tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/cultural-tourism-11735/articlesCultural tourism – The Conversation2023-03-15T19:56:59Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1925812023-03-15T19:56:59Z2023-03-15T19:56:59ZLooting and decay: how the pandemic wrought real damage to African heritage<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513930/original/file-20230307-24-28xi43.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C278%2C3321%2C1928&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Street market and the Great Mosque of Djenné, Mali, which was designated a world heritage site by Unesco in 1988. During the pandemic, the town was hard hit by illegal excavations and looting.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101618250">Giv/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Covid-19 pandemic will long be remembered for the lockdowns it imposed and the millions of lives it stole, particularly among the elderly. A recent <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/in/documentViewer.xhtml?v=2.1.196&id=p::usmarcdef_0000377667&file=/in/rest/annotationSVC/DownloadWatermarkedAttachment/attach_import_623bf641-f9e0-48fa-9e49-6f16e743308d%3F_%3D377667eng.pdf&locale=en&multi=true&ark=/ark:/48223/pf0000377667/PDF/377667eng.pdf#%5B%7B%22num%22%3A138%2C%22gen%22%3A0%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22XYZ%22%7D%2C0%2C842%2Cnull%5D">Unesco report</a> shows that it has also took a subtle yet large toll on our world heritage properties.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377667">new research</a>, world heritage sites in certain regions have suffered significant economic impacts of the pandemic, with those in Africa bearing the biggest brunt. In 2021, 52% of African world heritage properties reported Covid-related threats, including looting and insufficient materials to conserve sites. In comparison, 34% of properties in Asia and the Pacific reported similar issues, and only 15% of European and North American sites.</p>
<h2>Choked off conservation revenues</h2>
<p>The abrupt cut-off of tourism revenue is first to blame for these impacts. Several African countries are <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/34348/Rebuilding-Tourism-Competitiveness-Tourism-response-recovery-and-resilience-to-the-Covid-19-crisis.pdf">highly dependent on the sector</a>, with tourism accounting for 10 to 20% of GDP in Botswana, Gambia and Namibia and over 20% in Cabo Verde and the Seychelles.</p>
<p>In 2020, international tourist arrivals dropped by 97% compared to 2019, and by 2021 were still 73% less than pre-pandemic levels. At its <a href="https://wttc.org/research/economic-impact">worst point in the pandemic</a>, Africa’s travel and tourism sector lost $85.9 billion and 5.8 million jobs.</p>
<p>After global travel came to a halt, sites had to grapple with a sudden decrease in cash and an many temporary staff they could no longer keep on. Public subsidies, which cover the bulk of expenditures incurred by the management, staffing, conservation and maintenance of the sites, took a plunge in 44% of subsidized African world heritage sites. Only 8% saw their subsidies increase.</p>
<h2>Looted treasures</h2>
<p>Adding to the pain was the <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/01/08/from-lockdowns-to-looting-how-Covid-19-has-taken-a-toll-on-worlds-threatened-heritage-sites">increased looting of world heritage sites</a> during lockdowns. In Africa, one of the oldest cities of the continent, Djenné-Djenno, Mali, which is known to have been <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Djenne-Djenno/">inhabited from 250 BC</a>, has been heavily affected by illegal excavations and the looting of statues and other artifacts.</p>
<p>The logic is simple: the loss of income during the pandemic exacerbated the situation of those already living in poverty. Although this did not directly affect cultural property, many lost their incomes and some resorted to subsistence looting to survive. In such instances, the pandemic was the epicentre of a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/from-the-past-to-the-future-protecting-afghanistans-cultural-heritage-progress-fears-and-hopes/2CDCD9DAFD262B3347DD9C076EB30E91">compounding impact on cultural heritage</a>.</p>
<p>The risk of looting and illegal trade of cultural objects was found to have increased significantly during the pandemic. In March and April 2020, “online illicit trade in looted objects spiked”, according to the <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/01/08/from-lockdowns-to-looting-how-Covid-19-has-taken-a-toll-on-worlds-threatened-heritage-sites">Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research Project</a>. Insufficiently protected archaeological sites became an easy target for looting or <a href="https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/conservation-in-the-time-of-Covid/">other forms of illegal access</a>. The <a href="https://atharproject.org/">Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research Project</a> (ALTHAR), which monitors Facebook groups that serve as marketplaces for cultural antiquities – many often looted – found that many gained <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/illegal-excavations-and-online-trade-cultural-property-looted-midst-Covid-19">hundreds of thousands of new members</a> during the pandemic, raising concerns. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513932/original/file-20230307-18-44ru6m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513932/original/file-20230307-18-44ru6m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513932/original/file-20230307-18-44ru6m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513932/original/file-20230307-18-44ru6m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513932/original/file-20230307-18-44ru6m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513932/original/file-20230307-18-44ru6m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513932/original/file-20230307-18-44ru6m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The Konso Cultural Landscape is made up of dry-stone terraces that retain soil, collect and manage water and thus facilitate agriculture. