2009:008 master's thesis a comparative study of cultural ...1023652/fulltext01.pdf ·...

2009:008

M A S T E R ' S T H E S I S

A Comparative Study of CulturalTourism Development in Iran

and Turkey

Bahareh Pourafkari

Luleå University of Technology

Master Thesis, Continuation Courses Tourism and Hospitality Management

Department of Business Administration and Social SciencesDivision of Industrial marketing and e-commerce

2009:008 - ISSN: 1653-0187 - ISRN: LTU-PB-EX--09/008--SE

0

A comparative study of cultural

tourism development in Iran and

Turkey

Supervisor: DR. mahmoud ketabi

Supervisor: DR. Metin Kozak

Bahareh pourafkari

December 2007

University of Isfahan Lulea University of

technology

Master’s thesis

PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com

http://www.pdffactory.com

1



2



3

Abstract

Tourism is the world’s largest industry and it was projected to be the world’s largest employer by

the year 2000. This research will evaluate Iran’s potential in the tourism industry and especially

cultural tourism development and tries to compare it with Turkey because of their regional

proximities and similarities in culture, attractions, and religion. Scientific research shows that

increasing international tourism arrivals is a way to generate more revenue than oil and

development of cultural tourism is an alternative to oil based economy.

The main goals of this research are: 1- evaluation of accelerating factors in cultural tourism

development both in Iran and Turkey 2- evaluation of decelerating factors in cultural tourism

both in Iran and Turkey. This analysis is based on information gathered through electronic data,

discussion with heritage tourism managers and stakeholder workshops. Interview with heritage

representative in Iran . Cultural Heritage Corporation provided the detail of their regional

organizational structure and how the cooperation functions. Complete description of the

corporation structure and the details of its function are presented in chapter 3..

This research has examined cultural tourism resources in Iran and compared them with that of

Turkey .After inquiry and evaluation of cultural tourism resources in both countries, we conclude

that both countries have almost the same resources with similar culture and tradition. .however,

Turkey by highlighting some ancient tradition and also by organizing lots of festivals and

providing facilities like resort hotels and good hospitality and transportation attract more tourists.

Badly-damaged infrastructures, poor condition of museums and historical sites ,are some of the

weaknesses of tourism industry in Iran.



4

Acknowledgements

There are several people I would like to thank for their support and encouragement throughout

this thesis process. I would first like to thank my senior supervisor Dr mahmoud ketabi for his

help, guidance and constant belief in me. I am also indebted to Dr metin kozak for stepping in as

my advisor at the last minute. I would also like to thank him, as well as dr azizallah dabaghi , for

making my experience as a Linguistic advisor.

I would also like to acknowledge several friends who have kept me sane throughout this hard

process. I would first like to thank my dad. You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I

could have never done this without you.

I am also grateful for the support of my amazing family. A big thank you goes to

My dear husband for being a constant source of encouragement and advice. I am lucky to have

you. And I would especially like to thank my parents for their love and constant belief that I

could do it.

.

Bahareh pourafkari

December 2007



5

III

Dedication

I dedicate this dissertation to, my lovely husband, who encouraged and prayed for me ever since

I began this research. And I would like to thank my dear parents, who instilled in me the

determination and will to meet obstacles positively. They have given me unconditional love and

support throughout my life. To my mom and dad, I love you and hope I have made you proud

.Finally I would like to thank God with all my heart that provided the strength and wisdom to

finish this research.



6

IV

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………………9

• 1.1Cultural tourism development ……………………………………………………............ .9

• 1.2.Statment of the problems ……………………………………………………………... 10

• 1.3.Research objective ………………………………………………………………………10

• 1.4.Research question. ………………………………………………………………………12

• 1.5Research methodology …………………………………………………………………12

• 1.6.Significent of study……………………………………………………………………..12

• 1.7Literature review………………………………………………………………………….13

• CHAPTER TWO

• LITERATURE REVIEW …………………………………………………………………. 15

• 2.1.Introduction…………………………………………………………………………… 15

• 2.2.The Tourism Industry Past and Present from Mass Tourism to Cultural Tourism…….. 16

• 2.3. A brief history of tourism…………………………………………………………… 17

• 2. 4 .. Future Growth Prospects……………………………………………………………18

• 2.6Tourism …………………………………………………………………………………..19

• 2.7Culture……………………………………………………………………………………20

• Defining development………………………………………………………………………21

• .2.9Definition of cultural tourism ………………………………………………………….. 22



7

3.0. Definition for cultural tourism by Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program:……………. 27

• 3.1 Definition for cultural tourism by LORD Cultural Resources………………. 27

• 3.2 The Impacts of Cultural Tourism………………………………………………. 28

• 3.3 Cultural Tourism as a Passport to Peace and Understanding……………………30

• 3.4 Authenticity…………………………………………………………………….. 33

• 3.5 Authenticity and Cultural Tourism………………………………………………34

• 3.6Key principles in cultural tourism ……………………………………………….37

• CHAPTER THREE

• RESEARCH METHODLOGY ……………………………………………………………. 45

• 3.1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..45

• 3.2. Research Process ……………………………………………………………………… 45

• 3.3Type of research ………………………………………………………………………….45

• 3.4Descriptive research ……………………………………………………………………...46

• 3.6Qualitative research……………………………………………………………………. 46

• 3.7. Research strategy………………………………………………………………………..47

• 3.8Survey research …………………………………………………………………………48

• 3.9Data collection ………………………………………………………………………….. 48

• 3.10Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….

49

• CHAPTER FOUR

• 4.1. Introduction. …………………………………………………………………………….52

• 4.2.Cultural tourism development ……………………………………...................................52



8

• 4.3. Cultural tourism development in turkey ………………………………………………..56

• 4.4. Sector overview ………………………………………………………………………. .56

• 4.5.Turkey on the world heritage list…………………………………………………… 59

• 4.6.Archaeological sites and museums in turkey……………………………………….. 59

• 4.7Architecture (ruins, famous buildings, whole towns) in turkey,……………………… 63

• 4.8Art, sculpture, crafts, galleries, festivals, events in turkey……………………………. . 67

• 4.9Music and dance (classical, folk, contemporary) in turkey…………………………….. 68

• 4.10Drama (theatre, films, dramatists) in turkey…………………………………………….69

• 4.11 language and literature study, tours, events in turkey ……………………………….. 71.

• 4.12Religious festivals, pilgrimages) in turkey…………………………………………… 79

• 5.0Health tourism in turkey………………………………………………………………….81

• 5.1Cultural tourism development in Iran…………………………………………………….84

• 5.2Key trends & development in Iran ……………………………………………………….85

• 5.3Archaeological sites and museums in Iran………………………………………………..87

• 5.4Architecture (ruins, famous buildings, whole towns) in Iran…………………………….88

• 5.5Art, sculpture, crafts, galleries, festivals, events in Iran………………………………….92

• 5.6Music and dance (classical, folk, contemporary) in Iran………………………………...95

• 5.7Drama (theatre, films, dramatists)in Iran…………………………………………………96

• 5.8Language and literature study, tours, events in Iran……………………………………..98

• 5.9Religious festivals, pilgrimages) in Iran………………………………………………….98

• 6.0Health tourism in Iran……………………………………………………………………99



9

• CHAPTER FIVE

• 5.1Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………105

• 5.2 Recommendations with regard to the craft industry…………………………… 107

• 5.3 Recommendations with regard to the architectural heritage……………………………108

• 5.4 Recommendations with regard to archeological site and museum……………………..111

• 5.5 Recommendations with regard to the literature & languages…………………………..112

• 5.6Recommendations with regard to the religious festivals, pilgrimages………………….112

• 5.7 Recommendations with regard to the health tourism…………………………… …... 113

• BIBLIOGRAPHIES

• Table1………………………………………………………………………………………..50

• Chart1………………………………………………………………………………………...54

• Graph1……………………………………………………………………………………….55

• Graph2……………………………………………………………………………………….57

• Table2………………………………………………………………………………………..58

• Chart………………………………………………………………………………………...103



10

CHAPTER I:

INTRODUCTION



11

INTRODUCTION 1-1 Cultural tourism development Cultural/heritage tourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry because there

is a trend toward an increased specialization among tourists. This trend is evident in the rise in

the volume of tourists who seek adventure, culture, history, archaeology and interaction with

local people. Especially, nowadays people’ interest in traveling to cultural/ heritage destinations

has increased recently and is expected to continue. For example, cultural/heritage sites are

among the most preferred tourism experiences in IRAN.

Because of people’s inclination to seek out novelty, including that of traditional cultures,

heritage tourism has become a major “new” area of tourism demand, which almost all policy–

makers are now aware of and anxious to develop. Heritage tourism, as a part of the broader

category of “cultural tourism”, is now a major pillar of the nascent tourism strategy of many

countries. Cultural/heritage tourism strategies in various countries have in common that they are

a major growth area, that they can be used to boost local culture, and that they can aid the

seasonal and geographic spread of tourism. this research will evaluate Iran’s potential in the

tourism industry and especially cultural tourism development and tries to compare to turkey

because of their regional proximities and similarities in culture, attractions, and religion.

Because increasing international tourism arrivals as a way to generate more revenue than oil.



12

1-2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM All countries around the world are going to find new ways to create jobs and incomes from

sources other than selling their natural mines such as oil or petroleum and … they are

concerning other ways to complete their economic needs and one of the most important of these

ways is tourism industry. Sixty percent of the population of Iran is under the age of 25, making

tourism an ideal way to generate employment (WTO, 2006). However training is an important

factor in being able to adequately attend to the needs of international guests .IRAN is also very

interested to follow the same way but because of some problems which disturbs using this

valuable industry the income of Iranian society from tourism industry is very little putting this

idea in our mind that unfortunately we are in infancy period of our tourism life. As we know Iran

has lots of historical sites and cultural attraction which is ignored for tourism attracts and in

contrast turkey with similar recourses attract millions of tourist annually. Therefore in this thesis

will try to find the successful factors of cultural tourism industry of turkey and compare that with

Iran.

Cultural/heritage tourism is a rapidly growing niche market. This market is fueled by an

increasing number of domestic and international tourists, and by the increasing availability of

global communication.

1-3 Research Objectives this research follows two goals:

1- main goal

2- descriptive goals



13

main goal of the study attempts to improve social acknowledgement about their opportunity

to have investment in new occasion associated to the tourism activities and by creating new jobs

, creating the hole country to improve , also its going to :1- evaluation of accelerating factors in

cultural tourism of Iran 2- evaluation of accelerating factors in cultural tourism of turkey 3-

evaluation of decelerating factors in cultural tourism of Iran 4- evaluation of decelerating factors

of cultural tourism in turkey

Descriptive goals of this study aim to helps government associates in having a sustainable

development. And finally helps to government to understand The importance of tourism industry

in Iran. The research presented here has explored some methods and strategies that community

groups and localities can pursue to develop cultural heritage tourism opportunities

1-4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS In this research we will confronted with four questions:

1- What is the accelerating factor in cultural tourism development in IRAN?

2- What is the accelerating factor in cultural tourism development in turkey?

3- What is the decelerating factor in cultural tourism development in turkey?

4- What is the decelerating factor in cultural tourism development in IRAN?

And main question is an evaluation of strategies of Iran in cultural tourism development and

compares with turkey.



14

1-5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The report is based on information gathered through desktop research, discussion with heritage

tourism managers and stakeholder workshops. Discussions with heritage representative in Iran

cultural heritage corporation provided the detail of their regional organizational structure and

how this functioned and, tries to describe completely in chapter 3.

1-6 SIGNIFICENCE OF THE STUDY

Tourism is becoming an increasingly popular way to boost economic growth in developing

countries. On a global scale, European countries tend to dominate this sector. The demand for

tourism in the Middle East in 2006 represents 2.1% of the global share while the European

Union alone accounts for 36.6%, nearly 20 times greater (WTTC, 2006). The statistics are quire

conflicting considering that the Middle East is the cradle of civilization. Iran is a case in point,

and this research will address Iran’s potential in the tourism industry and this study looks to

increase international tourism arrivals as a way to generate more revenue than oil. In terms of

development, the tourism industry is relatively new in Iran; therefore, for purposes of this

research, some cultural and heritage aspects of Iran’s tourism will be compared to Turkey,

because of their regional proximities and similarities in culture, attractions, and religion .and

especially in Iran developments of cultural tourism is the most important parts of tourism which

government should pay attention to this valuable part of tourism.



15

1-7 LITERATURE REVIEW

There are several researches about these issues around the world some of them are listed

bellow:

1- Asli gruel ucer (2006) in his article in cultural tourism as tool for sustaining local values’ he

have mentioned the various aspect of cultural tourism.

2- Tianyu Yinga,_, Yongguang Zhoub had rsearched in Community, governments and external

capitals in China’s rural cultural tourism: A comparative study of two adjacent villages and

Using qualitative methods, this paper compares the experiences of tourism development in two

of China’s most famous rural cultural tourism destinations .

3-Bob Mac kercher in his article ‘Assessing the Tourism Potential of Smaller Cultural and

Heritage Attractions’ has worked on the development and application of a mechanism to assess

the tourism potential of cultural and heritage assets.

4- Lucero Morales Cano in his article CULTURAL TOURISM, THE STATE,

AND DAY OF THE DEAD has worked on Using Day of the Dead in the rural Mexican

community of Huaquechula as an example, this paper analyzes how various levels of the state, in

its roles as planner, marketer of cultural meanings, and arbiter of such practices, mediate

between cultural tourism and local identity in a global context. It shows that the results have

been met with opposition from some community groups. Although such opposition has caused

the state to rethink its strategy, it remains intent on using its new program of cultural tourism as

an alternative form of development in rural Mexico.



16

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW



17

INTRODUCTION Most communities have some form of heritage they identify with. Heritage is a broad term

that includes ‘anything that someone wishes to conserve or collect, and to pass on to future

generations’ (Howard 2003: 6). Cultural heritage is a subset of heritage and may include both

tangible aspects, such as buildings, memorials and landscapes; and intangible aspects, such as

cultural practices, oral traditions and knowledge (McKercher & du Cros 2002; Heritage Council

of Western Australia 2005). In this report, we follow McKercher and du Cros (2002) by referring

to the individual sites and practices that constitute cultural heritage as ‘heritage assets’. Heritage

assets are those identified according to the definition of cultural heritage and represent

significant aspects of the cultural tradition of a community. Heritage assets the community

identifies with may or may not be the focus of attention for tourism activities and tourists.

However, it is important to identify the local cultural heritage within a defined region as a first

step toward developing cultural heritage tourism. Heritage assets differ from what we label

‘heritage tourism products’ as heritage tourism products refer to only those heritage

attractions that are specifically developed for and promoted to tourists.

Once local heritage is inventoried further steps need to be taken to assess its suitability for

heritage tourism development. Some heritage assets may be ‘iconic’ in nature. That is, it may be

so uniquely distinct that it will be a focus of interest in the region for large numbers of tourists.

Bundling can help create the critical mass of heritage tourism attractions necessary to motivate

visitation and retain tourists in a locality. This approach presents ‘a realistic and cost-effective

option’ for many regional communities (McKercher & du Cros 2002: 112). An effective way of

bundling is to link heritage assets together through the use of themes The purpose of this thesis is



18

to evaluate and determine where is the situation of cultural tourism in Iran and a comparison of

cultural tourism development in Iran and turkey. Rather than serving as a peripheral or added

attraction on a travel itinerary, culture is now considered a major catalyst for an entire travel

experience.

The Tourism Industry Past and Present from Mass Tourism to Cultural Tourism Tourism is big business. Every year millions of people, spending billions of dollars, leave

their homes and work in search of pleasure and leisure. It has become such an essential element

of everyday life in the developed world that even the thought of staying home for one's annual

vacation is considered unusual. Positioning tourism as an essential element in everyday life is a

very recent phenomenon, however. It was not until after the Second World War that tourism

exploded on a mass scale emerging as a major economic and social force in the world. It is this

dramatic growth, and subsequent changes to the tourism marketplace, that are the focus of this

first chapter.

The purpose of this chapter is twofold. On the one hand, it is meant to provide the reader with

a greater understanding of the tourism industry as a whole, while on the other, it will focus on

cultural tourism as a specific niche market. To accomplish this, the chapter will begin with an

examination of past and future trends in tourism in order to impress upon the reader the global

scope and significance of this industry. This chapter will subsequently move into a discussion of

the changes that have occurred in the tourism marketplace from the 1960s onwards, as a means

to provide the background necessary to understand the appearance of new forms of tourism,

namely cultural tourism. Attention will then turn to the emergence of cultural tourism as a

distinct market segment, complete with definitions for both cultural tourism and cultural tourists.



