Pub Date : 2018-07-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7246
Tamil Arasi Paniandi, Ahmad Rasmi AlBattat, Maryam Bijami, Alfieyounna Alexander, Vinod Balekrisnan
Batu Caves become famous only after the limestone hills were recorded by colonial authorities in 1878. It was promoted as a place of worship and religious attraction. This study aims to find out the visitor satisfaction towards marketing mix (4P’s) and the destination image of Batu Caves. The data were derived from self–administered questionnaire consisted of structured questions related to the listed attributes. The survey was distributed during November 2016. The statistical package for social science (SPSS20) was used to analyze the data. Results showed that most of the respondents were satisfied with the Batu Caves marketing 4Ps, and had a favorable overall destination image and their visit was valuable. However, some of the tourists mentioned their negative feeling about the destination due to the maintenance activities and covering the lord Murugan Statue. Recommendations were made to increase the awareness and marketing campaign to attract more tourists, especially during the holy Thaipusam celebration.
{"title":"Marketing Mix and Destination Image, Case Study: Batu Caves as a Religious Destination","authors":"Tamil Arasi Paniandi, Ahmad Rasmi AlBattat, Maryam Bijami, Alfieyounna Alexander, Vinod Balekrisnan","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7246","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7246","url":null,"abstract":"Batu Caves become famous only after the limestone hills were recorded by colonial authorities in 1878. It was promoted as a place of worship and religious attraction. This study aims to find out the visitor satisfaction towards marketing mix (4P’s) and the destination image of Batu Caves. The data were derived from self–administered questionnaire consisted of structured questions related to the listed attributes. The survey was distributed during November 2016. The statistical package for social science (SPSS20) was used to analyze the data. Results showed that most of the respondents were satisfied with the Batu Caves marketing 4Ps, and had a favorable overall destination image and their visit was valuable. However, some of the tourists mentioned their negative feeling about the destination due to the maintenance activities and covering the lord Murugan Statue. Recommendations were made to increase the awareness and marketing campaign to attract more tourists, especially during the holy Thaipusam celebration.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88584656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-07-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7237
A. Lequeux-Dincă, M. Preda, A. Taloș
Tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors, largely influenced by consumer’s perception and overall satisfaction. Tourism destinations are very complex being determined by many attributes. They are often perceived before the visit and confirmed or contradicted as attractive places by tourists’ experiences which determine their loyalty toward them. Our study depicts the incoming tourists’ perception upon Bucharest, the elements leading to it and the degree into which they are satisfied and would come back. Literature research, official statistics and a survey addressed to in-bound tourists were the main sources for collecting data, further on quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed using appropriate software solutions in order to detach a before and an after visit opinion on Bucharest. The research results show the fact that a dominantly negative perception on the tourist destination of Bucharest, formed before the visit, suffers an obvious post-consume change. As a consequence of their positive experiences during the visit most incoming tourists declare their intent to include Romania on their list of future holiday destinations. These results may be used by both academics and practitioners as a valid argument for further in-depth marketing studies and better oriented branding and promotional strategies aiming tourism development for Bucharest.