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the fall in tourism and reduced security led to some of the terraces being scavanged for building supplies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1333/">Yonas Beyene/Unesco</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Beyond objects that could be looted, the Covid-19 pandemic also posed a threat to the world heritage sites themselves. For example, lockdowns brought a halt to 400-year-old social and cultural rituals for the maintenance of the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1333/">Konso Cultural Landscape</a>, which is made up of stone-walled terraces and fortified settlements in South Ethiopia’s Konso Highlands. Retaining the soil from erosion and collecting water that is vital for agriculture, the terraced fields represents not only a central cultural tradition, but also an infrastructural necessity. Prior to the pandemic, tourism as the largest income stream and even then, provided only the bare necessity of support. </p>
<p>The precipitous drop in tourism thus worsened the population’s already precarious financial situation. Because the price of building materials also climbed during the pandemic, locals began to use stones from the terraces for constructions. The dire situation was aggravated by absence of on-site site security, allowing some looting to occur.</p>
<p>The (mis)use of terrace stones for house construction in the Konso Highlands demonstrates the real threat to the preservation of cultural heritage sites posed by crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. It is worth recalling the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, in which all signatories recognised “that the task of ensuring the identification, protection and conservation of the cultural and natural heritage rests primarily with the state” (Art. 4).</p>
<h2>How to stop this from happening in future</h2>
<p>The severe impacts of the pandemic on tangible and intangible cultural heritage have highlighted the fragility of world heritage, especially in the Global South. To build the resilience required to manage future health crises, conflicts, and natural disasters brought on by climate change, a more sustainable approach is needed.</p>
<p>First, existing political and international legal instruments must be strengthened. At present, governments rely on a range of legislative measures to protect their World Heritage Sites. In 2017, the UN Security Council unequivocally condemned the <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000249838">looting and smuggling of cultural good during armed conflict</a> from Iraq and Syria. Nearly a half century earlier, Unesco’s 1970 convention on the <a href="https://en.unesco.org/about-us/legal-affairs/convention-means-prohibiting-and-preventing-illicit-import-export-and">Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property</a> prohibits the “illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property”.</p>
<p>Currently, 32 countries in the African region are parties to the 1970 convention, which is binding on all parties and requires that they abide by the legal standards set forth. However, its effectiveness depends heavily on local implementation and enforcement. Implementation through national laws and enforcement structures <a href="https://www.iccrom.org/sites/default/files/publications/2019-11/iccrom_ics05_legalframeworkafrica_en.pdf">varies greatly from country to country</a>. Nevertheless, there have been efforts in the African region to strengthen and harmonize cultural policies, and thus also to <a href="https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/37305-treaty-Charter_for_African_Renissance_ENGLISH_digital_0.pdf">better protect African cultural properties</a>.</p>
<p>Despite being under a legal obligation to ensure the protection and preservation of their nation’s cultural heritage, in times of crises, states didn’t seem to be fully able to fulfil their duties. To fill the gap, international support programs and private initiatives have stepped in to support world heritage sites. The initiative <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/fr/actualites/2291">#SOSAfricanHeritage</a> by the German Commission to Unesco (DUK) has supported 34 projects in 22 African countries in 2020/2021 with up to 25,000 euros with the specific goal. Still, we must guarantee steadier public funding for sites, rather than relying on emergency responses. </p>
<p>As detailed, the Covid-19 pandemic had numerous negative impacts on cultural heritage. While primarily a health crisis, the pandemic hit cultural heritage hard, inflicting significant damage. during the pandemic period can be traced to the pandemic at its core and its social and economic consequences. Be it the neglect of world heritage sites, the decline and absence of tourism, or looting in its various forms.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485372/original/file-20220919-20-pguqfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485372/original/file-20220919-20-pguqfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485372/original/file-20220919-20-pguqfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485372/original/file-20220919-20-pguqfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485372/original/file-20220919-20-pguqfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485372/original/file-20220919-20-pguqfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485372/original/file-20220919-20-pguqfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/next50/">50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention</a> (16 November 2022): World Heritage as a source of resilience, humanity and innovation.