19

A brief history of tourism

Travel is as old as civilization itself, with the earliest travel resulting from nomadic

prehistoric human beings traversing great distances in search of food and favorable climates. As

centuries progressed, the motivations for travel changed as people traveled for the purpose of

trade, war, economic gain, religious conviction and study (Theobald, 1998;Gee and Fyos-Sola,

1997). Travel as we know it today, however, is a relatively recent phenomenon. Most often

referred to as tourism, the idea of leaving one's home and work in search of pleasure and leisure

is a distinctly modem occurrence. This is not to suggest that travel for pleasure did not occur in

pre-modem societies, but prior to the nineteenth century, few people outside the upper classes

had the opportunity to travel anywhere for reasons unconnected with work or business (Uny,

1990).Tourism's antecedents can be found in the nineteenth century with the arrival of the

Industrial evolution.' Industrialization resulted in profound economic and social changes that

lead to the creation of a new middle class and inexpensive modes of transportation. These

changes meant that travel and tourism was no longer the preserve of the wealthy elite (Burkart

and Medlik, 1981; Butcher, 2003; Theobald, 1998; Gee and Fyos-Sola, 1997). Said to be the

father of modern tourism, Thomas Cook was the first to take advantage of the social and

technological changes brought about by industrialization (Poon, 1993). Cook organized travel on

a scale that had not yet been seen by offering packaged tours, first domestically in England, then

to international destinations as far away as India and

Egypt. By the mid-1970s, mass tourism was well established, with approximately 158.7 million

international tourist arrivals being recorded. Tourism has continued to grow significantly in

economic and social importance, as is evidenced by the ever-increasing numbers of international



20

tourist arrival. By 1980 arrivals had increased to 204.8 million, and by 1990 their number was as

high as 425 million (Eadington and Smith, 1992).

Future Growth Prospects

Tourism has continued to grow, and with the support of major international associations such

as the United Nations, UNESCO, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank,

tourism has become the largest industry in the world (WTO, 2003; WTTC, 2003; Wyllie, 2000).

Despite the devastating terrorist attacks of 2001, tourism continues to grow and generate billions

of dollars in revenue. In 2002, international tourist arrivals broke the 700 million mark for the

first time, and tourism demand reached a total of US$ 4,303.26 billion (WTTC, 2004). The

World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC, 2004) predicts continued profitability, estimating

that by the end of 2004, tourism will have generated close to 215 million jobs and US$5,490.4

billion in economic activity. Further international growth is forecasted at an average rate of 4.6

per cent per annum, with the World Tourism Organization (2003) predicting that by the year

2020, international tourist arrivals will reach 1.56 billion. The importance of

tourism to individual countries and destinations does of course vary.

The growth of cultural tourism

Tourism is the world’s largest industry and it was projected to be the world’s largest employer

by the year 2000. Tourism is already one of the largest income-generating industry in turkey. As

people travel more, they do not travel aimlessly they travel to get to know a particular place in a

meaningful way. The power of cultural tourism is in its ability to satisfy this desire.

Tourism



21

Overall, tourism is perhaps best conceptualized as a process of co modification and

consumption involving flows of people, capital, images and cultures (Lofgren, 1999; Meethan,

2001). When examined more narrowly, however, two types of definitions seem to dominate the

literature: conceptual and technical. Burkart and Medlik (1981) suggest that the conceptual

definitions of tourism provide a broad theoretical framework that identifies the essential

characteristics of tourism including what distinguishes it from similar, sometimes related, but

different activities. For example, Mathieson and Wall state, "tourism is the temporary movement

of people to destinations outside their normal places or work and residence, the activities

undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their

needs" (cited in Theobald, 1998,).

On the other hand, the technical definitions of tourism enable the value and volume of

tourism to be measured. According to Burkart and Medlik (1981), a detailed technical definition

of tourism must incorporate three specific aspects. The first aspect is the purpose of travel or

visit. "A technical definition of tourism must ... first define the categories of travel and visits

which are, and those which are not included for a particular purpose". Secondly, the time

element needs to be defined. "The minimum and maximum period, in terms of length of stay

away from home or in terms of length of stay at a particular destination may have to be

established for a particular purpose”. Thirdly, a technical definition "has to recognize particular

situations. ..and it has to be determined whether they are or not regarded as tourism, for example

sea cruises and transit traffic" Burkart and Medlik therefore technically define tourism thus:

tourism represents various forms of short-term travel and visits and is variously defined for

particular purposes, by reference to the purpose of travel or visit, duration and other criterion.

It should be noted that there has been considerable debate over technical definitions



22

because they vary from country to country, and there are often different technical definitions

appropriate for different purposes. Nevertheless, the definition provided by the World Tourism

Organization (WTO) is widely accepted and frequently used (Richards, 1996b). According to the

WTO tourism is "the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual

environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes"

(Gee and Fyos-Sola, 1997).

Culture

Culture is a more complex concept than tourism, as is evidenced by the extent of the debate

over the term and the hundreds of definitions that exist. Again, the purpose here is not to

contribute to the debate or to provide an overview of the numerous definitions, but rather to

examine the ways in which the term culture is used. Upon examining the modem usage of the

term culture, Williams identified three broad categories: "(i) as a general process of intellectual,

spiritual and aesthetic development; (ii) as indicative of a particular 'way of life'; and (iii) as the

works and practices of intellectual and artistic activity" (cited in Richards, 1996b, p.21). Over

time, a shift in meanings has occurred away from the former and towards the latter two

categories, resulting in two basic uses of the term culture in current academic literature: culture

as process and culture as product (Richards, 1996b). Culture as process is an anthropological and

sociological approach which regards culture mainly as a symbolic system or codes of conduct by

which and

through which people create and recreate shared values, beliefs and attitudes allowing people to

make sense of their existence and their experiences (Meethan, 2001; Richards, 1996b;

Tomlinson, 199 1). As Meethan states: culture ... is seen as a set of practices, based on forms of

knowledge, which encapsulate common values and act as general guiding principles. It is



23

through these forms of knowledge that distinctions are created and maintained, so that, for

example, one culture is marked off as different from another (200 1, p. 1 1 7). 'LOW' culture or

mass culture is, by definition, the opposite of 'high' culture, and might include such things as

popular music, soap operas and Disneyland. It is not considered elitist, nor does it require any

form of superior knowledge. The culture as product approach is therefore both descriptive, as it

tells us what culture consists of, as well as prescriptive, using value judgments as a means to tell

us what is allowed and what is not (Meethan, 2001).

Defining development

The definition of development has changed over the past five decades with economic,

political, and social trends. The study of development usually includes the application of

methodologies and conceptual models borrowed from anthropology, economics, political

science, and sociology (Klaren and Bossert 1986; Martinussen 1997; Roberts and Hite 2000;

Weaver 1997). Development is a process in which something passes by degrees to a different

stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage).

A somewhat simplified, but useful way of distinguishing among development theories is to

classify them according to where the causal explanations lie: internally (endogenous

explanations) or externally (exogenous explanations). For example, social theories that focus on

internal characteristics of society, such as cultural values to explain development include

Modernization theory; whereas World Systems theory place more importance on external

relations among countries to explain differences in development. Similarly, economic

development theories that focus on internal economic forces belong to development economics



24

theories; whereas macroeconomic growth theories focus on external economic forces that

produce growth.

In consequence, each theory also defines an internal or external policy space where

development strategies are to be carried out. Modernization development strategy implies

internal changes in either societal cultural values and in social and political institutions in order

to achieve development. (Deutsch 1961; Hibbs 1973; Levy 1966; Olson 1963; Parsons 1964)

Dependency and World Systems development strategies, on the other hand, supposes external

changes in the core-periphery relations between dependent and independent nations (Cardoso

1972; Chase-Dunn 1975; Janvry and Garramon 1977b; Street and James 1979).

Cultural tourism

The word “culture” means different things to different people. For the purposes of this

strategy, the definition of culture is adapted from the definition on the Cultural capital of Canada

website “Culture is the expression of ideas, experiences, and customs of Canadians through the

arts, heritage and festivals.

Arts refer to the expression of ideas and experiences through the fine arts. These includes

visual art such as painting and sculpture, crafts such as pottery and drum-making, live

performance such as dance, theatre, comedy, storytelling, circus, music, opera, and literary

readings, and media arts such as art films and multi-media installations. The arts also refer to

commercial products derived from artistic expression such as music recordings, film and

television, books and magazines. Heritage refers to the ideas, experiences, and customs of groups

are passed on to future generations, and to the means of their preservation and recollection.

Traditional cuisine, dress, religion, and language are examples of elements of heritage.



25

Museums, art galleries, and historic sites are some of the means used to preserve the elements of

heritage and to interpret them to a broader public. Festivals are a means of bringing ideas,

experiences, and customs to a broad public in a concentrated package over a brief period of time.

Festivals can occur around many themes or forms of expressions, in both arts and heritage – for

example, dance, particular genres of music, film, theatre, particular ethnic traditions, and so on.”

In addition, the project team provides the following definitions of cultural tourism and cultural

product.

Cultural tourism is tourism motivated wholly or in part by interest in the historical, artistic or

lifestyle/heritage offerings of the tourism destination, be it a community, region, group or

institution.

Cultural tourism is not new; since ancient times it has been a motivation for travel, although

only among a tiny minority of the general public. The “Grand Tour” was once considered an

essential part of a “gentleman’s” education. Today, it is a worldwide mass trend that people

travel to experience other cultures. But it is only since the early 1980s that cultural tourism has

been recognized as distinct from recreational tourism. Although the statistics show a definite

increase in the number of tourists participating in cultural tourism, actually defining this market

segment is a challenge. While most definitions agree that cultural tourism involves the

consumption of culture by tourists, a number of difficulties do exist. For example, what kinds of

culture should be included within the scope of cultural tourism? Does a visit to a museum turn an

entire trip into a cultural tourism experience? Are tourists who engage in cultural consumption

actually culturally motivated? Does this even matter? (Richards, 1996b). To further complicate

matters, cultural tourism is composed of two elements that are in themselves difficult to define:

'culture' and 'tourism'. The following section will arrive at a definition of cultural tourism



26

beginning with an examination of the terms 'culture' and 'tourism'. Rather than providing a

detailed overview of all the various definitions that exist for these two elements, however, a

discussion of the way they are used will be carried out instead. Reviewing 'culture' and 'tourism'

in this way nicely leads to the ensuing discussion of cultural tourism as product and cultural

tourism as process (Craik, 1997; Richards, 1996a, b; Robinson, 1999b).

Cultural Tourism: (Another definition)

A review of existing definitions completed by Bonink reveals two main approaches to

cultural tourism: the 'sites and monuments', or descriptive approach, and the experiential or

conceptual approach. Some definitions are therefore focused primarily on the attractions visited

(Fyall and Garrod, 1998; Hollinshead, 1998;Gee and Fyos-Sola, 1997), while others choose to

focus on visitors' motivations and perceptions rather than on specific site attributes (Poria et al,

2001; Zeppel and Hall, 199 1). Echoing the previous discussion outlining the two basic ways in

which the term culture is used, cultural tourism can also be separated into a product-based

approach and a process-based approach.

Related to the product-based definition of culture, the first approach, the 'sites and

monuments' or descriptive approach, typically outlines the types of attractions visited by cultural

tourists. The definition provided by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) is a prime example.

Cultural tourism refers to a segment of the industry that places special emphasis on cultural

attractions. These attractions are varied, and include performances, museums, displays, and the

like. In developed areas, cultural attractions include museums, plays, and orchestral and other

musical performances .... In less developed areas, they might include traditional religious

practices, handicrafts, or cultural performances (cited in Gee and Fyos-Sola, 1997, p.120).

Similar to the technical definitions of tourism, the product-based approach is useful for



27

quantitative research on cultural tourism as it allows researchers to identify, count and interview

visitors at cultural attractions. The problem with this particular approach, however, is that most

of the definitions are focused on what is considered to be 'high' culture, when in fact the forms of

culture being consumed by tourists are expanding. In addition to seeking 'high' culture, through a

visit to a museum or a play, tourists are also engaged in forms of 'low' culture as well as

activities such as simply 'soaking up the atmosphere' of a destination, or sampling the local food

(Richards, 1 996b).The second approach identified by Bonink is what is referred to as the

conceptual or experiential approach, whose definitions tend to emphasize motivation and

experience (CTC, 1999; Poria et al, 2001; Richards, 1 996b; Zeppel and Hall, 1991). For

example, the European Association for Tourism and Leisure Education's (ATLAS) conceptual

definition of cultural tourism is: "the movement of persons to cultural attractions away from their

normal place of residence, with the intention to gather new information and experiences to

satisfy their cultural needs" (cited in Richards, 1 996b, p.24).

The ATLAS definition positions motivation as central, and also highlights an educational and

learning component that is often considered important by cultural tourists. Another definition

that makes clear the importance of motivation is that from the Canadian Tourism Commission

(1999), which states that "cultural.. .tourism occurs when participation in a cultural or heritage

activity is a significant factor for travelling" (p.2). A definition which places experience as

central is provided by Borley, who states that cultural tourism is "that activity which enables

people to explore or experience the different ways of life of other people, reflecting the social

customs, religious traditions and the intellectual ideasof a cultural heritage which may be

unfamiliar" (cited in Meethan, 2001, p. 128). The conceptual or experiential approach to cultural

tourism is useful because it is not restricted by a checklist of cultural activities like the 'sites and



28

monuments or descriptive approach, but instead allows room for changes in the variety of culture

consumed by tourists. Furthermore, since most tourism could be considered cultural to some

degree (in that visits will usually involve some exposure to aspects of other cultures),

incorporating motivation as a central element is important. For the purposes of this thesis,

therefore, when referring to cultural tourism, a simple visit to a museum is not enough to make it

a cultural tourism experience. Instead, the desire to visit and experience culture needs to be of

central importance to the tourist. What remains, therefore, is to provide a concrete definition of

cultural tourism. While the 'sites and monuments' or descriptive approach may be useful

quantitatively, it is too restrictive and therefore a more conceptual approach is appropriate.

A modified version of Borley's definition will be used here. Cultural tourism is a segment of

the industry occurring when people are motivated wholly or in part to explore or experience the

different ways of life and/or ideas of other people, reflecting the social customs, religious

traditions and cultural heritage which may be unfamiliar. Cultural tourism, as it is used here, is

considered to be an umbrella term incorporating 'heritage tourism', 'historical tourism', 'arts

tourism' and 'ethnic tourism'.

Cultural tourism has emerged as a significant niche market within the tourism industry. While

far from being considered a new phenomenon, the increasing popularity of cultural tourism is

directly related to the growing belief that mass tourism has damaged cultures and environments

exposed to it. As a segment of the larger 'new' tourism market, cultural tourism prides itself on

promoting sustainability centered on respect for the cultures of host societies. While this point of

view is not entirely unreasonable, what should not be forgotten is that tourism has the ability to

reshape nature and culture to its own ends and from this, cultural tourism is not exempt.



29

Other definition for cultural tourism

A definition for cultural tourism that we have developed at Lord’s is as follows: “Visits by

persons from outside the host community motivated wholly or in part by interest in the historical,

artistic, scientific or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a community, region, group or institution.”

This is very close to the Heritage Tourism Program’s definition, “the practice of traveling to

experience historic and cultural attractions to learn about a community’s heritage in an enjoyable

and educational way”. The difference in the definitions can help you understand that cultural

tourism is a motivation that may be all consuming, applicable to 15% of travelers, or it may be

partial, of interest to more than 80% of travelers. That’s the power of cultural tourism.

Definition for cultural tourism by Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program:

“ The practice of traveling to experience historic and cultural attractions to learn about a

community’s heritage in an enjoyable and educational way”

Definition for cultural tourism by LORD Cultural Resources

Visits by persons from outside the host community motivated wholly or in part by interest in the

historical, artistic, scientific or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a community, region, group or

institution” .

'Cultural tourism' (or culture tourism) is the subset of tourism concerned with a country or

region's culture, especially its arts. It generally focuses on traditional communities who have

diverse customs, unique form of art and distinct social practices, which distinguishes it from

other types/forms of culture.

Cultural tourism includes tourism in urban areas, particularly historic or large cities and their

cultural facilities such as museums and theatres. It can also include tourism in rural areas



30

displaying the traditions of indigenous cultural communities (i.e. festivals, rituals), and their

values and lifestyle. It is generally agreed that cultural tourists spend substantially more than

standard tourists do. This form of tourism is also becoming generally more popular throughout

Europe.

Cultural Tourists With cultural tourism now defined, it is important to identify who participates in this market

segment and the type of cultural tourists that exist. In addition to providing simple operational

definitions that reflect the definition of cultural tourism (i.e. a cultural tourist is defined as

someone who visits, or intends to visit, a cultural attraction and/or participate in cultural

activities), a review of existing literature reveals that cultural tourists are identified using three

different, although not mutually exclusive, approaches. The first is the demographic approach,

the second is the motivation approach, and the third approach places the cultural tourist under the

category of moral tourist or traveler.

Mass tourism has long been the target of criticism. Even its strongest advocates acknowledge

that mass tourism creates a wide range of problems, several of the which are outlined by Richard

Butler (1992, p.33) as follows: price rises (lab our, goods, taxes,

land); change in local attitudes and behavior; pressure on people (crowding, disturbance,

alienation); loss of resources, access, rights, privacy; denigration or prostitution of local culture;

reduction of aesthetics; pollution in various forms; lack of control over the destination's future;

and specific problems such as vandalism, litter, traffic, and low-paid seasonal employment. the

belief that mass tourism has brought social, cultural, economic and environmental havoc, has led

to calls for changes in tourism practices and the promotion of 'new' forms of tourism. 'New'



31

forms of tourism have therefore emerged claiming that their impacts are less destructive than

those of their mass tourism counterpart. As a development option, cultural tourism "has a

positive economic and social impact, it establishes and reinforces identity, it helps build image, it

helps preserve the cultural and historical heritage, with culture as an instrument it facilitates

harmony and understanding among people, it supports culture and helps renew tourism"

(UNESCO, 2003, p.5). While these claims have some merit, Butler (1992) believes that "to

promote another form of tourism as a solution to the multiple problems which can be caused by

extensive and long term tourism development is somewhat akin to selling nineteenth-century

wonder medicines, and such promotion needs to be evaluated carefully and objectively" (p.35).

