Search

Cultural routes are a composite set of heritage sites that refer to historical routes of human communication. As key products of cultural tourism, they provide visitors with rich cultural experiences across regions. We systematically review reports and studies related to the tourism development of 38 cultural route cases worldwide, with a special focus on their distribution, typology, planning patterns, and tools for cultural tourism. We summarized eight tools and found some differences in how often these eight tools are used by the different types of routes and different planning patterns for route tourism. This study also developed an evaluation system based on the conservation principles of cultural routes to determine how different tourism tools affect the conservation and development of historical regions. Although tourism decision-makers have made numerous efforts to protect and develop cultural routes, there are still many problems and challenges in the process of tourism development along cultural routes. We conclude the paper by making recommendations for decision-makers and researchers concerning future route tourism planning and study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural tourism helps preserve cultural heritage and provides economic opportunities for local communities. A walkable cultural tourism route has been developed for the old town of Ratchaburi, Thailand. Here, we assessed changes in PM1 after cars were banned from the walkable tourist route. A near-roadway dispersion model, R-LINE, was evaluated and used to explore the base case (BC) and two scenarios, S1 and S2. In the BC, road traffic activities reflected the current situation; in S1, all vehicles were banned from the walkable route; and in S2, all drivers were encouraged to park their vehicles outside the study area. The road traffic activities in the study area were observed and used to calculate the PM1 emission rates for the model inputs. The model was capable of simulating PM1 concentration, especially the average PM1 concentration over the monitoring period. An increase in PM1 concentration was seen at the main road in S1 due to the increased traffic volume that had been redirected from the walkable route, with an increase in daily PM1 of 4.5% compared to BC. S2 showed a decrease in the PM1 concentration of 8.9%. These findings suggest the need for traffic mitigation measures prior to initiating a walkable route for cultural tourism, to meet environmental sustainability requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pilgrimage tourism, among the earliest forms of tourism with a tradition spanning centuries, stands as a steadfast global attraction. This article delves into the significance, diversity, and historical roots of this tourism type, recognizing the contemporary surge in interest in pilgrimage sites. Offering an overview of globally prominent pilgrimage destinations and highlighting key locations in Slovakia, the article emphasizes the country's considerable potential for the utilization and development of these sacred sites, despite its compact size. It stresses the need to foster this historically significant tourism sector and the necessity for attention and support from the government sector to maximize its potential. The relevance of pilgrimage became particularly apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, with observable visitor participation despite challenging conditions at various pilgrimage sites. The article examines the pilgrimage's evolution before, during, and after the pandemic, using Levoča and Šaštín in Slovakia as illustrative cases. One of the main objectives of this study was to clarify the development of pilgrimage tourism in Slovakia over the past decades and the factors influencing it. The attendance analysis unmistakably reveals a significant upward trend at these specific locations, emphasizing the need to establish collaborative efforts to support this sector. Such collaboration is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of historically significant sites, fostering local development, and increasing the visibility of less-visited pilgrimage destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heritage tourism in Egypt, differentiated by its distinctive ancient wonders and cultural prosperity, has faced numerous challenges through its history, with political unrest, economic fluctuations, and, most recently, the global COVID-19 pandemic. This research paper investigates the dynamic interplay between planned and adopted resilience within the hotel sector in Egyptian heritage sites and their consequential effects on both social and economic sustainability. A quantitative research method was employed to empirically explore these dynamics. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 550 top and middle managers in hotels located in heritage sites, capturing insights into their perspectives on planned and adopted resilience. The collected data underwent rigorous analysis utilizing "partial least squares structural equation modeling" (PLS-SEM), providing a robust foundation for drawing meaningful conclusions. Findings from the research underscore the necessity of aligning planned and adopted resilience to generate sustainable social and economic performance. The synthesis of planned and adopted resilience was revealed to be pivotal in generating sustainable social and economic performance for hotels. This synthesis catalyzes the hotels' ability to mitigate uncertainties, adjust to changing environment, and ensure long-term viability. This research might contribute to the current literature by suggesting industry-specific awareness for the reciprocal relationship between planned and adopted resilience in the hotel businesses and their combined influence on both sides of sustainability (social and economic). The findings provide actionable recommendations for hotel management, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to enhance resilience, foster social cohesion, and ensure the economic sustainability of heritage tourism in an everchanging environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient Duchy of Urbino (Marche and Emilia-Romagna Regions, Italy) is known for its spectacular landscapes linked to a unique geological history. This area owns an unexpected cultural resource, which concerns using