{"title":"Empirical Evidences on Foreign Tourist Demand Perception on Bucharest","authors":"A. Lequeux-Dincă, M. Preda, A. Taloș","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7237","url":null,"abstract":"Tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors, largely influenced by consumer’s perception and overall satisfaction. Tourism destinations are very complex being determined by many attributes. They are often perceived before the visit and confirmed or contradicted as attractive places by tourists’ experiences which determine their loyalty toward them. Our study depicts the incoming tourists’ perception upon Bucharest, the elements leading to it and the degree into which they are satisfied and would come back. Literature research, official statistics and a survey addressed to in-bound tourists were the main sources for collecting data, further on quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed using appropriate software solutions in order to detach a before and an after visit opinion on Bucharest. The research results show the fact that a dominantly negative perception on the tourist destination of Bucharest, formed before the visit, suffers an obvious post-consume change. As a consequence of their positive experiences during the visit most incoming tourists declare their intent to include Romania on their list of future holiday destinations. These results may be used by both academics and practitioners as a valid argument for further in-depth marketing studies and better oriented branding and promotional strategies aiming tourism development for Bucharest.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85746520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-07-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8267
G. Aliperti, A. M. Cruz
The Japanese government has recently demonstrated interest in increasing tourists’ disaster preparedness. This is in part due to the need to develop an efficient disaster preparedness plan for the upcoming Olympic Games in 2020 that will be held in Tokyo. The aim of this paper is to present opportunities for future research able to facilitate a more effective risk communication between communicators and tourists regarding disaster preparedness information in Japan. The article is based on an analysis of the literature. The paper identifies research gaps in four main research topics including tourists’ risk information seeking process, cross cultural analysis, the role of tourism suppliers within the risk communication process, and comparison of mental models of communicators and tourists. Opportunities for further research are also provided.
{"title":"Risk Communication to Tourists: Towards the Definition of a Research Agenda for a more Effective Disaster Preparedness in Japan","authors":"G. Aliperti, A. M. Cruz","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8267","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8267","url":null,"abstract":"The Japanese government has recently demonstrated interest in increasing tourists’ disaster preparedness. This is in part due to the need to develop an efficient disaster preparedness plan for the upcoming Olympic Games in 2020 that will be held in Tokyo. The aim of this paper is to present opportunities for future research able to facilitate a more effective risk communication between communicators and tourists regarding disaster preparedness information in Japan. The article is based on an analysis of the literature. The paper identifies research gaps in four main research topics including tourists’ risk information seeking process, cross cultural analysis, the role of tourism suppliers within the risk communication process, and comparison of mental models of communicators and tourists. Opportunities for further research are also provided.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87107022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-07-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7207
B. A. Nouri, H. Ebrahimpour, M. H. Zadeh, Monireh Banghinie, M. Soltani
Generally speaking, tourists avoid traveling to risky tourism destinations and, instead, choose destinations with lower perceived risk. Therefore, the perceived risks of travel to tourism destinations can be considered as one of the most important deterrents to travel to tourism destinations which can affect tourists' behavior. This research intends to examine the impact of tourism risk dimensions on the consequences of the behavior of tourists, namely their satisfaction and loyalty, and analyze the mediating role of destination image in this relationship. Statistical population of the research consists of foreign tourists who have traveled to Ardabil and, owing to the limited number of foreign tourists, 186 subjects have been selected as the sample based on the Morgan table. Standard questionnaire is used to measure all variables and data analysis is performed based on structural equation modeling and LISREL software. The results show that tourism risk indicators including financial, economic, social and cultural, psychological, environmental, health, political and technological risks influence foreign tourists' mental image of tourism destination in Iran. Moreover, the mediating role of destination University of Mohaghegh Ardabilimage was confirmed in the relationship between all aspects of tourism risk and the satisfaction and loyalty of foreign tourists in Iran. The findings of this research can provide policy makers and planners of tourism industry in Iran with appropriate strategies in order to reduce tourism risk and improve destination image, satisfaction and loyalty of foreign tourists.