According to Butler, making simplistic and idealized comparisons between mass and new

forms of tourism "such that one is obviously undesirable and the other close to perfection, is not

only inadequate, it is grossly misleading".

Cultural tourism is among the 'new' forms of tourism that claim to be less harmful and more

benevolent towards cultures. Cultural tourists participating in this form of tourism describe

themselves as 'thinking' tourists who are more cautious, sensitive and constructive with regards

to their behavior. According to Brian Wheeller (1997) however, claiming a less destructive

approach appeases the guilt of thinking tourists while they continue to spread global tourism.

The impacts of tourism are most frequently seen as economic, environmental and social and

cultural, with the latter two often combined into one.

Cultural Tourism as a Passport to Peace and Understanding Among the various benefits attributed to tourism is its role in promoting goodwill,

understanding and therefore peace between people of different nations and cultures. According



32

to McIntosh, Goeldner and Ritchie (1995), tourism has the potential to be the largest peace-time

movement in the history of humankind. The World Tourism Organization supports this vision in

stating that "intercultural awareness and personal friendships fostered through tourism are a

powerful force for improving international understanding and contributing to peace among all

the nations of the world" (WTO, n.d.).

If tourism in general has the power to promote peace and understanding, the cultural tourism

market is in an even greater position to do so, as the desire for cultural encounters is a central

motivating force for travel.

In their analysis of tourism and peace, Var and Ap (1998) claim that two perspectives dominate

- the socio-cultural and the political. The socio-cultural perspective, considered to be the

predominant viewpoint (and is echoed in the quotations from the WTO and UNESCO above),

focuses on tourism as an ambassador for cultural encounters which provide an opportunity for

better understanding as well as an opportunity to exchange ideas and information. By contrast,

the political perspective focuses on the importance of tourism as a means of establishing and

improving political relations between countries. Another approach to this issue is offered by

Reisinger and Turner (2003), who use the contact hypothesis as a means to explore the

relationship between tourism and peace and understanding. The positive outcomes of contact

between people from different cultures are described as follows: social contact between

individuals from different cultures results in mutual appreciation, understanding, respect,

tolerance and liking.. .develops positive attitudes.. .reduces ethnic prejudices, stereotypes, and

racial tension.. .and improves the social interactions between individuals. It also contributes to

cultural enrichment and learning about others. Clearly, there is widespread confidence in the

power of tourism to change the way people view and understand each other for the better, but



33

does it work? There has in fact been very little research done on the subject, and while some of

the limited studies conclude that tourism helps promote mutual appreciation and understanding,

the relationship between tourism and world peace is tenuous at best (Var and Ap, 1998). Studies

conducted by Belisle and Hoy (1980), Liu et a1 (1987) and Var and Ap (1988) provide empirical

data which indicate that through

cultural exchange, an understanding and appreciation of people from different cultures does

occur, in some cases resulting in the lessening of misconceptions or prejudices. Improving the

atmosphere of world peace through tourism, however, is much more difficult to measure. In fact,

a cross-national study summarized by Var and Ap (1998), in which respondents where asked to

respond to the statement 'I believe that tourism promotes world peace', showed that a high degree

of uncertainty was apparent, with one third of the respondents providing a neutral response. So

while the general conclusion drawn about the ability of tourism to promote international peace is

one of skepticisms, the potential that tourism can play in generating cultural understanding at an

individual level should not be overlooked. With cultural tourism as a significant niche market,

and therefore the desire to experience and learn about other cultures a significant motivation for

travel, the possibility for a deeper and better appreciation and understanding of people from

different cultures is considerable. Indeed when compared to their mass tourist counterpart,

cultural tourists argue that they achieve a higher degree of understanding and insight, while mass

tourists impose their culture on the host, whose culture is of little interest to them (Butcher,

2003). This is not to say that all cultural encounters between cultural tourists and their hosts will

result in greater appreciation and understanding different people have different abilities to

engage in cultural attractions and experiences based on an array of factors, "which include their



34

level of education, awareness of the site prior to the visit, preconceptions of the site, interest in it,

its meaning to them, time availability, the presence or absence of competing

activities that vie for their time and a host of other factors" (McKercher, 2002, p.31).

Furthermore, there are certainly those individuals who would suggest that the role tourism plays

in generating cultural harmony is exaggerated and "out of step with on-the-ground developments

in world tourism - an activity increasingly characterized by conflict" (Robinson, 1999a,). As

Robinson (1 999a) attests, ". . .degrees of distance between the value systems, social class,

attitudes and patterns of behavior which tourism individuals and groups posses, and those held

by the host community.. .[are] all points of potential misunderstandings and conflict". So

although cultural tourists pride themselves on being aware of the importance of cultural

difference in the host-tourist encounter and therefore adopt a more cautious and sensitive

approach with regards to their behavior, they are not exempt from conducting themselves

inappropriately. While possibly more aware of cultural differences, cultural tourists are no more

able to completely shed those value systems, attitudes, etc., that contribute to conflict, than are

their mass tourist counterparts. Additionally, as will be seen in subsequent sections, because

cultural tourism contributes to the commoditization of cultures, often what the tourist is seeing or

experiencing has been fabricated for their consumption, and as such, "tourists get staged

authenticity; instead of getting exotic culture, they get kitsch" (Robinson, 1999b, p.22). In this

situation, three things may occur. The first is that if greater understanding does occur, one must

ask if it has been based on a false representation of culture and therefore is this so-called

understanding real? Secondly, most tourists visit a destination with an image already formed in

their minds, and if what they see does not meet with their expectations, cultural harmony and

understanding may instead be replaced with frustration and disappointment. Lastly, a certain



35

degree of resentment on the part of the host community may occur as a result of the

commoditization of their culture. Two key concepts introduced in the above section will now be

examined at further length. Authenticity and co modification are central to cultural tourism and

its impacts, and therefore deserve a great deal of consideration. The subsequent portions of the

chapter will begin with an examination of the concept of authenticity and its relationship to

cultural tourism, followed by an analysis of commoditization and its numerous impacts.

Authenticity

Cohen (1988a) suggests that most contemporary literature dealing with the impacts of tourism

on host societies relies on several basic assumptions. First, tourism is said to lead to

commoditization, which is subsequently said to destroy the authenticity of local cultural products

and human relations, resulting in staged authenticity, which is then believed to prevent the

tourists' genuine desire for authentic experiences. The commoditization of culture is therefore of

central importance in tourism studies, especially cultural tourism, which considers authenticity a

central element. Before discussing commoditization, however, it is first essential to explore

authenticity.

Over the past two decades, authenticity has been the catalyst for numerous lively discussions,

debates and analyses, resulting in as many definitions as there are those who write about it.

Taylor (2001) believes that this is not surprising considering "the persuasive force that the notion

of authenticity wields in Western ideological discourse, and the many uses it may be put therein"

(p.8). It is even commonplace to hear references to authenticity in everyday discussion. How

often have we heard people refer to their travel experiences as real or unreal, authentic or fake,

and how often are we presented with guide books and travel programs that endorse the search for

real and authentic experiences? As Rick Steves host of Europe Through the Back Door claims,



36

"you can go deeper than traditions put on display for tourists. A more intimate Europe survives.

You find it best by becoming a temporary locl [sic]. Make new friends where there are no

postcards. Try the barnacles. Join the village parade.. . and do the Slovenian polka". He further

encourages viewers to "find your own back doors. Go down dead ends. Find places with no tour

buses, no freeway access, and no hotels. Vernazza has no modern hotels, and that's good news. It

keeps away that slice of the traveling public that demands all the four-star comforts" (Steves,

n.d.). But just what is authenticity? When reviewing the literature on authenticity and tourism,

three broad definitional approaches are identified: the objective, the constructive and the

existential (Jamal and Hill, 2002; Meethan, 2001; Wang, 1999).

Authenticity and Cultural Tourism While authenticity may not be central to certain types of tourism, it is especially important

within the realm of cultural tourism, and is a basic principle for this kind of tourism

development. UNESCO (2003), for example, states that its role in cultural tourism will be to

"devise cultural tourism policies which can sustain cultural pluralism and preserve cultural

diversity as well as the authenticity of the living and monumental heritage". Gail Dexter Lord

(1999) further suggests "that while significant opportunities for cultural tourism emerge from

identified trends and patterns, opportunities must be considered in the context of expectations

held by the cultural tourist; for example, a desire for - and expectation of - experiences rather

than objects, authenticity rather than fabrication, and the desire to contribute to a sustainable

environment". Generally speaking, it is usually the museum-linked or objective usage of

authenticity that has been extended to cultural tourism, asserting that the destinations visited

possess some kind of static, immovable characteristics, disregarding the possibility that

authenticity is a label attached to the visited cultures in terms of stereotyped images and



37

expectations held by members of the tourist-sending society (Butcher, 2003; Taylor, 2001;

Wang, 1999). "For example, products of tourism such as works of art, festivals, rituals, cuisine,

dress, housing, and so on are usually described as 'authentic' or 'inauthentic' in terms of the

criterion of whether they are made or enacted 'by local people according to custom or tradition'.

[And in this sense], 'authenticity connotes traditional culture and origin, a sense of the genuine,

the real or the unique" (Sharpley cited in Wang, 1999, p. 350-351).

Studies have further proposed that cultural tourists also view authenticity in this objective

sense. Gordon Waitt (2000) suggests that the reason for this is in part because tourists are

unfamiliar with the constructivist viewpoint, and are therefore more likely to understand

authenticity within the true false/continuum. Littrell et al's (1993) study supports Waitt's

perspective, revealing that the respondents in their study tended to take an objective view of

authenticity, citing factors such as handmade appearance, illustration of cultural and historical

ties, written documentation of authenticity and time and location of production. Taking it one

step further, May (1996) suggests that even individuals who have a relatively sophisticated

understanding of constructivism appear to abandon those understandings in the context of travel.

Furthermore, authenticity in cultural tourism tends to be viewed as synonymous with cultures

that remain rooted in the past and the traditional, resulting in the belief that these cultures possess

all the qualities that the West has lost (Cohen, 1988a; MacCannell, 1973, 1976; Meethan, 2001;

Mowforth and Munt, 1998; Waitt, 2000). This view is summarized by Taylor (2001) as follows:

the narrative of authenticity, when applied to culture, finds its corollary and model in the "tragic"

experience of modernity. It is made to correspond to a perceived death in the Western psyche

which has abandoned its authenticity in the quest of progress and technology.. . ."Theym [non-

western] become the lost sacredness of Western culture, they become its Other, and they are



38

ascribed a spiritual and physical authenticity which the materialist West has somehow lost It is

clear that authenticity plays a crucial role in cultural tourism. Tourists in this market typically

pride themselves on being interested in learning about the culture of their host in such a way as

to ensure minimal impact on the host society. While certainly noble in intent, because they are

frequently dissatisfied with so called 'staged' authenticity, cultural tourists will routinely seek out

areas that have not yet been 'polluted' by hordes of mass tourists, which in turn creates the very

situation they are trying to avoid. Cultural tourists will therefore often become unintentional

pioneers of mass tourist penetration into previously 'in spoilt' areas, resulting in more covert and

more insidious forms of staged authenticity, as compared to those typical of mass tourism

(Cohen, 1989). Paradoxically, Cohen claims, this development takes place precisely because the

principal 'commodity' that is offered is authenticity. So while mass tourism is commonly blamed

for environmental and cultural damage, new forms of tourism, specifically cultural tourism, also

contribute to this damage. Mowforth and Munt (1998) comment that "...it is essential that we

challenge the tacit assumption that the emergence of new forms of tourism is both designed for,

and will result in, surmounting the problems that have been identified" (p.63-4). As cultural

tourism continues to increase in popularity, and therefore cultural objects, activities and

experiences become more highly sought after, commoditization, resulting in a loss of

'authenticity', becomes a likely possibility.

Cultural product

refers to events such as a performance or exhibition, places such as a heritage facility or gallery,

and commercial products such as craft, paintings, sculpture, recordings, film, books, etc



39

Program:

“The practice of traveling to experience historic and cultural attractions to learn about a

community’s heritage in an enjoyable and educational way”

Key Principles in cultural tourism

1. Destination Planning:

As the issue of globalization takes place to this modern time, the challenge of preserving the

few remaining cultural community around the world is becoming hard. In a tribal based

community, reaching economic advancement with minimal negative impacts is an essential

objective to any destination planner. Since they are using the culture of the region as the main

attraction, sustainable destination development of the area is vital for them to prevent the

negative impacts (i.e. destroying the authentic identity of the tribal community) due to tourism.

2.Management Issues:

Certainly, the principle of "one size fits all” doesn’t apply to destination planning. The needs,

expectations, and anticipated benefits from tourism vary greatly from one destination to another.

This is clearly exemplified as local communities living in regions with tourism potential

(destinations) develop a vision for what kind of tourism they want to facilitate, depending on

issues and concerns they want to be settled or satisfied.



40

3. Planning Guides:

Culture: The heart of development policy: It is important that the destination planner takes

into account the diverse definition of culture as the term is subjective. Satisfying tourists'

interests such as landscapes, seascapes, art, nature, traditions, ways of life and other products

associated to them -which may be categorized cultural in the broadest sense of the word, is a

prime consideration as it marks the initial phase of the development of a cultural destination. The

quality of service and destination, which doesn't solely depend on the cultural heritage but more

importantly to the cultural environment, can further be developed by setting controls and policies

which shall govern the community and its stakeholders. It is therefore safe to say that the planner

should be on the ball with the varying meaning of culture itself as this fuels the formulation of

development policies that shall entail efficient planning and monitored growth (e.g. strict policy

on the protection and preservation of the community). While satisfying tourists' interests and

demands may be a top priority, it is also imperative to ruminate the subsystems of the

destination's (residents). Development pressures should be anticipated and set to their minimum

level so as to conserve the area's resources and prevent a saturation of the destination as to not

abuse the product and the residents correspondingly. The plan should incorporate the locals to its

gain by training and employing them and in the process encourage them to participate to the

travel business. Keep in mind that the plan should make travelers not only aware about the

destination but also concern on how to help it sustain its character while broadening their

traveling experience.



41

4-Sources of Data

The core of a planner’s job is to design an appropriate planning process and facilitate community

decision. Ample information, which is a crucial requirement, is contributed through various

technical researches and analyzes. Here are some of the helpful tools commonly used by

planners to aid them:

1. Key Informant Interviews

2. Libraries, Internet, and Survey Research

3. Census and Statistical Analysis

4. Spatial Analysis with Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning

System (GPS) technologies

5-Key Institutions

The government’s local authorities and the official tourism board or council, with the

involvement of various community and indigenous representatives, development organizations,

and the academe, primarily leads participating structures.



42

Section 2

Applied research



43

Asli gruel ucer (2006) Expreses that cultural tourism as tool for sustaining local values

and he mentioned Visiting historic sites, cultural landmarks, attending special events and

festivals, or visiting museums have always been a part of cultural tourism experience. With

increasing urbanization, destinations in both industrialized and developing countries with

significant natural features, scenery, cultural heritage or biodiversity are becoming increasingly

popular sites for tourist destinations too. Beypazarý has an advantage by located near to the two

biggest cities –Ankara and Ýstanbul- in Turkey. This location characteristic brings an advantage

for accessibility of the settlement and improving cultural tourism.

Beypazarý has so many historical values which form a basis for cultural tourism; on the other

hand there is a need to emphasize this potential by various events and attractions.

Cultural events and attractions play a significant role in cultural tourism and increase both the

number of tourists and the number of nights they spend in the location. Exhibitions and concerts

should be organized and the number of cultural events like festivals should be increased in order

to sustain the cultural tourism in Beypazary.

Kenedy I .ondimu investigated in his study in cultural tourism in Kenya and

This study investigates the cultural heritage of the Gusii community in Western Kenya, with

particular emphasis on their attachment to its preservation and conservation. A questionnaire was

used and a random sample of the inhabitants interviewed. Factor analysis with the aid of SPSS

was used to analyze the data. Eleven cultural heritage elements or factors in need of preservation

and exploitation for tourism were found. The study went one step further to explore why tourists

visit cultural heritage sites and the results were used to develop an attraction development model

to guide cultural tourism planning.



44

Tianyu Yinga,_, Yongguang Zhoub had rsearched in Community, governments and external

capitals in China’s rural cultural tourism: A comparative study of two adjacent villages and

Using qualitative methods, this paper compares the experiences of tourism development in two

of China’s most famous rural cultural tourism destinations (Xidi and Hongcun). Although high-

leveled similarities in tourism settings are shared between these two adjacent destinations,

dramatic differences have also been found in their outcomes of tourism developments. Based on

two case studies, a new communal approach for tourism development, which is prevailing in

rural China, is summarized and its in.uences on community participation in tourism are then

discussed. By examining the contesting process for the exclusive right for tourism development

and operation deriving from the communal approach, the paper analyses the power relations

among the stakeholders of the tourism developments in the two cases, and argues that a de.nite

legal description of such kind of developmental right is a premise to desirable interrelations

among tourism stakeholders, and will be conducive to a more participatory community in

China’s current rural cultural tourism developments.