its landscapes in art. Some great Renaissance artists, including Piero della Francesca, Raphael, and Leonardo, were so impressed by the landscapes that they reproduced them in their most famous paintings. This paper summarizes research concerned with their identification, employing a multidisciplinary method that has enabled the recognition of many morphologies. This contribution provides the scientific community with information on the methodology and regional and national projects developed in this area to enhance its cultural landscapes. Starting from the geological description of the territory, the research focuses on famous works by three great Renaissance artists, providing evidence and morphological details related to the recognition of places: "Nativity" by Piero della Francesca, "Madonna Litta" by Leonardo da Vinci, and "Knight's Dream" by Raphael. Finally, it is proposed to make these landscapes a timeless resource through their inclusion in UNESCO's cultural heritage. This contribution is addressed to representatives of the administration, conservation, and enhancement of artistic and landscape heritage to stimulate new perspectives for research, education, and tourism within the cultural heritage of this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a game changer in many fields, including cultural heritage. It supports the planning and preservation of heritage sites and cities, enables the creation of virtual experiences to enrich cultural tourism and engagement, supports research, and increases access and understanding of heritage objects. Despite some impressive examples, the full potential of AI for economic, social, and cultural change is not yet fully visible. Against this background, this article aims to (a) highlight the scope of AI in the field of cultural heritage and innovation, (b) highlight the state of the art of AI technologies for cultural heritage, (c) highlight challenges and opportunities, and (d) outline an agenda for AI, cultural heritage, and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the rehabilitation of anti-aircraft shelters from the Spanish Civil War in Alicante, Spain. Funded by European resources and managed by local public administration, these shelters have been restored as cultural and tourist attractions. This study aims to analyze their role in preserving and promoting intangible cultural heritage, with a focus on their significance as tangible remnants of a historical period and their reflection on survival practices during the war. This research investigates the impact of public management in rehabilitating these shelters and in disseminating their history and culture. It explores decision-making processes, community engagement, and strategies for promoting cultural tourism. Employing a mixed methodology, this study gathers primary data through interviews with individuals who witnessed the war and secondary data from documentary and bibliographic sources. Findings suggest that the rehabilitation of these shelters has been pivotal in preserving Alicante's historical memory and cultural heritage. Making the shelters accessible to the public facilitates knowledge transmission about the Spanish Civil War, promotes cultural tourism, and engages the local community in the dissemination of history and culture. This study's results and conclusions are relevant for academics, professionals, and cultural heritage managers at both national and international levels, offering insights into the effective preservation and promotion of historical sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, cultural tourism has transformed the aesthetics and the relationship between the actors of the Arauco territories. In the post-COVID context, these transformations could be reinforced, especially considering the actual legal scenario about indigenous rights and the global ecological crisis. In most cases, the indigenous people, with cultural tourism initiatives, highlight their world vision, including the relations with nature. For this reason, we propose to study this scientific problem from the relational ontology perspective. In this study, we describe the situation of cultural tourism in Arauco Province, Chile, where Mapuche people, the Chilean State, and the international market coexist in permanent friction. The main objective is to analyze how the pandemic influenced Mapuche cultural tourism, from the Mapuche cultural perspective and the global conditions for their development. The methods of research mixed historical and ethnographic approaches with a sample of key actors of Mapuche cultural tourism. As results, we can show the Mapuche way of understanding cultural tourism and the new conditions derived from the pandemic and post-pandemic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of storage standards for databases of different natures and origins makes it possible to aggregate and interact with different data sources in order to obtain and show complex and thematic information to the end user. This article aims to analyze some possibilities opened up by new applications and hypothesize their possible developments. With this work, using the currently available Web technologies, we would like to verify the potential for the use of Linked Open Data in the world of WebGIS and illustrate an application that allows the user to interact with Linked Open Data through their representation on a map. Italy has an artistic and cultural heritage unique in the world and the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism has created and made freely available a dataset in Linked Open Data format that represents it. With the aim of enhancing and making this heritage more usable, the National Research Council (CNR) has created an application that presents this heritage via WebGIS on a map. Following criteria definable by the user, such as the duration, the subject of interest and the style of the trip, tourist itineraries are created through the places that host this heritage. New possibilities open up where the tools made available by the Web can be used together, according to pre-established sequences, to create completely new applications. This can be compared to the use of words, all known in themselves, which, according to pre-established sequences, allow us to create ever new texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]