly in order to delineate the actual sustainability of Festivals. The framework developed in this study can be helpful in the application of local social policies and also help comparative festival studies
Preliminary Considerations on Cultural Tourism in Abruzzo as a Strategic Tool for the Renewal of the Regional Tourist Offerings
Full text linkAlthough the number of initiatives of place promotion, the Abruzzo tourism offer remains essentially polarized around two basic segments (the seaside/summer segment and the mountain/snow-based one) and it strongly depends on the proximate tourist demand. Actually the Abruzzo region holds a wider and varied heritage, composed by cultural attractions, historical and architectural resources, wine and food potential and, more generally speaking, a lot heterogeneous environments and landscapes. These resources could respond to the new philosophies of tourism demand, characterised by the experiential motivations of peacefulness, tranquility and soul regeneration in a very close contact with nature. The goal of this study is to evaluate the potential tourism usability of the Abruzzo cultural heritage assessing the levels of the distribution of accommodation facilities and attractiveness. A more aware and integrated tourism offer may produce complementarities both at product and territory levels and may also absorb some critical issues of the regional tourism industry (no awareness of cultural tourism potential, the fragmentation of public policies, the inability to cooperate with a networking mentality)