78366 - European Cultural Routes and Tourism Systems

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module students shall be familiar with the concepts of both local development and cultural tourism with a focus on cultural routes as a tool for local development. The course will also provide students with the definition of creative industries, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, tourism clusters and local systems of tourism supply. The international charts and conventions (UNESCO, ICOMOS, CoE, etc.) concerning tourism and cultural heritage as well as the cultural values underpinning them (Outstanding Universal Value/OUV, European Shared Identity) will allow students to deal with territorial/local and regional labels for tourism promotion. Particular attention will be paid to the capability of students in analyzing cultural tourism based products and in designing projects aiming at local development in a transnational perspective.

Course contents

This module covers a range of themes, concepts and theories in the field of tourism management generally (Part 1) and cultural tourism management more specifically (Part 2). These include therefore a range of foundational concepts as well as some specialist knowledge namely:

Basic concepts in human geography – geographical imagination, featuring the relationship between space, territory, place and destination; geographical imaginary, including borders and scales; sociological and political aspects of the local community in a global arena of forces.

Basic concepts in tourism studies – tourism, tourists and tourism destinations; mass tourism vs overtourism vs undertourism and cultural/creative tourism within a sustainable tourism development imperative.

Tourism systems – definition, evolution and dynamics.

Cultural heritage – definitions

The global and local nexus – International organisations (mission, tourism strategies and policies), European transnational networks (mission, strategies, activities, projects)

Capacity building: education and training for the tourism sector

Research in tourism: Methodology and methods

Programmes connecting culture and tourism at the European level – European Capitals of Culture, European heritage label, Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe,…

Focus on the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme

Section 1: institutional context, definition, criteria, dynamics and dimensions

Section 2: planning tools, management, communication and territorial marketing

Readings/Bibliography

INDICATIVE REFERENCE LIST

The following provides for an indicative list of references that should be considered as foundational for the module EU Cultural Routes and Tourism Systems. In addition, for an in-depth view over the range of aspects, theories, concepts and examples discussed in class, you will be provided with a range of other sources during the delivery of the module.

GENERAL PUBLICATIONS ON TOURISM

Cooper, C.P. & Hall, C.M. (2016) Contemporary tourism: an international approach, Third edn, Goodfellow Publishers, Oxford.

INDICATIVE PUBLICATIONS ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF TOURISM

Boniface, B. G., & Cooper, C. (2005) World Destinations: The geography of travel and Tourism. Oxford: Elsevier Butterwoth.

Hall C. M. & Page S. (2014) The geography of tourism and recreation: environment, place, and space. 3.ed.: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY : Routledge.

Hall, C. M. (2015) On the mobility of tourism mobilities. Current Issues in Tourism, 18(1), 7-10.

Russo A. P., Richards G. (Eds.) (2016). Reinventing the local in tourism: Producing, consuming and negotiating place. Channel View Publications.

Wilson, J. & Clavé, S. A., (Eds.). (2013) Geographies of Tourism: European Research Perspectives: European Research Perspectives (Vol. 19). UK: Emerald Group Publishing.

INDICATIVE GENERAL PUBLICATIONS ON TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Mowforth, M., and Munt, I. (2016) Tourism and sustainability: development, globalisation and new tourism in the third world. Oxon: Routledge.

Telfer, D.J. & Sharpley, R. 2016: 138, Tourism and development in the developing world, Second edn, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY.

INDICATIVE PUBLICATIONS ON TRAILS, THE EUROPEAN CULTURAL ROUTES, HERITAGE AND CULTURAL TOURISM

Berti E., Penelope D., Mariotti A. (eds) (2015), Cultural Routes management from Theory to Pratice. Step by Step guide to the Council of Europe Cultural Routes, Strasbourg, Council of Europe Publishing (also in French). ISBN 978-92-871-7691-2.

Timothy, D.J. and Boyd, S.W. (2015) Tourism and Trails: cultural, ecological and management issues. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications.