{"title":"The effect of tourism risk dimensions on foreign tourists satisfaction and loyalty: mediating role of destination image (case study Ardabil city).","authors":"B. A. Nouri, H. Ebrahimpour, M. H. Zadeh, Monireh Banghinie, M. Soltani","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7207","url":null,"abstract":"Generally speaking, tourists avoid traveling to risky tourism destinations and, instead, choose destinations with lower perceived risk. Therefore, the perceived risks of travel to tourism destinations can be considered as one of the most important deterrents to travel to tourism destinations which can affect tourists' behavior. This research intends to examine the impact of tourism risk dimensions on the consequences of the behavior of tourists, namely their satisfaction and loyalty, and analyze the mediating role of destination image in this relationship. Statistical population of the research consists of foreign tourists who have traveled to Ardabil and, owing to the limited number of foreign tourists, 186 subjects have been selected as the sample based on the Morgan table. Standard questionnaire is used to measure all variables and data analysis is performed based on structural equation modeling and LISREL software. The results show that tourism risk indicators including financial, economic, social and cultural, psychological, environmental, health, political and technological risks influence foreign tourists' mental image of tourism destination in Iran. Moreover, the mediating role of destination University of Mohaghegh Ardabilimage was confirmed in the relationship between all aspects of tourism risk and the satisfaction and loyalty of foreign tourists in Iran. The findings of this research can provide policy makers and planners of tourism industry in Iran with appropriate strategies in order to reduce tourism risk and improve destination image, satisfaction and loyalty of foreign tourists.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74488410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-07-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7556
M. Radić, M. Barišić
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in tourism is a catalyst for a number of positive changes within the economy of the host country and reflect positively on economic growth. Therefore, it is in the interest of many countries to attract foreign investors, which is especially prevalent in developing countries. At the same time, the 21st century is marked by major changes in terms of safety, influencing the appearance of the contemporary international terrorism. Terrorism has many direct and indirect effects and is influenced by mass media, reflects on changes in behaviour patterns of modern tourists, including the movement of tourist flows as well as flows of FDI into tourism. Tourism, FDI and security are three very interrelated concepts. The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent uncertainty, primarily in the form of terrorism, affects FDI in tourism. It should also be borne in mind that the picture of the risky countries in the conditions of global uncertainty changes very rapidly and in such circumstances each destination may potentially become risky. Existing research on terrorism and foreign direct investment in tourism are scarce and give different results.
{"title":"Does Terrorism have a Limited Impact on International Investments in Tourism? Some Theoretical Considerations","authors":"M. Radić, M. Barišić","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7556","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7556","url":null,"abstract":"Foreign direct investment (FDI) in tourism is a catalyst for a number of positive changes within the economy of the host country and reflect positively on economic growth. Therefore, it is in the interest of many countries to attract foreign investors, which is especially prevalent in developing countries. At the same time, the 21st century is marked by major changes in terms of safety, influencing the appearance of the contemporary international terrorism. Terrorism has many direct and indirect effects and is influenced by mass media, reflects on changes in behaviour patterns of modern tourists, including the movement of tourist flows as well as flows of FDI into tourism. Tourism, FDI and security are three very interrelated concepts. The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent uncertainty, primarily in the form of terrorism, affects FDI in tourism. It should also be borne in mind that the picture of the risky countries in the conditions of global uncertainty changes very rapidly and in such circumstances each destination may potentially become risky. Existing research on terrorism and foreign direct investment in tourism are scarce and give different results.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77276319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-07-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8225
Domokos Benjamin Horváth
In the last decades a number of studies have dealt with the negative impacts of tourism, still, there is a lack of research that explains why these impacts have emerged. The present article addresses this research gap, and after the identification of the different impacts, attempts to explore the reasons for their emergence through the case of Venice. Given that certain tourism impacts have been the focus of recent protests of Venetian residents, the article also tries to explore the connections between tourism-related issues and social movements that is, the reasons behind these demonstrations. The study is based on qualitative interviews with opinion leaders from local (Venetian), regional (Veneto Region) and international (European Union) levels.