Lucero Morales Cano in his researches in ‘CULTURAL TOURISM, THE STATE, AND DAY

OF THE DEAD’ has mentioned Using Day of the Dead in the rural Mexican community of

Huaquechula as an example, this paper analyzes how various levels of the state, in its roles as

planner, marketer of cultural meanings, and arbiter of such practices, mediate between cultural

tourism and local identity in a global context. It shows that the results have been met with

opposition from some community groups. Although such opposition has caused the state to

rethink its strategy, it remains intent on using its new program of cultural tourism as an

alternative form of development in rural Mexico.



45

Bob Mac kercher in his article ‘Assessing the Tourism Potential of Smaller Cultural and

Heritage Attractions’ has worked on the development and application of a mechanism to

assess the tourism potential of cultural and heritage assets. The assessment tool considers

cultural, physical, product and experiential values. It was tested on a sample of 16 secondary

museums, historic sites and temples in Hong Kong that are currently being promoted by the local

destination management organization. While their cultural and physical values were rated

strongly, their tourism and experiential values were low. Indeed, a number of fatal flaws were

identified that effectively precluded most of them from ever functioning as viable attractions.

Remoteness, isolation from other attractions, small scale, a lack of uniqueness and poor setting

exacerbated their weaknesses

- Lucero Morales Cano in his article CULTURAL TOURISM, THE STATE,

AND DAY OF THE DEAD has worked on Using Day of the Dead in the rural Mexican

community of Huaquechula as an example, this paper analyzes how various levels of the state, in

its roles as planner, marketer of cultural meanings, and arbiter of such practices, mediate

between cultural tourism and local identity in a global context. It shows that the results have

been met with opposition from some community groups. Although such opposition has caused

the state to rethink its strategy, it remains intent on using its new program of cultural tourism as

an alternative form of development in rural Mexico.



46

Chapter three

Research Methodology



47

Research Process

Research can be performed in many different ways. However, what all research has in

common is that it involves a sequence of activities that are highly interrelated and that together

constitute the research process. It’s not possible to state that the activities in the research process

always follows a straight order, but it’s however possible to describe a common pattern.

The research process is cyclical since conclusions from the study often generate new problems

and ideas that need to be further investigated. In this study the research process presented above

has been followed to a quite great extent. However, some adaptations had to be made in order to

fit to the specific situation for this research.

Type of Research

there are three classifications of research available when dealing with a research problem:

exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory.

According to this classification this research is descriptive because I explain a phenomena.

Descriptive Research

The major objective with a descriptive research is to describe something, such as a population

or phenomena. (Yin, 1994) This kind of research is often used as a forerunner to exploratory

research in order to get a good picture of a phenomenon. It seeks to answer who, what, where,

and how questions. Consequently, a descriptive research doesn’t give the answer to why

questions, in other words, it doesn’t give the explanation of the cause of the findings. However,

when solving business problems is often enough with the information obtained from describing a

situation, it is not required to know why things are the way they are. (Zikmund, 2000).



48

In order to perform descriptive research the researcher must have prior knowledge about the

problem situation and the information needed is clearly defined. In fact, this is the major

difference between exploratory and descriptive research, as well as that the descriptive research

must be structured and the methods for selecting sources of information and collecting data are

pre-planned and formal. (Malhotra, 1996)

According to this definition in my thesis because I compared Iran cultural tourism & turkey

cultural tourism this kinds of research referred to descriptive category.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Approach

The research approach is often either quantitative or qualitative (Patel & Tebelius, 1987).

Qualitative data implies “soft” data, such as “atmosphere at work”, and is often presented as

words and observations. Quantitative data implies “hard” data, like information on profits gained

and order size, and is often presented as numbers that will determine the quantity or extent of

some phenomena.

In more details a quantitative approach implies the search for knowledge that will measure,

describe, and explain the phenomena of our reality (Patel & Tebelius, 1987). Quantitative

research is often formalized and well structured. Quantitative research is usually associated with

the natural science mode of research, data is quantitative, obtained from samples and

observations seeking for relationships and patterns that can be expressed in numbers rather then

words. (Tull & Hawkins, 1990)



49

According to this definition my thesis is a kinds of qualitative research because I describe a

phenomena and also I haven’t any numeric process. and I just compared Iran and turkey cultural

tourism in general not by the statistics.

Research strategy

According to Yin (1994) there are five primary research strategies, in the social sciences:

experiments, surveys, archival analysis, histories, and case studies. Each strategy has its own

advantages and disadvantages.

And also my thesis is based on survey strategy .

Data Collection Methods According to Saunders et al. (2000) there are two types of data, secondary and primary data.

Data that has already been collected by other researchers for another purpose is called secondary

data Primary data is data that a researcher collects on his/her own for a specific purpose.

(Eriksson & Wiedersheim-Paul, 2001)

In my thesis I used secondary data.

According to Yin (1994) there are six different sources for data collection; documentation,

archival records, interviews, directs observations, participant observation and physical artifacts.

All of these sources of evidence have both strengths and weaknesses, but none is considered

superior to the other. Yin therefore recommends using several of them while a good research

should thereby include as many sources as possible.



50

Documentation

documentary information includes, written reports from events and communication,

administrative documents (proposals, progress reports, and internal documents), formal

studies/evaluations of the site under investigation, and articles from mass media. In this research

I used several types of documents from the ministry of tourism and culture of turkey and cultural

heritage office of Iran and some articles from unwto and unesco ,in addition I used from some

articles in science direct ,emerald,…

Archival Records organizational records, maps and charts, lists of names, survey data previous collected and

personal records such as diaries and calendars. in this research try to use some graphs and

diagram via statistic sites of WTO and iran and turkey tourism ministry and UNESCO .

Interviews

there are different forms of interviews, such as open-ended interview, Focused interview, and

survey. Open-ended interviews are performed in a conversational manner. The respondent may

provide facts, opinions about events, and own insights about occurrences. With the focused

interview the main purpose is to confirm facts that already have been established and not ask

questions of a broader nature. The interview last for a short period of time, for about an hour, and

the questions derives form a protocol. Finally, the survey implies more structured questions. In

this research I interviewed with some cultural tourism expert and some employees in Turkish

embassy(cultural departments) .(1)

……………………………………………………………………………………….

Metin.kozak(personal communication,September,3.2007)



51

Direct Observation

visits to the case study site which enables direct observations, through attending at meetings,

in classrooms, or by visiting the factory. In this thesis I haven’t any observation methods.

Participant Observation

a special mode of observation where the observer can participate in events being studied, such

as being a resident in a neighborhood being studied. and also I haven’t ant participant

observation

Physical Artifacts

a technological device, an instrument, a work of art, or some other physical evidence that may

be collected or observed when making a visit at the case study site. (Yin, 1994)in this research I

didn’t use any physical artifacts.

Conclusion

As a result this research based on Descriptive Research and describe cultural tourism in Iran

and turkey and for selecting sources of information and collecting data have pre-planned and

formal. and information gathered through desktop research, discussion with heritage tourism

managers and stakeholder workshops. Discussions with heritage representative in Iran cultural

heritage corporation provided the detail of their regional organizational structure and how this

functioned and interview with cultural parts of embassy of turkey in Tehran .this research is a

kinds of qualitative research because I have 4 question and also one main question and I tried to

reply to these question and I describe a phenomena and also I haven’t any numeric process. and I

just compared Iran and turkey .

3- Methodology chart



52

Methodology

Exploratory Descriptive Explanatory

Quantitative Qualitative

Research strategy

Experiment Case study

Archival analysis

Histories

Survey

Data collection

Secondary Primary

Interview

Direct observation

Participant observation

Documentation

Physical artifact

written reports

formal studies/evaluati

ons

administrative documents

articles



53

Chapter four

Discussion



54

Introduction

TOURISM AND CULTURAL TOURISM

Tourism is generally defined as; “Tourism comprises the activities of persons traveling to and

staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for

leisure, business and other purposes” (WTO, 1993).

Tourism is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries and also one of the biggest

income generators especially developing countries. According to the World Travel and Tourism

Council (WTTC), tourism supports 234 million jobs world-wide, which represents 8.7% of total

employment or 1 in every 11.5 jobs (WTTC, 2006).

Cultural tourism, on the other hand, can be defined in a variety of ways. But there are two

basic approaches in the definition of cultural tourism: the “sites and monuments” or

descriptive approach, and the experimental or conceptual approach (Bonink, 1992 cited in

MacDonald, 2004). Some definitions are therefore focused primarily on the attractions

visited (Fyall and Garrod, 1998; Gee and Fyos-Sola, 1997), while others choose to focus

on visitors’ motivations and perceptions rather than on specific site attributes (Poria et al, 2001;

Zeppel and Hall, 1991). Cultural tourism can also be separated into a product-based approach

and a process-based approach which can be matched with sites and

monuments and experiments in that order (MacDonald, 1999:21). The product-based approach

and “sites and monuments” or descriptive approach typically outline the types of attractions

visited by cultural tourists. The definition of World Tourism Organization (WTO) is very crucial

example for this approach; “Cultural tourism refers to a segment of the industry that places

special emphasis on cultural attractions. These attractions are



55

varied, and include performances, museums, displays and the like. In developed areas, cultural

attractions include museums, plays and orchestral and other musical performances. In less

developed areas, they might include traditional religious practices, handicrafts, or cultural

performances” (Fyos-Sola, 1997:120). A typical list of the types of sites or attractions which are

considered to attract cultural tourists is provided by

ECTARC (1989);

a) archaeological sites and museums

b) architecture (ruins, famous buildings, whole towns)

c) art, sculpture, crafts, galleries, festivals, events

d) music and dance (classical, folk, contemporary)

e) drama (theatre, films, dramatists)

f) language and literature study, tours, events

g) religious festivals, pilgrimages)

I) health tourism



56

the bellow table compare the tourism arrival in Iran and turkey(4-1)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1st Qtr

IranTurkey



57

4-2 cultural tourism development

Drama and

theater

Music and dance(folk

-classic)

Art and handicraft

Language and

literature

Health tourism

Architecture and famous building

Archeological site

and museum

Pilgrimage and

festival

Cultural tourism

development



58

Cultural tourism development in turkey

Turkey has a share of 2.5% in the world tourism market. The country, which registered

tourism revenue of $10.6 billion in 2004, ranked the eighth country in the world in terms of

biggest tourism revenue after China.

Sector Overview and Trends

The tourism has enjoyed rapid growth for most of the past two decades. The number of

tourists who visited Turkey increased to 14 million from a mere 1.6 million during 1983-93,

while the direct tourism revenues increased to $9.7 billion from $411 million during the same

period.

The year 2005 was a turning point for tourism in Turkey. Since the September 11 attacks in

New York, the rate of tourism had been in decline, until 2004. 2004 saw 29% growth in the

number of arrivals. 2005, with a foreign visitor arrival growth rate of 25%, indicated a

sustainable growth and stability for the Turkish tourism. Although the number of incoming

tourists did not show a boom in 2005, incoming tourist receipts amounted to US$11.9 billion in

2005 compared to US$10.6 billion in 2004.

In 2005, the biggest change occurred in the number of tourists coming from non-European

countries. USA, Iran, Denmark, and Syria were the countries which showed the highest growth

rate in the number of arrivals to Turkey.

The sector reached new heights during the last few years. Turkish tourism revenues in 2005

realized as about $18.2 billion, an increase of 118% over the past three years.

It ranks among the world’s most visited countries, with a record breaking 21.1 million in 2005

(20.4% growth) and 17.5 million in 2004 (24.9% growth). In 2005, the growth ratio of Israel and



59

Croatia in terms of arrivals was 7%, and in Spain 6%. The number of tourists worldwide

increased 5.5% last year. The World Tourism Organization Turkey set the target of 30 million

tourists for Turkey in 2010. However, with its performance in 2005, Turkey has already

exceeded this target and unofficial target is currently 50 million tourists by 2010.(ministry of

culture and tourism,2006)

• Turkey remains well placed to increase its share of a growing international tourism market.

Projections made on the tourism developments point out to the need for new investments,

including accommodation and infrastructure. The bed capacity is about 450,000, while the

expectation of 50 million tourists by 2010 requests that the bed capacity will rise to well over 1

million. The chairman of the Tourism Investors Foundation said that they expected $10 billion

investments for hotels, marinas, golf courses and shopping centers only, disregarding

infrastructure work required. He stated that Istanbul, in particular, needed to increase its current



60

5-star bed capacity considerably. The April 2006 report of GYODER (the Association of Real

Estate Investment Companies) stated that Istanbul needed an additional 91,325 beds by 2015.

Assuming that this requirement is met through five and three to four star hotels, 60 five star and

276 three star hotels are needed only in Istanbul. Istanbul topped the list of hotel occupancy rate

list in 2005, a study by Deloitte Moscow stated. In income per room, Istanbul ranked second

after Moscow. The government extends generous incentives for tourism investments, including

allocation of land.

• Cultural tourism and faith tourism is increasingly gaining recognition as an area of strong

tourism potential and, presents further scope for development. But this requires improving access

and infrastructure and hence considerable future investments.(ministry of culture

&tourism,2006) Meanwhile, historical sites will now be opened to investors through a build-

operate-transfer (BOT) model – bringing private capital into the preservation, renovation and

marketing of these attractions.



61

Turkey on the World Heritage List

Turkey has signed the World Heritage Convention in 1983 and through the work carried out

under the responsibility of the General Directorate for the Preservation of Cultural and Natural

Heritage has so far registered 9 locations on the World heritage List. Among these İstanbul,

Safranbolu, Boğazköy-Hattushash, Mt. Nemrut Remains, Xanthos-Lethoon, Divriği Great

Mosque and Hospital and Troy are registered as cultural, while Pamukkale and Göreme-

Cappadocia are registered both as cultural and natural heritage. Turkey has seen many

civilizations beginning from the earliest ages of humanity, signs of which are spread all around

the country. The spectacular examples of the natural wonders support this rich cultural heritage.

Besides the incredible diversity of nature, culture, history Turkey hosts many beliefs, philosophy

and ideas. When one thinks about this irreplaceable and incomparable civilizations and nature of

Turkey, we can see that this huge possession is not thoroughly reflected in the world heritage list.

Turkey having ratified the World Heritage Convention, 7 cultural and 2 mixed properties are

inscribed in the world heritage list.

a) Archaeological sites and museums in turkey

Museum in turkey are divided in two groups:

1-Museums of the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums

2-Private Museums

1-Museums of the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums, which some of them

are listed bellow:

Adana Archaeological Museum



62

Adana - Historical Ruins

Adana - Atatürk Museum

Adana Ethnography

Adana - Misis Mosaic Museum

Adıyaman Museum

Afyon Museum

Ağrı Ishak Pasha

Aksaray Museum

Amasya Museum

Ankara - Anatolian Civilizations Museum

The Augustus Temple of Ankara

Ankara - Ethnographical Museum

Ankara - Gordion Museum

Ankara - Roman Bath

Ankara - II. Turkish Grand National Assembly Republican Museum

Ankara - Independence War Museum (I.Turkish Grand National Assembly Building)

Ankara - State Museum of Painting and Sculpture

Antalya Museum

Antalya - Alanya Museum and the Ruins

Antalya - Alanya Dim Cavern

Antalya - Perge Theatre "Skene"

Antalya - Santa Claus

Antalya - Side Museum



63

Aydın - Milet Museum

Aydın - Historical Ruins

Isparta Museum

Isparta Yalvaç Psidia Antiokheia

İçel - Anamur Museum and Historical Ruins

İçel - Mersin Museum

Private Museums

Ankara – The 100th Year Sports History Museum

Ankara – The Atatürk's Residence During The War of Independence

Ankara – The Atatürk Museum In The Atatürk Model Farm

Ankara – The Beypazarı Culture and History Museum

Ankara – The Çankaya Köşk Museum

Ankara – The Education Museum

Ankara – The Girls Technical Education Institute Museum

Ankara – The Hacı Bayram Mosque

Ankara – The Mapping Museum of the Ministry of National Defence General Command of

Mapping

Ankara – The Mausoleum of Atatürk

Ankara – The Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) General Directorate History of

Nature Museum

Ankara – The Monument of The Sakarya Martyrs

Ankara – The Museum House of Mehmet Akif Ersoy



64

Ankara – The Museum of Middle East Technical University

Ankara - The Museum of Professional Education Faculty of Gazi University

Ankara - The Museum of T.C. Ziraat Bankası

Ankara - The Museum of the State Cemetrey

Ankara - The Railway Museums

Virtual Museums

Ağrı Ishak Pasha

Aphrodisias Museum

Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology

Denizli Hierapolis Archeology Museum

Dolmabahçe Palace

Ephesus Museum

Hagia Sophia Museum

Konya Mevlana Museum

Museum of Classical Ottoman (Divan) Literature

Noel Baba Kilisesinde Ayin

Perge Theatre "Skene"

Side Museum

Sumela Monastery

The St.İrene Church

Topkapı-1

Topkapı-2

Topkapı-3



65

Another Archaeological Works which is very important for attracting cultural tourist in turkey

is Ancient Jewelery Exhibited ,Ancient Glass of Asia Minor ,Elmalı Coins ,Historical

Relief Maps

Archaeological Site of Troy is one of the important archeological sites which attract thousands of

cultural tourist during a year.