Mariotti, (2013), “Tourism and Cultural Heritage Management: tools, tips and “good to know” for students and practitioners”, in S. Santoro (eds) Skills and tools to the Cultural Heritage and Cultural Tourism Management, Ed. D’Errico, www.chtmbal.com/publications (ISBN: 978-88-97017-06-6).

Patrizia Battilani, Cristina Bernini & Alessia Mariotti (2018) How to cope with dissonant heritage: a way towards sustainable tourism development, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26:8, 1417-1436.

Smith, M.K. (2015) Issues in cultural tourism studies, Third edn, Routledge, London.

Timothy, D.J. (2011) Cultural heritage and tourism: an introduction. Channel View, Bristol.

Robinson M. e Picard D., Tourism, culture and sustainable development, UNESCO, 2006. (DOC n° CLT/CPD/CAD - 06/13)

Teaching methods

The teaching methods employed throughout this module are to encourage an active participation to the various learning activities comprising:  

Classroom keynote lectures

Case study based workshops and discussions

Student-led seminars on set tasks

Group presentation sessions and set fieldtrip based tasks (fieldwork could include visiting a relevant destination and engage with selected stakeholders)

Research papers based seminars

Preparatory and post-lecture workshops

One-to-one and group tutorials

The module is structured in two parts. The first 30 hours are dedicated to Part 1 and to the familiarisation with concepts, issues, approaches and methods adopted in the field of both human geography and in tourism studies. This is to provide for a necessary foundational knowledge to then go onto delving deep, in part 2, into an exploration of the link between cultural heritage and tourism and the related initiatives in the European context during the remaining 15 hours. European Cultural Routes and their relationship with local sustainable development remains the focus in this second part.

External speakers from a range of backgrounds and experiences are also going to be involved in thematic sessions and this is to bring in a practitioner's perspective.

Assessment methods

A) For ATTENDING students only.

Assessment for this module is arranged in 2 parts.

Part 1 consists on a written exam. It aims at evaluating level of knowledge and understanding of a selection of topics, concepts and theories discussed in class. This first part takes place on April 16, 2021 at a time arranged 2 weeks ahead of the exam.

Part 2 also consists on a written exam. This element of the assignment however aims, overall, at evaluating level of knowledge and understanding of a selection of aspects specifically correlated to the European Cultural Routes. This second part takes place on June 18, 2021 at 2pm.

Grading will be on a 30%/70% weight that is: Part 1 weights 30% of the final grade; Part 2 weights 70% of the final grade.

The active participation during lectures and seminars will be encouraged and taken into account when finalising the overall final mark.

B) For students NOT ATTENDING.

Assessment is arranged in one written exam and aims at evaluating the level of knowledge and understanding of the various topics, theories and concepts considered in this module. 

Exams for non attending students will take place on the dates published on the website and any changes will be communicated per time.

Grading: the assignment is graded 1 to 30 where 18 is a pass mark.

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General criteria adopted in the evaluation of all exams:

1. Relevance of the essay; the essay fully answers the given question
2. Knowledge and understanding of topics, theories, concepts and contexts
   
3. Research, analysis and evaluation of data used to formulate arguments
4. Evidence of use of relevant and reliable sources (e.g. books, journal articles, websites, etc.)
5. Structural coherence (introduction, argument and evidence, conclusion) and flow of arguments
6. Clear style, including accurate referencing and composition of bibliography according to the given standards, spelling, sentence construction and punctuation

The following elements will therefore be considered as evidence of quality:

1. Evaluation and analysis of a wide range of material and sources
2. Ability to understand, to critically discuss and re-elaborate abstract ideas, theories and concepts
3. Argument: well formulated, substantiated, and with evidence of critical and independent thought.

Teaching tools

At the start of the module a comprehensive reference list will be made available for consultation and this is both in support to class activities and time dedicated to private study.

Open Educational Resources, Massive Open Online Courses and Cooperative Platforms are therefore in use.

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Forte