{"title":"A New Era for Urban Tourism? The Case of Venice, Italy","authors":"Domokos Benjamin Horváth","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8225","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8225","url":null,"abstract":"In the last decades a number of studies have dealt with the negative impacts of tourism, still, there is a lack of research that explains why these impacts have emerged. The present article addresses this research gap, and after the identification of the different impacts, attempts to explore the reasons for their emergence through the case of Venice. Given that certain tourism impacts have been the focus of recent protests of Venetian residents, the article also tries to explore the connections between tourism-related issues and social movements that is, the reasons behind these demonstrations. The study is based on qualitative interviews with opinion leaders from local (Venetian), regional (Veneto Region) and international (European Union) levels.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77996081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-07-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8134
G. Andersson, S. Abbasian
City tourism, with its unique character and image, has increased considerably over the last decades. At the same time, the complexity of destination development and image marketing has increased, and there is a lack of analysis tools for image positioning. The purpose is to investigate city destination image and character as prerequisites for destination marketing and development and how the image and character position can be analysed. City destination character, visitor destination image and visitor segments are used as the main theoretical framework. An exploratory qualitative study approach has been chosen with an image case study of destination Stockholm. Qualitative interviews were conducted with the visitor segment international students and destination specialists. The study shows that destination specialists have assessed a combination of city destination characteristic areas, which can be developed. Furthermore, visitors have a mindset of several image aspects and holistic expressions for city destinations that can be used in destination marketing to change the current image position into the desired one. In order to determine a desired position, six analysis dimensions have been found useful: Desired positioning, Demand and supply, Visitor segmentation, Destination generalisation, Visit process and Expression type. The analysis dimensions are based on relevant dichotomous aspects. The effects of the used dimensions are called “positioning leverage effects”, and their main aim is to obtain a competitive advantage and to differentiate to other destinations.
{"title":"Analysis Dimensions of City Destination Character and Image Positioning","authors":"G. Andersson, S. Abbasian","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/8134","url":null,"abstract":"City tourism, with its unique character and image, has increased considerably over the last decades. At the same time, the complexity of destination development and image marketing has increased, and there is a lack of analysis tools for image positioning. The purpose is to investigate city destination image and character as prerequisites for destination marketing and development and how the image and character position can be analysed. City destination character, visitor destination image and visitor segments are used as the main theoretical framework. An exploratory qualitative study approach has been chosen with an image case study of destination Stockholm. Qualitative interviews were conducted with the visitor segment international students and destination specialists. The study shows that destination specialists have assessed a combination of city destination characteristic areas, which can be developed. Furthermore, visitors have a mindset of several image aspects and holistic expressions for city destinations that can be used in destination marketing to change the current image position into the desired one. In order to determine a desired position, six analysis dimensions have been found useful: Desired positioning, Demand and supply, Visitor segmentation, Destination generalisation, Visit process and Expression type. The analysis dimensions are based on relevant dichotomous aspects. The effects of the used dimensions are called “positioning leverage effects”, and their main aim is to obtain a competitive advantage and to differentiate to other destinations.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87123682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-05-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7775
Julia Rausenberger
Santurismo ( Santeria + Turismo ) refers to the popular formula of Afro-Cuban religions and tourism and initially served the Cuban government in the 1960s to promote Santeria as a folkloric product of Cuban identity through staged performances in touristic surroundings. Gradually, it became a coping strategy by Cuban people to deal with political and economic hardship during the Special Period in the 1990s which led to the emergence of diplo-santeria by so-called jinetero-santeros . While the continuous process of commodification of Cuban Santeria is marked by local social, economic and political influences, it also relates to current tendencies in comparable religious and spiritual phenomena at a global level. This research paper is based on an extensive literature review as well as on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Cuba in 2016. It aims at showing in which ways Afro-Cuban religions have worked their way up from a stigmatized and persecuted religious system to a widely valorized religion in the spiritual and touristic sphere. While warning for the consequences of its commodification, it also shows that, over time, Santeria has proved to serve as a weapon for resistance and struggle, which is still ongoing in Cuban society today.