Underwater cultural heritage is fascinating largely because of the mystery of the

surrounding location under water and its historical context. It is the reminder of a human

tragedy – the ending of a journey and a loss of human lives. The discovery of a wreck or

ruin enables people to step back into the past and relive the last moments of the ship and

its crew. In recent years, heritage under water has therefore attracted increasing attention.

The Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology has become one of the most popular

tourism sites in Turkey.

b) Architecture (ruins, famous buildings, whole towns) in turkey

Unesco has ind ic ated 8 World Heri tage Sites in tu rke y

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia (1985)

Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği (1985)

Historic Areas of Istanbul (1985)

Hattusha: the Hittite Capital (1986)

Nemrut Dağ (1987)

Hierapolis-Pamukkale (1988)

Xanthos-Letoon (1988)

City of Safranbolu (1994)



66

Archaeological Site of Troy (1998)

Folk Architecture

Folk architecture is the living environment people have created for themselves. We can define

local architecture as an architecture formed in the process of anonymous design which later

becomes traditional under the influence of various factors.

Local architecture is one of the most important sources of information to allow sientist to

understand and explain the ideas, views, traditions, customs and belief systems, family and

relationships and neighborhood relations of a community.

Official and monumental buildings are considered independent of local architecture. However,

such buildings as baths, fountains, coffee houses, etc. are also included within the framework of

local architecture in Turkey.

To examine local architecture, one must start with the natural and social environment and the

construction materials and techniques of local architecture.

• Economic structure,

• Lifestyle,

• Standards of judgment

• Relations within the Family and with Relatives,

• Effects of customs, local rules, traditions and beliefs on



67

Architectural elements all need to be considered in the context of local architecture. Local

architecture has no monumental purpose; in other words, structures are not built for the purpose

of leaving a deliberate trace behind them. Typical construction materials from the region in

question are used in local architecture. Therefore, similar buildings can be seen in places which

have similar regional conditions and geological structures. The buildings that make up local

architecture are built by their owners or local artisans. Generally speaking, local architecture has

an anonymous structure. Thus, local architecture is also called “Anonymous Architecture.”

A folklorist will look at a house within the framework of these criteria:

• The natural environment where it is constructed,

• Functions,

• Equipment, tools and construction materials used,

• Construction technique,

• Common practice and belief in the surrounding area.

Unless there is a major change in economic and social structure, local architecture remains

unchanged for many years. Products of local architecture which have not been created under a

specific project have specific, identifiable features in seven regions of Anatolia.

The Ministry of Culture’s, Research and Development of Local Cultures General Directorate has

been carrying out studies in this field. its main structural intentions and purposes. New buildings

should be created in order to meet the requirements of the changing cultural structure, along with

a response to traditional lifestyle. Local people who are ill-informed about the beauty and nature

of products of local architecture have rapidly been pulling these buildings down and constructing



68

new buildings which are extremely unhealthy for them. People need to be better informed on this

subject. Man is a whole together with his environment. Turkey has recently entered a rapid

urbanization process, together with technological developments and a changing cultural

structure. In order for buildings to be incorporated into this process, the following are essential:

• Architects, scientists and researchers should have sufficient knowledge of the social

sciences,

• Works should be carried out with the assistance of folklorists, starting from the planning

phase right through to completion,

• For a correct and true interpretation of changing cultural structures, folklorists and

sociologists should make joint evaluations and offer suggestions to architects, researchers

and scientists.

Nature is complemented by man. Right from the very earliest times, man has built a dwellings

and shelters for himself, and will continue to build houses in the future. Those houses are the

most important source of information regarding cultural structure.

Accelerating and decelerating factors for cultural tourism development in turkey in the field of

architectural heritages is: The links that the architectural heritage maintains with tourism and,

conversely, the links that the tourist sector is seeking to establish with the kind ‘of attraction

represented by an architecture that dates back sometimes thousands of years, are manifold.

Indeed, one of the requirements of international tourism today is the diversity of its product and

the very specific nature of the supply. This diversity is, however, under constant threat by the

power of mass international tourism to bring everything to the same level. Hence it is crucial for



69

turkey, which is threatened by the predominance of resort tourism, consistently to come up with

imaginative ways of renewing and diversifying their product.

c) art, sculpture, crafts, galleries, festivals, events in turkey

in turkey there is four types of art which is divided in 1-Visual Arts 2-Auditory Arts

3-Visual & Auditory Arts4- Traditional Arts

Handicrafts

Handicrafts have been around since man’s earliest days in accordance with the prevailing

environmental conditions. The first examples were necessities such as protection or coverings.

Handicrafts were later improved and adapted according to environmental conditions, eventually

becoming "traditional" and accepted as an art that reflects the artistic sense, feelings and cultural

characteristics of a society.

Traditional Turkish handicrafts form a rich mosaic by bringing together genuine values with the

cultural heritage of the different civilizations which have passed through Anatolia over the

millennia

Accelerating and decelerating factors in cultural tourism development in turkey in the field

of handicraft is: turkey is a country with a rich craft industry, where there is considerable

government involvement and links with tourism.

Traditional arts and trades are, indeed, seen as key factors in cultural, economic and tourist

spheres. Public authority support for the development of the craft industry can be broadly



70

categorized into three major types of intervention: training, investment incentives and the

organization of cooperatives.

Products available to the tourist or potential visitor to turkey are one of the most effective means

of tourist promotion.

craft exhibitions and the regular organization of the Craft Industry , which is always the occasion

for a variety of events, including exhibitions and promotional campaigns, are other attractions

which bring in tourists, showing them the originality of the host country and society and offering

an alternative product to the beach resort.

In conclusion, it can be said that the relationships between tourism on the one hand and the craft

industry on the other are both real and encouraged by the governmental authorities. By making

the most of the quality and diversity of the craft industry, tourism is improving its brand image,

while tourist demand for craft items energizes the craft industry.

In turkey, for example, where the pressure of tourism is older and stronger, the

Negative effects on the craft industry are more noticeable. The rapid decline in the quality of the

finished craft products, which occurred more on the artistic level (colors and designs) than in

quality, is an inevitable consequence of the new conditions of production.

Some festivals aim to present a product and which have a strong economic element (the, Carpet

Festival in Esme,), and others aim to present culture alone are more widely held in Anatolia (the

International Culture and Art Activities in the memory of Hadji Bektashi Veli, Abdal Musa

gatherings, Galley Ceremonies etc).

d) music and dance (classical, folk, contemporary) in turkey

Folk Dance Traditions, Beliefs, Legends and Stories



71

Some dances reflect natural events or daily life, and others treat social events and matters of the

heart. For example, the Kimil dance from Urfa province portrays a kind of pest that harms the

crops and the way that villagers attempt to deal with it. Other dances refer to other stories.

Turkish Music Culture and Examples

Turkish Music Culture

Turkey’s cultural fabric is made up of a rich combination of diverse cultures rooted deeply in

history. By virtue of its geographical position, Turkey lies at the axis of the cultures of the East,

the West, the Middle Eastern, the Mediterranean and Islam. Anatolia is one of the world’s oldest

human habitats – hosts of civilizations have called it home – and it enjoys a unique cultural

richness with its thousands of years of history. Anatolia’s cultural variety is so rich that we can

see great cultural differences even in areas geographically quite close to each other.

This colorful portrait holds just as true for Turkey’s music.

We can categorize the types of music heard through the years of Anatolia’s long history into

three groups: traditional music & local music

e) drama (theatre, films, dramatists) in turkey

there is Traditional Theatrical Presentations in turkey like 1-Karagöz 2-Puppet

3-Meddah

KARAGÖZ

This is a shadow play based on the movements of representations of people, animals or objects



72

called “tasvir” made of water buffalo or camel skin with the help of sticks against a curtain with

s strong source of light behind it. The play takes name from its main character, Karagöz.

PUPPET

Puppets, meaning “baby” in Turkish, are one of the oldest forms of entertainment, and have been

found in Anatolia under different names such as korcak, kudurcuk, kaburcuk, kogurcak, kaurcak,

lubet etc. Puppet shows “Korkolcak” and “Cadir Hayal” (puppet with ropes) are also known by

the same names in Central Asia, which is therefore believed to be the origin of the whole

tradition.

MEDDAH

Meddahlik (the art of the meddah) is the art of storytelling and mimicry. The curtain, stage,

decoration and costumes are all found in a single person, and it is therefore a one-manshow.

The meddah tells stories to audience while sitting on a chair. His stories deal with events from

daily life, folk tales, epics, stories and legends.

VILLAGE PLAYS

Village plays are ritual plays performed by villagers on special days, festivals and wedding

ceremonies, and are aimed increasing abundance and good health or else to welcome in the New

Year. These plays are performed either in open spaces or indoors on winter days. These plays

have come down from ancient times, although they have changed in the process, but the first

examples were performed to give thanks to the god and supernatural powers for abundance and

prosperity in life. These plays are based on myths and similar beliefs and contain the cultural

essence of the people of Anatolia, cultural elements brought in from Central Asia and some other

Islamic elements which entered Turkish culture after conversion to Islam.



73

g)festivals and religious festivals, pilgrimages in turkey

Religious Festivals

The main reason why religious festivals are not celebrated on the same days every year is

because they are calculated according to the lunar calendar called “kameri takvim”. Ramadan

and the Feast of the Sacrifice are celebrated ten days earlier each year than the year before, so

religious festivals may come to be celebrated in every season. According to the Kameri calendar,

Ramadan is celebrated on the first three days of the month Sevval, and the Feast of the Sacrifice

is celebrated in four days following the tenth day of the month Zilhicce. These festivals continue

to exist in popular tradition, although their effects are not what they once were. The main

characteristics of Ramadan and the Feast of the Sacrifice are that people, neighbors, relatives and

friends pay visits and go to see each other. Young people kiss their parents’ hands and receive

best wishes and blessings from them. It is a tradition to give money or little gifts to those

children who kiss one’s hands. Candies are served to visitors during Ramadan. That is why

Ramadan is also called the “Sugar Festival”. During the Feast of the Sacrifice, not only candies

but also the meat of sacrificial animal is served to guests. According to Biruni of Harezm who

lived in 10th century, the reason why people serve candies during these festivals is that Cem had

discovered the sweet juice inside sugar cane on a Nevruz day. In the beginning, sweet foods were

only served on Nevruz, but this gradually became a general tradition which spread to all other

festivals and festival days.

The Feast of the Sacrifice is celebrated with less excitement than Ramadan in Turkey. This

festival takes place in Islam as a memory of the story in which a ram fell from the sky just at the

moment when the Prophet Abraham was about to sacrifice his son to God.

The period between the months Sevval, in which Ramadan is celebrated, and the month Zilhicce,



74

in which the Feast of the Sacrifice takes place lasts exactly one month and is called Aralik

(meaning interval). Marrying between these two festivals is considered to be unlucky. On the

first day of the Feast of the Sacrifice, hadjis sacrifice rams in Mina in Mecca. If a Muslum has

the money, sacrificing is a religious obligation. Rams, camels or cattle may be sacrificed. The

sacrificial animal must be healthy and if it is female, it must not be pregnant.

A number of traditions surround animal sacrificing. Some of these come from Islamic rules,

while others vary from region to region and nation to nation. For example, in some regions of

Turkey rams are washed, painted with henna and are dressed up with bridal ribbons. This

tradition of painting rams with henna is also a very old tradition among the Jewish community.

Dressing the animal up with different ribbons is a tradition commonly seen in some parts of

Central Asia. One-third of the meat from the sacrificed animals is left in the house. The other

parts are given to relatives, neighbors and the poor.

Both during Ramadan and the Feast of the Sacrifice people come together, celebrate and

entertain each other. In cities and villages, children and young people in particular meet each

other at festival places and have fun. Festival areas resemble fairs in these days. The Ramadan

festival comes after one month of fasting. There are also many traditions regarding the fasting

month, which is known as Ramadan Month. In former times in particular, and in summer when

nights are shorter, people who fasted did not sleep after dinner but waited until sahur (a meal

taken just before dawn during Ramadan). In this period, people organized many different forms

of entertainments. Karagöz and ortaoyun were examples of Ramadan shows. In rural areas,

people gathered in houses and in coffee houses where wandering minstrels used to play

instruments and sing. Added to these wandering minstrel songs, folk stories that could last up to

a few days were recounted



75

Festivals

In order to keep the rich Anatolian culture in Turkey alive and thriving, in every province,

district and even in some villages there are various traditional festivals and gatherings. At the

same time, some national and international festivals are held in order to support this purpose.

Festivals which represent traditional Turkish culture not only aim to increase the spirit of unity in

society, but also to present the cultural wealth of the places where these ceremonies are held.

Another important contribution of these festivals, which eventually become traditions after long

years of contribution to social life is that they create an appropriate atmosphere for people to

come together and have fun. For example, the “Savsat sahra Pancari Senligi” which is held in the

Black Sea region during 16-18th July is one of the most prestigious tourist gatherings around,

with particular contributions from women. Games are among the most important events on

festival days. tourists who work all year long in order to enhance production also contribute the

to region’s economic development at these festivals. The main purpose of such festivals is to

ensure the highest quality for the product involved, and all contests are arranged with this end in

mind. Although gatherings are also arranged to present culture, not to promote a specific

product, these have gradually moved away from their ostensible purpose and have become a part

of cultural tourism. The common feature of festivals and celebrations is they both enhance

cooperative efforts in society, and create a unity of ideas or of actions. And also via these kinds

of festivals turkey has attracted thousands of tourists during the year .The Names, Dates and

Locations of Various Festivals and Ceremonies held in Turkey are given below:



76

Name: Amasya Ataturk Culture and Art Ceremony

Place: Amasya

Date: 12-19th June

Name: Golden Orange Festival

Place: Antalya

Date: 13th October

Seasonal Festivals

The times of seasonal festival celebrations may differ in accordance with the prevailing

conditions in nature, the climate and the environment. For example, the rise in the numbers of

rams is celebrated at the beginning of autumn in regions where winter is short and spring comes

early, and celebrated in the end of autumn in regions where spring comes late. On the other hand,

festivals such as hidirellez and Nevruz are celebrated at the same time in all regions. Some

festival dates are connected to domestic production conditions, and the dates of some others are

decided by calendar tradition. These seasonal festivals are:

Spring Festivals

- Spring festivals; Nevruz, crocus, betnem (red egg), hidirellez.

- Summer, solstice

- Half of Winter, New Year

Special Seasonal Festivals

- Chain of Shepherd Festivals; multiplication of the ram or sheep, seedling



77

- Festivals of corp. grower, fruit grower and grape grower

- Migration festivals

National Festivals

The only traditional element in the official ceremonies of these festivals (the 30th August

Victory Festival, the Republic Festival, the Liberation Festival and so on) which are

enthusiastically celebrated in cities and towns is the participation of seymens (heroes and dancers

from central Anatolia) and zeybeks (the swashbuckling hero of southwestern Anatolian villages)

in the celebrations with their special costumes. After the official ceremonies are over, however,

in some places workers and artisans gather in the city or municipality hall and organize special

entertainments until the late hours of the night, and these entertainments lend a special

significance to the festivals. Drums and zurnas are played in these celebrations. Small towns in

Anatolia have their own folk dances, but in big cities like Istanbul or Ankara these ceremonies

turn into a festival of folk dancing. In many places on national holidays, wrestling matches or

races are held after the official ceremonies.

In recent years, political parties have organized many entertainments with music on national

holidays in order to increase the excitement while competing with other parties. Thus, festival

traditions are also subject to a process of change.

Animal Husbandry and Shepherding Festivals Some Examples of Animal

Husbandry and Shepherding Festivals:

RAM MATING CEREMONIES

In Anatolia, ram mating ceremonies take place between 1st –20th October. One or two months



78

beforehand, rams are removed from the herds. The first day of the ram increase ceremonies is

celebrated as a festival almost in everywhere. Village residents gather in the village square with

their drums and zurna (a reed instrument somewhat resembling an oboe). Shepherds allow the

rams, which are dressed up and decorated with henna, to join the females. In some places, imams

read out prayers at the same time.

Ram mating has an exclusive importance, with its own customs, beliefs and magical practices. It

is believed that if a boy sit on a ram before it joins the ewes then the first lamb to be born will be

male, and if a girl is placed on the ram then the first lamb will be female. If the shepherd

encounters a man on his way to the ceremony, it is believed that the lambs that are born will be

male, whereas if he encounters a woman from the village, the lambs will be female. It is also

believed that if the ram mates with a black ewe, the winter will be warm, whereas if he chooses a

white one, the winter will be harsh, although in some places the belief is the exact opposite. After

the rams have mated with the ewes, the shepherd has to perform his ritual ablutions. If he enters

the herd without doing so, it is believed that all the herd’s lambs will born disabled. If the

shepherd rejoins the herd with an empty pot in his hand, it is believed that the sheep will have

insufficient milk.

THE SAYA FESTIVAL

The festival known as saya, the face of the sheep or goat, is celebrated 100 days after the ram

mating festival. The gestation period in sheep lasts 150 days. It is believed that the foetus comes

alive and its hair begins to grow longer inside its mother on the 100th day. That is why the day is

known as the face of the sheep. The Saya festival is celebrated with even more excitement than

the ram mating festival. Three kinds of activity go on during the night:



79

1- Shepherds, children and young people wear unusual clothes and visit each others house in

turn. They engage in repartee known as the “words of sayaci” and collect cash and food.

