98745 - 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 in the specific (Part 2). These include therefore a range of foundational concepts as well as some specialist knowledge namely:

Contextualisation of tourism within the current global socio-economic scenario.

Basic concepts in human geography – geographical imagination and relational geography, 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 and tourism as a complex system of interacting elements - definition, evolution and dynamics.

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

Culture, heritage and tourism – definitions, contexts, variations and examples

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 seminar 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 10 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.

All material used in class will be posted on Virtual either immediately before each lecture or alternatively immediately after the class.

Assessment methods

Assessment will involve a written exam. Selected questions based on the course's content will be provided on the day of the exam. 

For students taking part in the field trip to Carbonia (Sardinia IT) there will be the possibility of gaining marks based on quality of engagement with the task provided ahead of the field trip.   

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