{"title":"Santurismo: The Commodification of Santería and the Touristic Value of Afro-Cuban Derived Religions in Cuba","authors":"Julia Rausenberger","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7775","url":null,"abstract":"Santurismo ( Santeria + Turismo ) refers to the popular formula of Afro-Cuban religions and tourism and initially served the Cuban government in the 1960s to promote Santeria as a folkloric product of Cuban identity through staged performances in touristic surroundings. Gradually, it became a coping strategy by Cuban people to deal with political and economic hardship during the Special Period in the 1990s which led to the emergence of diplo-santeria by so-called jinetero-santeros . While the continuous process of commodification of Cuban Santeria is marked by local social, economic and political influences, it also relates to current tendencies in comparable religious and spiritual phenomena at a global level. This research paper is based on an extensive literature review as well as on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Cuba in 2016. It aims at showing in which ways Afro-Cuban religions have worked their way up from a stigmatized and persecuted religious system to a widely valorized religion in the spiritual and touristic sphere. While warning for the consequences of its commodification, it also shows that, over time, Santeria has proved to serve as a weapon for resistance and struggle, which is still ongoing in Cuban society today.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78157775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-05-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7913
O. Niglio
The sacred values of the landscape and their meaning depend on the cultural contexts of reference that over time have consolidated or modified traditions, rituals and beliefs. The sacredness of the landscape has no connection with materiality except with the sensory perception that helps man to feel and know what can not be touched. The sacred landscape establishes the relationship between man and nature, through an aesthetic in which it is not always possible to find a rational dimension. A relationship that persists in the territory with the ability to acquire a greater degree of sustainability than other properties. The fear on the part of UNESCO and of the religious and secular communities of a weakening of this heritage requires facing the concept of "sacred value", starting from a refraiming of the sacred landscape, the “Property of Religious Interest (PRI)”, expression of a very rich cultural and natural biodiversity. Are the sacred landscapes at risk? Where and why? Is it possible rewriting the landscape or not? What is the behavior of local communities and different target users? The contribution aims to analyze the concept of "sacred value" of the landscape with the support also of some significant examples taken from different cultural and geographical areas, very important case studies for a qualitative methodology with a global approach.
{"title":"Sacred Landscape for a Global Approach","authors":"O. Niglio","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7913","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7913","url":null,"abstract":"The sacred values of the landscape and their meaning depend on the cultural contexts of reference that over time have consolidated or modified traditions, rituals and beliefs. \u0000The sacredness of the landscape has no connection with materiality except with the sensory perception that helps man to feel and know what can not be touched. \u0000The sacred landscape establishes the relationship between man and nature, through an aesthetic in which it is not always possible to find a rational dimension. A relationship that persists in the territory with the ability to acquire a greater degree of sustainability than other properties. The fear on the part of UNESCO and of the religious and secular communities of a weakening of this heritage requires facing the concept of \"sacred value\", starting from a refraiming of the sacred landscape, the “Property of Religious Interest (PRI)”, expression of a very rich cultural and natural biodiversity. Are the sacred landscapes at risk? Where and why? Is it possible rewriting the landscape or not? What is the behavior of local communities and different target users? \u0000The contribution aims to analyze the concept of \"sacred value\" of the landscape with the support also of some significant examples taken from different cultural and geographical areas, very important case studies for a qualitative methodology with a global approach.","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81205592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-05-23DOI: 10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7725
H. Yoshihara, N. Inoue