2- In some places, people play games in front of the houses. In one of these, an old person and a

dark-skinned resident of the village pretend to fight, and the older resident feigns death. He is

then restored to life by putting food on his mouth.

3- After visiting houses, a meal is prepared with the collected food, and the sayaci eat

this meal communally. They enjoy themselves until the morning, playing musical instruments

and singing songs.

LAMBING CEREMONIES

These are celebrated 50 days after the saya, when sheep begin to give birth, and are the last part

of the shepherd festivals which last five months. In Anatolia, the birth of new lambs is celebrated

with various traditional ceremonies, although it would not be correct to regards that occasion as a

festival.

According to information from Malatya, Kars, Erzincan and their surroundings, shepherds visit

flock owners’ houses and collect gifts from them when their sheep give birth. The shepherd is

given tips when he takes the first lamb from the mountain to the village. In some places, when

lambing time approaches, the shepherd takes the flock to green areas near the village. When the

lambs are born, he sends a messenger to the village to inform the owners. These then send small

gifts and appetizers called “dolcek” to the shepherd with the messenger. After all the lambs are

born and the amount of “dolcek” has gone up, the shepherd comes to the village and shares his

appetizers with the children there.

There are some beliefs and prohibitions related to lambing time. On that day, people do not give



80

salt or fire to their neighbors. It is believed that animals will suffer harm if salt, fire, yeast or

wool combs are given to neighbors.

Ceremonies - Celebrations

There are some small ceremonies realized by people during plowing, seeding, harvesting and

collecting. But only a few of them can be accepted as festival. However, in places focusing on

vineyard and gardening business or in places working on high plateau business, we observe that

some festivals are celebrated. We can give cherry festival in the Kemalpasa district of Izmir, nut

festival of Giresun or apricot festival of Mut as examples to this kind of festivals. These

ceremonies have turned into festivals as a result of efforts aiming to survive old festivals with

new purposes and in order to live in harmony with the changing conditions.

Various ceremonies held in southeast Anatolia can be included in this group of festivals. The

“pancarci şenlikleri” (festivals of beet workers) in villages in the Savsat district of Artvin, the

“seyran senlik” held in the villages of Pasaf, and the “at gocu” (migration of horses) which last

three days in the villages of Giresun are the best examples. The common characteristics of these

ceremonies is that they are all held a few months after some of the villagers have migrated to the

high plateaus. They are held at a time when all the work in the villages is finished, and when

they have time to join the people on the high plateaus for a few days before coming down back

to the villages for harvesting.

In Erzurum, although the ceremony is held again on a day at the end of June or in the beginning

of July before harvesting, moving the to high plateaus is not necessary. People go to picnic areas

or thermal springs. These are all celebrated as festivals with drums, zurna or other musical



81

instruments, with dances, plays, various games and contests such as race or javelin throwing,

with meals eaten communally. (ministry of culture and tourism,2007)

The southern Yuruks (a nomadic shepherd people of Anatolia) also stage ceremonies resembling

festivals while leaving their winter places and moving to the high plateaus: these include visits to

holy people’s graves, communal feasting, shooting competitions, wrestling and music.

Some festivals aim to present a product and which have a strong economic element (the Apricot

Festival in Malatya, Cherry Festival in Aksu etc).

f) Language and literature study, tours, events in turkey

MINSTREL LITERATURE

A type of poetry in Turkish Popular Literature that emerged at the beginning of the 16th century.

The minstrel’s poetic powers come from dreaming of drinking from the ‘wine of love’ offered by

an elder and seeing the image of his true love. The minstrel generally sees his lover or a saz, a

stringed instrument. Other elements may be a white-bearded dervish and one or maybe three full

goblets. The goblets frequently occur in the dream in the form of a bowl. The liquid offered to

the bards in these goblets is said to be ‘full of love.’ It is sometimes known as ‘bade’ literature

under the influence of Persian literature.

Such poets are generally trained by a master. That way they learn both the master’s words and

ways and means of performing their art. After having fully grasped these masters’ ways of

expressing their art in the coffee houses, these poets then take on apprentices of their own, and

the tradition thus continues.



82

The minstrel reveals his knowledge, feelings and abilities in battles of poetic repartee. The aim in

these is to compete and win. At least two bards are involved in such matches. It begins with the

recital of a verse by a master poet or other respected individual. The bard who is unable to add a

further verse in the same style and meter is eliminated. One of the main elements of this style of

poetry is storytelling. Most poets who accompany themselves on the saz draw from a traditional

range of stories, although some also had stories of their own invention to the main body of the

tale. Some bards who have contributed in this way are Çıldırlı Aşık Şenlik, Ercişli Emrah and

Sabit Müdami. The shamans of the Tonguz people, the bo or bugues of the Mongols or the

Baryat peoples and the ozans of the Oğuz peoples expressed, as representatives of that same

tradition, the attitudes to life and feelings of their societies by means of their poems. The best

known representatives of the tradition are Yunus Emre, Pir Sultan Abdal, Köroğlu, Dadaloğlu,

Karacaoğlan, Erzurumlu Emrah, Dertli and Aşık Veysel. The tradition is still alive and

flourishing in Anatolia today.(ministry of culture and tourism,2007)

Minstrel Traditions

The minstrel tradition in which cultural heritage, customs, knowledge, mores and behavior are

expressed and respected because of their age is, like other cultural values, a cultural value

created by a general culture to meet a particular need rather than perform a particular function. In

popular verse, minstrels’ poems are in the form of quatrains. Metre is also a feature of the

quatrain form, and seven, eight, and eleven syllables are the general traditional forms.

Minstrel traditions can be set out along these lines:



83

1. Using a pen name

2. Becoming a minstrel after a dream (drinking wine)

3. Master – apprentice

4. Repartee – opposition

5. Sound restriction

6. Riddle

7. Dialogue form

8. Teaching history

9. Inspiration by another poem

10. Playing the saz

DERVISH POETRY

This style is also known as mystical or religious popular poetry, and is the product of a form of

literature that emerged in the 11th and 12th centuries, created as bards expressed their love of

God and feelings about the hereafter. The most important exponents of the style are Ahmet

Yesevi, Yunus Emre and Hacı Bayram-ı Veli.

I) Health tourism

Total of 500 thousand tourists come to Turkey for health tourism annually. Deriving a

considerable amount of revenues from millions of tourists every year, Turkey has now become

an important country in health tourism as well. A growing number of patients from around the

world prefer the private health institutions in Turkey. Surgical operations performed by the world

renowned Turkish surgeons with modern methods cost much less than those performed in



84

Europe and the USA. 500 thousand tourists come to Turkey for health tourism every year. Many

foreign patients prefer the Turkish hospitals in many fields of medicine, including plastic and

aesthetic surgery, hair transplantation, eye surgery, in vitro fertilization, open heart surgery, skin

diseases, check-up, cancer treatment, otorhinolarylogy, dialysis and cardiovascular surgery,

gynecology, tumor operations, brain surgery, orthopedics, and dentistry, on account of their low

cost but high quality and technology standards.

The diagnostic, treatment and surgical operation activities carried out with the same techniques

and technologies used in developed countries cost too high in hospitals in other countries than

Turkey. For example, the in vitro fertilization treatment costs 15-16 thousand dollars in the USA

but only 2.600 dollars in Turkey. The cost of Lasik Eye Surgery ranges between 4.000 and 8.000

Euros in the European countries, while it costs only 600 Euros in Turkey. Turkish physicians

make significant achievements in the field of in vitro fertilization. Open heart operations cost

25.000 Euros in European countries, while only 18.000 dollars at A class hospitals in Turkey.

These centers in Turkey keep abreast of the developments in the USA and Europe very closely.

The superior achievements of the Turkish physicians are also recognized and appreciated

throughout the world.

The patients and their families will not only receive health services physically and mentally, but

also make the best use of the historical and tourism potentials in the region.

The spa and thermal centers in Turkey provide beauty and health with cure methods dating back

to the Roman period.



85

Thousands of patients from all corners of the world, including the USA, Greece, Germany, the

UK, France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Norway, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Algeria, China, Finland,

South Africa South Korea, Iraq, Japan, TRNC, Kuwait, Libya, Egypt, Russia, Turkmenistan,

Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and Syria, prefer Turkey for treatment.

The world will now get to know Turkey with a distinctive tourism potential, i.e. HEALTH

TOURISM TURKEY.



86

Cultural tourism development in Iran

Cultural heritage tourism (or just heritage tourism) is a branch of tourism oriented towards

the cultural heritage of the location where tourism is occurring. Culture has always been a major

object of travel, as the development of the Grand Tour from the 16th century onwards attests. In

the 20th century, some people have claimed, culture ceased to be the objective of tourism:

tourism is now culture. Cultural attractions play an important role in tourism at all levels, from

the global highlights of world culture to attractions that underpin local identities. (Richards,

1996)

According to the Weiler and Hall, culture, heritage and the arts have long contributed

to appeal of tourist destination. However, in recent years ‘culture’ has been rediscovered

as an important marketing tool to attract those travelers with special interests in heritage

and arts. According to the Hollinshead, cultural heritage tourism defines as cultural

heritage tourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry because there is a

trend toward an increase specialization among tourist. This trend is evident in the rise in

the volume of tourists who seek adventure, culture, history, archaeology and interaction

with local people. Cultural heritage tourism is important for various reasons; it has a

positive economic and social impact, it establishes and reinforces identity, it helps

preserve the cultural heritage, with culture as an instrument it facilitates harmony and

understanding among people, it supports culture and helps renew tourism (Richards,

1996). Decolonization and immigration form the major background of much

contemporary heritage tourism. Falling travel costs have also made heritage tourism

possible for more people. Another possible form involves religious travel or pilgrimages.



87

Many muslems from around the world come to the Iran . Many visitors love to travel

mashhad because of emam reza tomb.like many Islam commands its followers to take the

hajj to Mecca, thus differentiating it somewhat from tourism in the usual sense, though

the trip can also be a culturally important event for the pilgrim .Heritage Tourism can

also be attributed to historical events that have been dramatized to make them more

entertaining. For example a historical tour of a town or city using a theme such as pers-e-

polis in Shiraz.

Key Trends and Developments in IRAN

Iran’s travel and tourism industry in 2005 accounted for 10% of GDP. It also provided

1,710,190 jobs equivalent to 9% of total employment. The government is therefore well aware of

the importance of attracting tourists to the country and since the establishment of the Iran

Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization in 2004, a series of initiatives geared towards the

promotion of Iran as a tourist destination have taken place. As a result, Iran’s tourism industry

achieved unprecedented highs in 2005, with 2 million inbound tourists which represent a rise of

6% over 2004. However, although the efforts made by the government have earned international

praise, the serious threats brought about by the political environment in Iran has negatively

affected the industry, with a notable 22% slump in tourist arrivals during 2003. The country has

since continued to be highly sensitive to the political developments in neighboring Iraq and

within its own government.

The political climate also negatively affected the inflow of European and American tourists to

Iran. Visitors from the US decreased by 15% and the number of visitors from Germany fell by

50% in the 2002 to 2003 period. However, tourists from Arab countries are soaring to



88

unprecedented levels and are expected to contribute to 70% of Iran’s tourism by 2007.

Nevertheless, Iran has a wide array of tourism activities including an extensive choice of

ecotourism and religious tourism which appeal to Europeans and Arabs alike. Such broad appeal

represents significant potential for growth when the political situation stabilizes.

The Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization had applied for nearly 8,000 billion rails

in funds to realize the objectives set in the third plan, most important of all, the Mentioned 30-

percent growth rate. Sector planners and policy-makers believe through sufficient funding and

building up of infrastructures as well as by exploiting income potentials, the tourism and culture

sector could fetch billions of dollars and also play a definite role in relieving

the country of its reliance on oil. Amidst all this, parliament’s help and understanding of the

importance of what the government intends to do will guarantee the sectors’ success.

The attitude seen so far, however, has revealed otherwise. For example, despite an urgent

need for a substantial increase in the budget, the Parliament Cultural Commission has

disapproved funds for three subdivisions of the organization (ICHTO) apparently based on the

same old assumption that the sectors do not deserve the money and that the funds should go to

areas that have proved to have the least role in economic progress.

The funds are needed, for example, for setting up a special unit for safeguarding

cultural heritage as well as for establishing the research center for cultural heritage and

studies. The money would also go for advertisement and marketing of Iran’s tourism and cultural

attractions and potentials at the global level. This is an integrated part of tourism development

plans worldwide. Therefore, a request for a fund raise was rightful and in proportion with an

increase in the scope and scale of activities of the newly-established



89

body. All efforts to convince lawmakers of how important and necessary the money is have been

futile. Lawmakers say the money will go to other organizations such as the IRIB. Experiences of

past years show that lack of skilled staff to safeguard cultural and historical sites have brought

many of them on the verge of destruction and allowed for smuggling of some of the most

precious heritage of this country as was evidenced when illegal excavations in the 6,000-year-old

Jiroft and Halil- Roud region led to smuggling of thousands of antique items that were later

found in international auctions.

At present, nearly 200,000 ancient hills in the country have been identified out of which only 500

are listed as national heritage. There has also been limited excavation due to limited finances and

shortage of skilled manpower.

a) Archaeological sites and museums in IRAN

Some ICHO Museums and Palaces

• National Museum of Iran

• Morvarid Palace museum

• Sadabad Palace Museum

• Niavaran Palace Complex Museum

• Golestan Palace Museum

• Naghsh-e-jahan Museum

• Glassware and Ceramics Museum of Iran

• National Rug Gallery of Iran

• Reza Abbasi Museum

• Malik National Museum of Iran



90

• National Car Museum of Iran

• Arg-é Bam Museum

As we know we have two kinds of museum, private and public museum and In Iran almost all of

the museum are public and working under the government controls .and Iran’s museum can not

attract a lot of people as tourist for Iran.

b) Architecture (ruins, famous buildings, whole towns) IN IRAN

Architecture in "Greater Iran" has a continuous history from at least 5000BCE to the

present, with characteristic examples distributed over a vast area from Syria to North India and

the borders of China, from the Caucasus to Zanzibar. Persian buildings vary from peasant huts to

tea houses, and garden pavilions to "some of the most majestic structures the world has ever

seen".

Iranian architecture displays great variety, both structural and aesthetic, developing gradually

and coherently out of prior traditions and experience. Without sudden innovations, and despite

the repeated trauma of invasions and cultural shocks, it has achieved individuality distinct from

that of other Muslim countries". Its paramount virtues are several: "a marked feeling for form

and scale; structural inventiveness, especially in vault and dome construction; a genius for

decoration with a freedom and success not rivaled in any other architecture".

Traditionally, the guiding, formative, motif of Iranian architecture has been its cosmic

symbolism "by which man is brought into communication and participation with the powers of



91

heaven". This theme, shared by virtually all Asia and persisting even into modern times, not only

has given unity and continuity to the architecture of Persia, but has been a primary source of its

emotional characters as well

Iranian architecture is based on several fundamental characteristics. These are:

• Introversion • structure • homogeneous proportions • anthropomorphism • symmetry and anti-symmetry • Minimalism

Traditional Iranian architecture has maintained a continuity that, although frequently shunned by

western culture or temporarily diverted by political internal conflicts or foreign intrusion,

nonetheless has achieved a style that could hardly be mistaken for any other.

In this architecture, "there are no trivial buildings; even garden pavilions have nobility and

dignity, and the humblest caravanserais generally have charm. In expressiveness and

communicatively, most Persian buildings are lucid-even eloquent. The combination of intensity

and simplicity of form provides immediacy, while ornament and, often, subtle proportions

reward sustained observation."

Overall, the traditional architecture of the Iranian lands throughout the ages can be categorized

into the seven following classes or styles ("sabk"):

• Pre-Islamic:

o The Pre-Parsi style

o The Parsi style



92

o The Parthian style

• Islamic:

o The Khorasani style

o The Razi style

o The Azari style

o The Isfahani style

Contemporary architecture in Iran

Contemporary architecture in Iran begins with the advent of the first Pahlavi period in the early

1920s. Some designers, such as Andre Godard, created works, such as the National Museum of

Iran that were reminiscient of Iran's historical architectural heritage. Others, made an effort to

merge the traditional elements with modern designs in their works. The Tehran University main

campus is one such example. And yet, others such as Heydar Ghiai and Houshang Seyhoun tried

creating

The following is a list of World Heritage Sites designed or constructed by Iranians (Persians), or

designed and constructed in the style of Iranian architecture:

Inside Iran:

o Arg-é Bam Cultural Landscape, Kerman

o Naghsh-i Jahan Square, Isfahan

o Pasargadae, Fars

o Persepolis, Fars

o Tchogha Zanbil, Khuzestan



93

o Takht-e Soleyman, West Azerbaijan

o Dome of Soltaniyeh, Zanjan

o Behistun Inscription

Outside Iran:

o Taj Mahal, India - designed by the Mughal Empire

o Minaret of Jam, Afghanistan

o Tomb of Humayun, India

o Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi, Kazakhstan

Accelerating and Decelerating factors for cultural tourism development in Iran in the field of

archeological heritages is : It is well known that the architectural heritage of the Iran is

characterized by a wealth and diversity that make for an outstanding heritage.

