Emerging cultural tourism practices: new opportunities for small cities?

Abstract

How will cultural tourism develop in the post-pandemic world? In order to look forward, this paper first looks back at the historical development of cultural tourism, from the rarified world of high culture to the mass consumption of pre-covid 'overtourism'. This also mirrors a growing debate about the function of cultural tourism in cities, from a 'good' form of tourism to attract high-spending visitors to problems of overcrowding, commodification and gentrification. Linked to these changes are shifts in cultural tourism practices, the rise of new cultural tourism destinations and modes of travel. We consider the rise of creative clusters and event programs as examples of emerging new practices in cultural tourism, highlighting the role of major events such as the European Capital of Culture. The focus of such major event programmes has progressively shifted to smaller cities, including Pécs in Hungary. How have these changes affected the places that cultural tourists visit, and what are the prospects for cultural tourism in the future?

A kastélyok hasznosításának különböző aspektusai Fejér vármegyében

“…Ugyanakkor fontos a megfelelő stratégia kialakítása is annak érdekében, hogy a látogatók az adott kulturális attrakciót válasszák látogatásuk színhelyéül (Priatmoko et al, 2021 ). A digitalizációnak szintén kiemelt jelentősége van, többek között a koronavírus-világjárvány hatására új elvárások, trendek jelentek meg, és az online értékelések is meghatározóvá váltak (Richards, 2021).…”

Cultural heritage and tourism. A comparison of two destinations in Southern Moravia

“…Involving local residents in rural cultural tourism seems to be of great importance (Kebete, 2022). Small towns as centres of rural areas also have a place in the development of cultural tourism (Richards, 2021b).…”

Not just a place... Local centre of culture, the Vigadó – A case study from Kisújszállás

“…It is important to note that the continuous physical and symbolic renewal of a municipality, and the development and sale of local specialities to tourists, is a real possibility, since "tourism is a process that involves the continuous recreation of practice and space in a shared context" (Edensor, 2012), that is, the development of a municipality can generate the revitalisation of tourism and thus the further development of the city. It is now also a fact that "the development of cultural tourism is no longer just a tourism issue but a community issue" (Richards, 2021), that is, local tourism development has a significant potential for municipal (including significant local business) development.…”

“…In the context of 21st century tourism trends, it can be seen that "the combination of more actors entering the tourism system and the wider range of contexts used for cultural tourism experiences means that many new cultural tourism practices are emerging" (Richards, 2021), opening new avenues for localities and local businesses that previously had few traditional attractions due to their limited attractiveness at the time.…”

“…This also means that, beyond the physical attractions, "the search for distinction by tourists means that the contemporary city must be 'eventful or die'. Increasingly, cities are using events as a political tool to underpin culture-led development, create a distinctive image or promote social cohesion" (Richards, 2021).…”