The primary aim of this paper is to outline the cultural landscapes associated with the Ainu people and their culture, as well as the characteristics of tourism leveraging these landscapes, in Biratori Town in the Hidaka region of Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture. Such landscapes incorporate, as an integral part, sacred places of the Ainu, an indigenous people of Japan located mainly in Hokkaido. In particular, the Cultural Landscape along the Sarugawa River Resulting from Ainu Tradition and Modern Settlement has been designated as an Important Cultural Landscape by the Japanese government. Initiatives to preserve and utilize cultural landscapes associated with the Ainu as cultural properties enhance the value of local landscapes, and also have major significance as part of a regional promotion policy and motions for ethnic communities. Section 1 begins with an outline of sacred places in traditional Ainu culture based on examples, and details previous relevant research and studies. This is followed by a summary of views regarding the meanings of the words “sacred” and “places” and related concepts. In Section 2, the overall initiatives taken to preserve sacred places and cultural landscapes, in consideration of the relationship between such places and development of the region’s cultural landscapes, are discussed. Section 3 illustrates the involvement of local residents in cultural tourism leveraging cultural landscapes and details the prospects and challenges that lie ahead. It was only after the 1997 enactment of the Ainu Culture Promotion Act that national and local government policies on the Ainu began to change drastically from the forced assimilation implemented in the Meiji period to an approach involving Ainu cultural promotion. In addition, only relatively recently (2004) the Act on Protection of Cultural Properties was amended to cover cultural landscapes, and a limited research has been conducted connecting Ainu culture and cultural landscapes. As a result, sacred places and cultural landscapes of the indigenous Ainu people, which are based on their unique traditional view of nature (e.g., the concept that nothing descends to the earth from the world of the deities without a job to do), have rarely been highlighted as valuable cultural heritage sites either in Japan or elsewhere. Against this background, Biratori Town seeks to implement its own measures and projects for the preservation of cultural landscapes associated with the Ainu in keeping with national policies. The town promotes cultural tourism programs, eco-tourism courses and other projects in which the Ainu culture’s preservers play central roles, while working to improve the quality of local cultural resources in collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Forestry Agency and other national government bodies. One of the main pillars of these initiatives is the preservation and utilization of cultural lands
{"title":"The Sacred Landscape of Ainu Culture and its Cultural Landscapes: Case Study on the Conservation Strategy in Biratori City, Hokkaido","authors":"H. Yoshihara, N. Inoue","doi":"10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7725","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.6092/ISSN.2036-5195/7725","url":null,"abstract":"The primary aim of this paper is to outline the cultural landscapes associated with the Ainu people and their culture, as well as the characteristics of tourism leveraging these landscapes, in Biratori Town in the Hidaka region of Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture. Such landscapes incorporate, as an integral part, sacred places of the Ainu, an indigenous people of Japan located mainly in Hokkaido. In particular, the Cultural Landscape along the Sarugawa River Resulting from Ainu Tradition and Modern Settlement has been designated as an Important Cultural Landscape by the Japanese government. Initiatives to preserve and utilize cultural landscapes associated with the Ainu as cultural properties enhance the value of local landscapes, and also have major significance as part of a regional promotion policy and motions for ethnic communities. Section 1 begins with an outline of sacred places in traditional Ainu culture based on examples, and details previous relevant research and studies. This is followed by a summary of views regarding the meanings of the words “sacred” and “places” and related concepts. In Section 2, the overall initiatives taken to preserve sacred places and cultural landscapes, in consideration of the relationship between such places and development of the region’s cultural landscapes, are discussed. Section 3 illustrates the involvement of local residents in cultural tourism leveraging cultural landscapes and details the prospects and challenges that lie ahead. It was only after the 1997 enactment of the Ainu Culture Promotion Act that national and local government policies on the Ainu began to change drastically from the forced assimilation implemented in the Meiji period to an approach involving Ainu cultural promotion. In addition, only relatively recently (2004) the Act on Protection of Cultural Properties was amended to cover cultural landscapes, and a limited research has been conducted connecting Ainu culture and cultural landscapes. As a result, sacred places and cultural landscapes of the indigenous Ainu people, which are based on their unique traditional view of nature (e.g., the concept that nothing descends to the earth from the world of the deities without a job to do), have rarely been highlighted as valuable cultural heritage sites either in Japan or elsewhere. Against this background, Biratori Town seeks to implement its own measures and projects for the preservation of cultural landscapes associated with the Ainu in keeping with national policies. The town promotes cultural tourism programs, eco-tourism courses and other projects in which the Ainu culture’s preservers play central roles, while working to improve the quality of local cultural resources in collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Forestry Agency and other national government bodies. One of the main pillars of these initiatives is the preservation and utilization of cultural lands","PeriodicalId":42867,"journal":{"name":"Almatourism-Journal of Tourism Culture and Territorial Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86863839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}