-in Iran varied heritage is often utilized by tourism, but, in several cases, integration

of a high-quality cultural component into the tourist product occurs spontaneously and

without any proper planning.

- Promotion of this heritage also requires quite costly, but essential, intervention, and there is

sometimes very active international support for renovation projects.

.-Iran architectural heritage is suffering obvious damage as well as a lack of resources to restore

or renovate it, When that heritage is put to uncontrolled tourist use, there is a great risk of

increased damage. The kind of use that can lead to deterioration ranges from just ordinary visits

to rampant urbanization, the organization of festivals or the change of use of a monument for

accommodation or catering purposes.



94

The sites of Persepolis (a Greek word meaning “City of Persians”) and its surroundings are

remaining structures representing this ancient religion and culture. Fire temples in the city of

Yazd are still frequented. Iranian people are very proud of their culture and history. In no other

city is this better seen than in Esfahan, a city its people refer to as “Esfahan, nesf-e-jahan”

(Esfahan is half of the world). Any visitor in this city will immediately notice why it is rightfully

referred to as this name. The enormous “Meidan Emam” is a square in which ancient Persian

monarchs used to gather to watch polo competitions. These and numerous other cultural sites

along with the generous nature of the Iranian people are sure to change tourists’ misconceptions

about Iran and keep them coming back.

c) Art, sculpture, crafts, galleries, festivals, events in IRAN

Iranian art has gone through numerous phases of evolution. The unique aesthetics of Iran is

evident from the Achaemenid reliefs in Persepolis to the mosaic paintings of Bishapur. The

Islamic era drastically brought changes to the styles and practice of the arts, each dynasty with its

own particular foci. The Qajarid era was the last stage of classical Persian art, before modernism

was imported and suffused into elements of traditionalist schools of aesthetics. In Iran there is

not any festivals in the fields of art but during the year there is a lots of exhibition that could be

attract only domestic tourism because there is not any focuses on abroad advertising for this

kinds of exhibition .

A Persian miniature is a small painting, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art

intended to be kept in an album of such works. The techniques are broadly comparable to the

Western and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, which probably had

an influence on the origins of the Persian tradition. Although there is an equally well-established



95

Persian tradition of wall-painting, the survival rate and state of preservation of miniatures is

better, and miniatures are much the best-known form of Persian painting in the West. Miniature

painting became a significant Persian form in the 13th century, and the highest point in the

tradition was reached in the 15th and 16th centuries. The tradition continued, under some

Western influence, after this, and has many modern exponents. The Persian miniature was the

dominant influence on other Islamic miniature traditions, principally the Ottoman miniature in

Turkey, and the Mughal miniature in the Indian sub-continent.

Persian rug

From the yarn fiber to the colors, every part of the Persian rug is traditionally hand made from

natural ingredients over the course of many months.

The art of carpet weaving in Iran has its roots in the culture and customs of its people and their

instinctive feelings. Weavers mix elegant patterns with a myriad of colors. The Iranian carpet is

similar to the Persian garden: full of florae, birds, and beasts.

The colors are usually made from wild flowers, and are rich in colors such as burgundy, navy

blue, and accents of ivory. The proto-fabric is often washed in tea to soften the texture, giving it

a unique quality. Depending on where the rug is made, patterns and designs vary. And some

rugs, such as Gabbeh, and Gelim have a variations in their textures and number of knots as well.

The exceptional craftsmanship in weaving these carpets and silken textile thus caught the

attention of the likes of Xuanzang, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, and Jean Chardin

If there is one sector whose fate is intimately bound up with that of tourism, it is clearly that of

the craft industry. Indeed, whatever the type of tourism (resort holiday tourism or tour holidays),



96

the foreign visitor never fails to take home the obligatory souvenir. The majority of the reports

that were undertaken make reference to, or describe in detail, the craft sector and its links to

tourism. It must be said that the IRAN are distinguished by their quality craft industry, which

draws on an authentic centuries-old tradition.

Accelerating and Decelerating factors for cultural tourism development in Iran in the field of

handicraft is that the craft industry today clearly occupies an important place in the national

economy with regard to employment, trade and, finally, the infusion of foreign currency.

However, there are still no statistics available that might give precise figures about the economic

importance of tourism for the craft industry. These craft products are valued and even sought out

by visitors who discover them during a trip to the Iran, but they are unknown in Europe or

another country.

Another thing is the survival of the craft industry, which is a key component of the living

heritage and of culture in general, is vital in order to maintain this culture. This craft industry has

long resisted modern industrial products, with its clientele remaining attached to its traditional

ways. Today, with the modernization of society, it is crucial for the craft industry to adapt .The

demand for craft products from neighboring countries and from tourists, which involves a change

in the way these products are used, has enabled certain sectors to remain in place.

The third factor is The integration of the craft sector into the tourist policy occurs through a

promotion formula initiated by the Ministry of Tourism. the reputation of this craft is better

established within the Arab world and the clientele from neighboring countries seems to be the

most promising.

Deterioration of the craft industry



97

A massive demand from tourism for craft items can have harmful effects. The craft industry,

while benefiting from the demand from tourism, loses out on quality because this demand

sometimes goes hand in hand with a dramatic degeneration of the finished product.

This “degeneration” of the craft industry is certainly not due to tourism and, in the case

of the Iran, it has even been noted that the demand from tourism has had beneficial effects for the

preservation of the craft heritage.

-Social aspects of tourism in Iran could be a double-edge sword; therefore considerable measures

need to be taken in order to preserve the culture. Bazaar workers throughout the country,

particularly the famous bazaars in Shiraz and Esfahan, are experiencing a decline in the number

of youth willing to learn the traditional ways of making handicrafts (personal communication,

June 2004). Tourism can preserve these traditions due to demand from tourists. On the other

hand, the government needs to be careful not to turn such handicrafts into mass produced,

commercialized items as seen in many island nations that depend on tourism.

d) Music and dance (classical, folk, contemporary) in IRAN

The music of Persia goes back to before the days of Barbod in the royal Sassanid courts. This is

where many music cultures trace back their distant origins to.]

During the course of Iran's recorded history, a unique distinctive music developed accompanied

by numerous musical instruments, several of which came to be the first prototypes of some

modern musical instruments of today.



98

The earliest references to musicians in Iran are found in Susa and Elam in the 3rd millennium

BC. Reliefs, sculptures, and mosaics such as those in Bishapur from periods of antiquity depict a

vibrant musical culture.

Persian traditional music in its contemporary form has its inception in the Naseri era, who

ordered the opening of a "House of Crafts", where all master craftsmen would gather for

designing instruments and practicing their art.

e) Drama (theatre, films, dramatists) in IRAN

in Iran there is altos of theater and film concert during a year but could attract only

domestic tourism and also every year in fajr ceremony there is film festival which can

attract a large number of international tourism .

f) Language and literature study, tours, events in IRAN

Pre-Islamic Iranian literature

Very few literary works remain from ancient Persia. Most of these consist of the royal

inscriptions of Achaemenid kings, particularly Darius I (522–486 BC) and his son Xerxes.

Zoroastrian writings mainly were destroyed in the Islamic conquest of Persia. The Parsis who

fled to India, however, took with them some of the books of the Zoroastrian canon, including

some of the Avesta and ancient commentaries (Zend) thereof. Some works of Sassanid

geography and travel also survived albeit in Arabic translations.



99

No single text devoted to literary criticism has survived from pre-Islamic Persia. However, some

essays in Pahlavi such as ‘’Ayin-e name nebeshtan" and "Bab-e edteda’I-ye" (Kalile va Demne)

have been considered as literary criticism (Zarrinkoub, 1959).[1] Some researchers have quoted

the Sho’ubiyye as asserting that the pre-Islamic Persians had books on eloquence, such as

Karvand. No trace remains of such books. There are some indications that some among the

Persian elite were familiar with Greek rhetoric and literary criticism (Zarrinkoub, 1947).

Persian literature of the medieval and pre-modern periods

While initially overshadowed by Arabic during the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphates,

modern Persian soon became a literary language again of the Central Asian lands. The rebirth of

the language in its new form is often accredited to Ferdowsi, Unsuri, Daqiqi, Rudaki, and their

generation, as they used pre-Islamic nationalism as a conduit to revive the language and customs

of ancient Persia(.wikipedia,2007)

Poetry

So strong is the Persian aptitude for versifying everyday expressions that one can encounter

poetry in almost every classical work, whether from Persian literature, science, or metaphysics.

In short, the ability to write in verse form was a pre-requisite for any scholar. For example,

almost half of Avicenna's medical writings are in verse.

Works of the early era of Persian poetry are characterized by strong court patronage, an

extravagance of panegyrics, and what is known as "exalted in style". The tradition of royal

patronage began perhaps under the Sassanid era and carried over through the Abbasid and

Samanid courts into every major Persian dynasty. The Qasida was perhaps the most famous form



100

of panegyric used, though quatrains such as those in Omar Khayyam's Ruba'iyyat are also widely

popular(wikipedia,2007).

"Khorasani style", whose followers mostly were associated with Greater Khorasan, is

characterized by its supercilious diction, dignified tone, and relatively literate language. The

chief representatives of this lyricism are Asjadi, Farrukhi Sistani, Unsuri, and Manuchehri.

Panegyric masters such as Rudaki were known for their love of nature, their verse abounding

with evocative descriptions.|(wikipedia,2007|)

g) Religious festivals, pilgrimages) in IRAN

Iran has been the birthplace of many of the world's most influential religions and religion in Iran

has always had a direct impact on its culture. Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Manichaeism,

Mazdakism, Yazdanism, Bábí Faith and the Bahá'í Faith are some of the religions that originated

there.

Today, the Shia version of Islam continues to have an immediate bearing on Iranian culture and

identity. (unesco,2007)

• Iranians celebrate the following days based on a Solar calendar, in addition to important

religious days of Islamic and Shia calendars, which are based on a lunar calendar.

• Norouz (Iranian/Persian New Year)

• Sizdah be dar (Nature Day)

• Jashn-e-Tirgan (Water Festival)

• Jashn-e-Sadeh (Fire Festival)

• Jashn-e-Mehregan (Autumn Festival)



101

• Shab-e-Yalda (Winter Feast)

• Charshanbeh Suri

Health tourism

Need for Medical Tourism Medical or Health tourism has become a common form of

vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical services. It mixes leisure, fun and

relaxation together with wellness and healthcare. Medical and health tourism is an international

trend that many people join rest with different kinds of health and treatment procedures.

The situation of Iran and the history of medical care, the existing of good doctor and low-cost

and high-quality healthcare services majority of medical tourists in Iran that cause the medical

tourist is important term in Iran.

A combination of many factors has led to the recent increase in popularity of medical travel in

Iran: the high cost of healthcare in industrialized nations, the ease and affordability of

international travel, and the improvement of technology and standards of care in Iran and The

cost of treatment in Iran can be one-seventh of what it is in the United States or Western Europe,

and sometimes even less. To understand the phenomenon of Medical travel in Iran, we can

compare the average costs of cosmetic, eyes, and heart surgeries between the industrialized

nations and cities in Iran which are specialized in medical tourism. Moreover Iran have a lot of

spa water (about 500 spa water in different regions ) that 200 known as for treatment and it can

be seen by the fact that Iran Is the most important destination for attracting these kind of tourism

to use spa water as a treatment.

Also some natural resources in Iran like sun, sand, desert and black mud are useful as treatment



102

for attracting some kind of medical tourism in many regions of this country. Growth of medical

tourism Medical tourism presents an opportunity for hospitals to fuel growth by tapping the

potential of the international and domestic patient market. To attract foreign patients, healthcare

providers may consider Leveraging on both business and clinical considerations.

The advancement in medical technologies, increased patient mobility and demand for immediate

quality healthcare is arousing interest among healthcare providers globally. Medical tourism

industry, offering clinical and other tourism facilities to foreign patients.

Nowadays, examined the actual potential that foreign patients represent based on volume and

costs, three broad areas of Consideration for healthcare providers: (1) Medical Quality; (2)

Supporting Services; and (3) Marketing Reforms.

Iran can take necessary measures to benefit from its enormous historical, medical, natural,

cultural and social advantages to win more tourists, thus gaining a higher share in the world

tourist revenues by 2010.



103



104



105

Cultural tourism in iran

Archeological site &museu

m

Architecture

&famous building

Art & handicra

ft

Health tourism

Literature &

language festival

Pilgrimage

&festivals

Drama(theater,

film

Public museum

B i so tun

S ol ta n iy eh

Ba m Nag h sh-e -

Jaha n

Tc hogha -

Za nb il

P asa rg ad

Takht-e-S oleym an

P erspolis .

Rug & handicra

ft exhibitio

n

Film & theater festival

Fajr film festival

Surgical operation

Thermal center

literature congress

Nuruze festival

Music & dance

Jashn-e-Tirgan (Water

Festival)

Jashn-e-Sadeh (Fire

Festival)

Jashn-e-Mehregan (Autumn Festival

Shabe-

yalda

(winter

Language tour in

universities



106

Chapter five

Conclusion & recommendation



107

Conclusion

Like all forms of tourism, cultural tourism is currently a growth phenomenon; hence

numerous destinations are developing different forms of cultural tourism throughout the world.

This might include city-based tourism, the visiting of World Heritage Sites, festival attendance,

or trekking in the mountains, deserts or jungles, among other activities. The cultural tourism

sector of Iran is potentially as diverse as turkey; hence there is already a clear need for a more

comprehensive analysis of the various facets of its development and management .It could be

argued that cultural tourism studies is one of the most fascinating and exciting new disciplines to

emerge from the proliferation of tourism, leisure and cultural industries-based academic courses

in recent years.

present research examined cultural tourisms resources in Iran and compared them with turkey

and after inquiry and evaluation of cultural tourism resources in both country ,we can conclude

that both country have the same resources approximately and its because of corporate culture and

tradition but turkey could be highlight some ancient tradition and also with create a lots of

festivals and some facilities like resort hotels and good hospitality and transportation to attract

more tourists. Badly-damaged infrastructures, poor condition of museums and historical sites,

shortage of investments especially for research and the urgency needed for creation of regional

museums are among reasons for such a big request for cultural tourism of Iran. As far as my

concern through sufficient funding and building up of infrastructures as well as by exploiting

income potentials, the tourism and culture sector could fetch billions of dollars and also play a

definite role in relieving the country of its reliance on oil. Amidst all this, parliament’s help and

understanding of the importance of what the government intends to do will guarantee the sectors’

success.



108

The attitude seen so far, however, has revealed otherwise. For example, despite an urgent

need for a substantial increase in the budget, the Parliament Cultural Commission has

disapproved funds for three subdivisions of the organization Iranian cultural heritage tourism

organization (ICHTO) apparently based on the same old assumption that the sectors do not

deserve the money and that the funds should go to areas that have proved to have the least role in

economic progress.

The funds are needed, for example, for setting up a special unit for safeguarding

cultural heritage as well as for establishing the research center for cultural heritage and

studies. The money would also go for advertisement and marketing of Iran’s tourism and cultural

attractions and potentials at the global level. This is an integrated part of tourism development

plans worldwide. Therefore, a request for a fund raise was rightful and in proportion with an

increase in the scope and scale of activities of the newly-established body. The lack of skilled

staff to safeguard cultural and historical sites have brought many of them on the verge of

destruction and allowed for smuggling of some of the most precious heritage of this country as

was evidenced. when illegal excavations in the 6,000-year-old Jiroft and Halil- Roud region led

to smuggling of thousands of antique items that were later found in international auctions.

At present, nearly 200,000 ancient hills in Iran have been identified out of which only 500 are

listed as national heritage. There has also been limited excavation due to limited finances and

shortage of skilled manpower.



109

in bellow I tried to categories some branch of cultural tourism and recommend for each part:

Recommendations with regard to the craft industry

The handcraft of turkey have the wide spectrum of variety exactly like IRAN but the difference

is in the induction of them. in turkey the handcrafts are being showed in large & equipped

exhibitions but we haven’t such propaganda in IRAN therefore this branch of cultural tourism is

poorly developed in Iran and although handcrafts of Iran especially rugs& carpets are in the

highest quality in the world but in supply process needs to be developed in a better state.

The recommendations put together by the programmed aim first of all to improve the existing

product before suggesting the creation of new products.

Improving the tourist potential of existing products:

Because of its social importance, the craft sector is the subject of the most numerous and the

most pertinent recommendations. First of all, the sector needs to be supported by an appropriate

policy for training, for the organization of the artisans, for the promotion of their products, and

for the establishment of their products as an integral part of the tourist industry. To do this, it is

suggested that there should be different funding formulae for the training centers, that permanent

exhibitions should be organized, that encouragement should be given to the artisans by holding

competitions with prizes for the best artisan, and that grants should be provided for artisans to

purchase the raw materials at a discount.



110

1- A tradition of practical short courses for tourists should be organized by the Ministry of

Tourism and the craft monitoring bodies, as well as the tour operators who devise schedules for

the country in which it would be desirable to bring together the relevant local organizations.

Theme-based workshop holidays can be marketed by the travel agencies and can cover a variety

of trades: pottery, weaving, wood painting, metalwork, embroidery, etc. This type of product,

which is still non-existent in the Iran & turkey.

2- One of the structures that could be taken on board to help develop this type of product are the

vocational training centers for the arts and crafts.

3-The museums and exhibitions policy which has been constantly pushed by the public

authorities in support of the craft industry.

4-A comparison of the two is also very interesting in that turkey, because it opened up to the

Western world at an early stage, has built up experience in the organization of the craft sector

and in its integration into the tourist product, an experience which could be beneficial to the Iran.

5- To support the craft industry, a craft research centre is planned, which would need to

become active in the areas of documentation, research, training and promotion.

.

Recommendations with regard to the architectural heritage

A large number of tourism travel to Iran and turkey both to see the ancient architecture or places

although both countries have the same properties in the same issue (thakhte jamshid and naghsh

e rostam in iran and othoman palaces in turkey ) but statistics show numbers of tourist are much

higher in turkey than Iran .



111

1- The recommendations concern improving the visibility of monuments. For this to happen, it is

necessary to improve road access to sites and above all to put in place a systematic series of road

signs enabling independent travelers and visitors to reach and visit the monuments. Excavation

and restoration work must be rounded off by an attempt to promote the monuments and to boost

their attraction. And avoid damage to the ancient buildings.

2- in Iran and turkey Adapting some of these historic buildings to tourist use must not over

shadow the need to protect them. Sites must be strictly protected against any tourist or hotel

facility being located nearby which could, because of its proximity, adversely affect the size or

visibility of the site. Such protection may take the form of institutional monitoring of all private

or public projects that entail converting old residences into accommodation or restaurant

facilities. Above all, with a forecast growth in tourist numbers, a master plan will be needed for

each of the historic sites, establishing the conditions for their use by tourists. This plan should

establish strict and precise regulatory protection for the area around the sites, car parking

regulations and the access and itineraries for group visits. It should also allocate guard duties and

specify security patrols. It should specify the use of the land adjacent to the site, the location of

excavation or restoration work, and what service buildings (ticket offices, security office, shops,

cafeterias, toilets) and other facilities (information panels, signs, wastepaper bins) are necessary.

3-buildings for artistic events or for organizing festivals is a beneficial use of ruins, allowing

them to be brought back to life. Two preconditions need to stressed here: a saturation point must

be determined and avoided to prevent damage to the monuments, and international tour operators

must be involved so that they can feed the festival dates into their scheduling. For this to happen,

these dates need to be fixed and the travel agencies notified well in advance.



112

4-There are many ways in which tourism intervenes and utilizes the architectural heritage in Iran

& turkey. Those which have been reported in the various studies can be placed in three main

categories: specific adaptation projects allowing ruins to be utilized, buildings put to a new use to

host tourist activities, such as accommodation, restaurants or shops, and the use of historical

monuments as backdrops for the organization of various festivals.

5-There is another kind of development which is crucial for cultural tourism but which is

remarkable by its absence in Iran there are no information panels with maps, sketches or

explanations for independent tourists wishing to visit without a guide.

6-One of the ways of utilizing the architectural heritage that appears most often in the studies is

the use of the often grandiose setting of the various monuments for festivals that can attract large

crowds of foreign and local tourists.

7- Iran currently has eight sites listed with UNESCO: Bam, Meidan Emam in Esfahan,

Pasargadae, Persepolis, Takht-e-Soleyman, and Tchogha Zanbil. These sites, however, lack

sufficient management plans for protection and conservation. The first thing any tourist will

notice upon arrival at the near 3,000 year-old remaining structures of Persepolis, is the graffiti

carved into the rocks by international and domestic tourists.

8- Tourism will turn Iran into a competitor for international tourist arrivals and foreign revenue

in the Middle East. In terms historical attractions, two of its major competitors are Egypt and

Jordan. One of the prime historical sites of Iran that symbolizes Persian culture is Persepolis.

Petra, a site in Jordan of similar historic value, attracted 161,000 visitors in 2003, a 1.15%

increase from the previous year



113

9- Many Iranians do not fully realize the depth and value of their culture and therefore take

heritage sites for granted. Instead, many choose to travel to neighboring states such as Turkey

because of their lax laws. Iran has a great need for public awareness campaigns regarding the

value of tourism and cultural heritage. International tourists coming to experience Iran’s cultural

heritage could encourage Iranians to travel domestically, preventing leakage of Iranian money

into other economies. An improvement of infrastructure and facilities will also persuade Iranians

to travel domestically.

Recommendations with regard to archeological site and museum

1-Although the museums bring in experts and specialists to ensure quality presentation of the

exhibits, they were created before the arrival of organized tourism and so pose problems for

group visits: it is not easy for all the members of the group to visit the exhibition rooms at the

same time, there is insufficient lighting, the acoustics arc sometimes poor, there is a lack of seats

for elderly visitors, there are inadequate articles for sale at the end of the visit, etc. This last

observation also goes for the other countries where the museums are sometimes little suited to

international or national tourists who arrive on package tours. There is a need for a refurbishment

and upgrading effort in this respect.

3-Badly-damaged infrastructures, poor condition of museums and historical sites, shortage of

investments especially for research and the urgency needed for creation of regional museums are

among reasons for such a big request.

4-war and religious and sport museum which can more valuable and equipped in turkey .



114

Recommendations with regard to the literature & languages

There is strong attention to the famous and symbolic persons in turkey unfortunately there is

very little of this kind of attention in Iran for example the portrait of Iranian famous physician

and scientist aboalicina is on the kerghisestan notes and in turkey every year thousands of

tourists come to celebrate birthday of molavi who is one the most famous and greatest Iranian

poetries . or like roodaki ,(famous Iranian poetry) who is more on attention in tajikestan other

than hu own country IRAN. Unfortunately many cultural characters have not well introduced and

identified for this purpose.

Recommendations with regard to the religious festivals, pilgrimages

Turkish culture are full of folklore ceremonies with good introduction and propaganda but its

limited in Iran and related to horse and camel riding ,mehregan ceremonies and however

perfume making in qamsar .

Pilgrimage and religious traditions in this issue we have more attention in iran than turkey like

emam hossein passion play and others that can be attractive in cultural tourism .also there are

many related places in Iran to this subject like emam reza tomb

In mashhad, qum ,and shah-e-cheragh in shiraz,which attract each year many moslem tourist

especially from Arabic neighbors countries . there is a need for special attention to make rapid

visa transformation and hospitality for these kinds of tourists in Iran.

1-Nomadic lifestyles are still present throughout Iran and a great attraction for many tourists.

Ethnic groups such as the Qashqai, Turks, Kurds, Baluchi, and Lur, just to name a few, have

been living throughout Iran for years. Introducing mass tourism to these groups has the potential



115

to deteriorate their rich culture to cater to the attention and interest of tourists. Most importantly,

however, tourism development may force many ethnic groups to relocate.

Rapid development in their once isolated area caused the commercialization of this tribe due to

tourist interest in this nomadic lifestyle. Women were able to make small profits from

handicrafts, but that was the extent of their role in the tourism industry. The Qashqai, an ethnic

group in the southern Fars province of Iran, have attracted tourists for some time. Therefore the

government placed a small group of them in a permanent area in Shiraz strictly for tourist

purposes. Tourists may now come and take pictures, eat, and stay the night with this group

without distracting their entire community . However this group should not be commercialized

too much for the tourist’s benefit because, after all, it is their traditional lifestyle that attracted

tourists there in the first place.

2-In order to keep the rich persian culture in IRAN alive and thriving, in every province, district

and even in some villages there are various traditional festivals and gatherings.

Recommendations with regard to the health tourism

1-Health Tourism depending on the resource and type of facility ,This is one of the most ancient

types of tourism as the benefits of natural springs, water cures; spas and mud are well-known

from earlier times until present time. To already existing mineral and medicinal hot water

treatments, this sort of tourism has recently added seawater therapy, beauty treatment, fitness and

anti-stress treatments to fight with the stress of daily life. Accordingly, advanced thermal resorts

serving in turkey for a variety of treatment opportunities, now become much more popular (Lier

and Taylor, 1993; Gartner, 1996)

Another things which is very important to develop turkeys health tourism is the existence of

resort hotels which is doing lots of beauty center like Natural therapies such as anti-aging



116

therapies, aroma therapy, osteopathy, ayurveda, shiatsu are just some the facilities of beauty

clinics. Furthermore, most beauty centers provide solarium, skin and hair care, diet and fitness

programs.



117

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Accor Supervises Laleh International Hotel in Tehran (2005). Retrieved April 11, 2005 from

http://www.chn.ir/Tourism/English/ShowNews.asp?id=489

Alavi, J., Yasin, M. (2000). Iran’s Tourism Potential and Market Realities: An Empirical

Approach to Closing the Gap. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 9, 11-19

Apostolakis, A. (2003). The convergence process in heritage tourism. Annals of tourism

research, 30 (4), 795-8 12.

Appadurai, A. (1 986). The Social life of things : commodities in cultural perspective.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Archer, B. and Cooper, C. (1 998). The positive and negative impacts of tourism. In W.F.

.

Burkart, A.J. and Medlik, S. (1981). Tourism: Past, present and future (2nd ed.). London:

Heinemann.

Butler, R. (1999). Tourism - An evolutionary perspective. In J.G. Nelson, R. Butler and

G. Wall, Tourism and sustainable development: monitoring, planning, managing,

decision making (2nd ed.) (pp.33-62). Waterloo: University of Waterloo.

Cohen, E. (1 979). A phenomenology of tourist experiences. Sociology, 13, 179-201.

Cohen, E. (1 988) Traditions in the qualitative sociology of tourism. Annals of tourism

research, 15 (I), 29-46.

Cohen, E. (1988a). Authenticity and commoditization in tourism. Annals of tourism

research,l5,371-386.




118

Cohen, E. (1989). Primitive and remote: Hill tribe trekking in Thailand', Annals of

tourism research, l6,30-61.

Cohen, E. (1 995). Contemporary tourism - Trends and challenges: Sustainable

authenticity or contrived post-modernity?. In R. Butler and D. Pearce, Change in

tourism: People, places, processes (pp. 12-29). New York: Routledge.

Craik, J . (1997). The culture of tourism. In C. Rojek and J.Urry, Touring cultures:

Transformations of travel and theory (pp. 1 13-1 36). New York: Routledge.

Chhabra, D., Healy, R. and Sills, E. (2003). Staged authenticity and heritage tourism.

Annals of tourism research, 30 (3), 701 -719.

Cohh, M.R. (January 1998). Behind the Veil the Mystique of Ancient Persia Lingers in the Dawn

of a Modern Iran. Toronto Star, p. G1. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Base/1406/article.html

Dutch Professors Instruct Iranian Tour Guides. (2005). Retrieved April 11, 2005 from


Dilley, R.S. (2000). Heritage on stage. Annals of Tourism Research, 27(2), 540-542.

First Tourism Education Center to be Built in Iran. (2005). Retrieved April 11, 2005 from


Garrod, B. & Fyall, A. (2000). Managing heritage tourism. Annals of Tourism Research,

27(2), 682-708.

G. Wall, Tourism and sustainable development: monitoring, planning, managing,

decision making (2nd ed.) (pp.33-62). Waterloo: University of Waterloo.


http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Base/1406/article.html




119

Gee, C.Y., and Fayos-Sola, E. (1 997). International tourism: A global perspective.

Madrid: World Tourism Organization.

Garrod, B. and Fyall, A. (2001). Heritage tourism: A question of definition. Annals of

tourism research, 28 (4), 1049- 1052.

Gratton, C. and Richards, G. (1 996). The economic context of cultural tourism. In G.

.

Grunewald, R. (2002). Tourism and cultural revival. Annals of tourism research, 29 (4), 1004-

1021.

Gholipour, B. H. (March 2005). Attraction of Foreign, Private Investment Vital. Retrieved April

6, 2005 from http://www.irna.ir/index2.php

Gholipour, B.H. (March 2005). Iran should do more to win greater share in tourist income by

2010. Retrieved April 6, 2005 from http://www.irna.ir/irnewtest/index2.php

Hawthorn Provides Shelter with Opportunities in Nigeria. (2004) Retrieved March 3, 2005 from

www.hospitalitynet.org

Hovinen, R.G. (1995). Heritage issues in urban tourism: An assessment of new trends in

Lnacaster county. Tourism Management, 16(5), 381-388

Iran-China Economic Exchanges to Reach $10 bln. (2004) Retrieved March 3, 2005 from

www.iranmania.com


http://www.irna.ir/index2.php

http://www.irna.ir/irnewtest/index2.php

http://www.hospitalitynet.org

http://www.iranmania.com


120

Iran-Masuleh (n.d.). (2004) Retrieved March 3, 2005 from

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-

URL_ID=2119&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Littrell, K., Anderson, L. and Brown, P. (1993). What makes a crafi souvenir authentic?. Annals

of tourism research, 20, 197-2 15.

Lord, G.D. (1 999). The Power of Cultural Tourism. Retrieved July 3 1,2004 from,

http://www.lord.ca/publications/articles/power - cultural~tourism.htm1

Le Meridien to Set to Manage Five Hotels in Iran. (2004) Retrieved March 3, 2005 from

www.hospitalitynet.org

Level of Iran-Turkey Trade to Hit $10 bln.(2004) Retrieved March 3, 2005 from

www.iranmania.com

McKercher, B. (2002). Towards a classification of cultural tourists. International journal

of tourism research, 4,29-38.

Moscardo, G. (1996). Mindful visitors: Heritage and tourism. Annals of tourism research, 23,

(2), 376-397.

Ministry Of Tourism. Tourism In Turkey: National Tourism Policies and

Strategies. Ankara: Ministry Of Tourism, 2007.

Million-Euro Medical Coverage for Foreign Tourists in Iran. (2005). Retrieved April 11, 2005

from http://www.chn.ir/Tourism/English/ShowNews.asp?id=497


http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php

http://www.lord.ca/publications/articles/power

http://www.hospitalitynet.org




121

Poria, Y., Butler, R. and Airey, D. (2001) “Clarifying Heritage Tourism”, Annals of Tourism

Research, 28(4), 1047-104912

Robinson, M. (1999b). Is cultural tourism on the right track?. The UNESCO Courier,

52(7), 22-23.

Richards, Cultural tourism in Europe, (pp. 71-86). Wallingford: CAB International

Silberberg, T. (1995). Cultural tourism and business opportunities for museums and

heritage sites. Tourism management, 16, 361 -365.

Smith, M.K. (2003). Issues in cultural tourism management. New York: Routledge.

Study on Visa Facilitation in the Silk Road Countries. (2001). Retrieved March 29, 2005 from

http://world-tourism.org

Sheykhi, M. T. (2003). A General Review of the Conceptual Dimensions of Quality of Leisure,

Tourism, and Sports with a Particular Focus on Iran. African and Asian Studies, 2, p.189-

206.

Theobald, Global tourism (2"d ed.) (pp. 63-8 1). Wobum: Butterworth-Heinemann

Tourism Sector Report: Jordan. (2004). Retrieved April 9, 2005 from

http://www.efbank.com.jo/upload/Tourism%20Sector%20Report%202004.pdf

US Official Slams Germany Over Trade with Iran. (2004). Retrieved March 3, 2005 from

www.iranmania.com

. Waitt, Gordon (2000). Consuming heritage. Annals of Tourism Research, 27(4), 835-862

World Bank Advisor: Iran’s Economic Growth Depends on Expansion of Private Sector. (2004)

Retrieved March 3, 2005 from www.payvand.com


http://world-tourism.org

http://www.efbank.com.jo/upload/Tourism%20Sector%20Report%202004.pdf


http://www.payvand.com


122

Zeppel, H. & Hall, C. (1992). Arts and heritage tourism. In Weiler, B. & Hall, C. (eds.) Special

Interest Tourism. London: Belhaven, pp.47-68



123

: چکیده بزرگترین سهم استخدامی 2000صنعت توریست به یکی از بزرگترین صنایع در جهان تبدیل شده است و به طوریکه در سال

در این رساله سعی شده است توانمندیهاي صنعت توریسم ایران با توانمندیهاي . را در جهان به خود اختصاص داده استعلت انتخاب ترکیه براي تطبیق و مقایسه . سم فرهنگی بررسی و مقایسه شودهاي توری صنعت توریست در ترکیه در زمینه

. تشابهات فرهنگی دوکشور-2 نزدیکی هاي جغرافیایی و همسان بودن منابع -1. وجود دو علت بوده استترکیه بوده هدف اصلی این تحقیق بررسی و ارزیابی عوامل افزوینده و کاهنده موثر در توسعه توریسم فرهنگی در ایران و

است و براي تحقق این هدف با تاکید بر تعریف توریسم فرهنگی سعی شده است تک تک اجزاء تشکیل دهنده شاخه . توریسم فرهنگی در دو کشور بررسی و مقایسه گردد

. اي و اسنادي گردآوري شده است این تحقیق از نوع کیفی و توصیفی و اطالعات از طریق روش مصاحبه و کتابخانهنتایج بدست آمده در این تحقیق بیانگر ضعف در مدیریت و سازماندهی در صنعت توریسم فرهنگی ایران در مقایسه با ترکیه

. بوده است که به طور کامل در ساله بحث گردیده است .توریسم فرهنگی، توسعه ي پایدار، توریست: واژگان کلیدي



2009:008 master's thesis a comparative study of cultural ...1023652/fulltext01.pdf ·...

Documents