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192581/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>The Covid-19 pandemic will long be remembered for the lockdowns it imposed and the millions of lives it stole. A recent Unesco report reveals that it has also took a large toll on world heritage sites.Clemens Schleupner, UNESCO Chair in International Relations , Technische Universität DresdenFelix Schmermer, Researcher in international law, Technische Universität DresdenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1731262022-01-18T13:40:37Z2022-01-18T13:40:37ZWhy massive new youth sports facilities may not lead to the tourist boom many communities hope for when they build them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440718/original/file-20220113-15-5qibqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C104%2C5256%2C3464&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Grand Park, a multi-use sporting facility in Westfield, Ind., was built to lure youth sports competitions and tourists to the region.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakYouthSports/8439fc4e7ca34abf913041c963c1f82c/photo?Query=grand%20park%20indiana&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=33&currentItemNo=16">AP Photo/Michael Conroy</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em> </p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Parents who travel with their kids to compete in regional sports tournaments tend to be too focused on the competition to turn them into family vacations and spend like tourists, according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100644">our recently published research</a>. This is bad news to the many <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/opinion/-ct-ptb-davich-youth-sports-tourism-st-0918-20170917-story.html">communities that spend millions of dollars</a> on state-of-the-art sports facilities to host such tournaments in hopes of recouping the costs in increased economic activity. </p>
<p>For our study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 33 parents of children who play youth sports, whether it’s baseball, soccer or swimming. The parents lived in Florida and Indiana, and we found them by reaching out to local sports clubs and event venues. We asked them questions about how they planned for out-of-town sports competitions, the activities they engaged in while there and what drives those decisions.</p>
<p>Overall, we found that parents said they were just too busy with the sporting event and supporting their children to do anything else. In the interviews, the typical youth sports trip was described as within driving distance of home, one to two nights in duration and mostly spent at the athletic venue.</p>
<p>Since destinations are decided by team managers seeking relevant competitions for their athletes, they may not be places that lend themselves to family vacations. As a result, the economic impact to a local community seems to be limited to the event’s organizers, nearby hotels and local restaurants.</p>
<p>“It’s all about the competition, so it doesn’t really matter,” one parent said, referring to local non-sport activities.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>The US$15 billion youth sports travel industry is largely premised on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/sports/youth-sports-costs.html">the idea</a> that families turn tournament trips into extended vacations that result in a boost of economic activity. In other words, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/opinion/-ct-ptb-davich-youth-sports-tourism-st-0918-20170917-story.html">if you build it</a> – a big sports complex – they will come – and spend lots of money. </p>
<p>This practice can turn into something of an arms race as <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2019/04/19/des-moines-cownie-soccer-park-youth-sports-tournament-where-to-play-soccer-central-iowa-fields/3424657002/">neighboring communities build new stadiums</a> and other facilities to attract a finite number of big tournaments.</p>
<p>[<em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Our findings suggest the assumption that these investments lead to a significant boost in economic activity – especially through local tourism – may be mistaken. And separately, <a href="https://twitter.com/sarcasticmommy4/status/537703895032537088">tweets</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/travel_parent/status/1003384028207214593">young athletes’ parents</a> seem to <a href="https://twitter.com/jayystone25/status/1018331189327917056">provide further support</a> that attending away games and camps is not about tourism or fun. </p>
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<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>While we have qualitative data that helps us better understand the decisions parents make when they take sport trips with their children, we don’t know how representative those 33 families are. And we don’t have quantitative data that definitively shows whether investments in these facilities pay off or not.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173126/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Buning receives funding from Hamilton Country Tourism.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cassandra Coble receives funding from Hamilton County Tourism. </span></em></p>New research suggests parents are too focused on their children’s competition to spend time or money on things that don’t involve the tournament, hotel stays or quick dining.Richard Buning, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, School of Business, The University of QueenslandCassandra Coble, Clinical Associate Professor of Sport Management, Indiana UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1426952020-08-04T12:08:49Z2020-08-04T12:08:49ZHow fans of Outlander and Game of Thrones can help the UK tourist industry recover<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351044/original/file-20200804-18-wbqq88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C14%2C4873%2C2997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Visitors in 2018 at the Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland, used as a filming location for Game of Thrones. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ballymoney-united-kingdom-august-6-2018-1198823146">Nick Fox/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://jomec.cardiffuniversitypress.org/articles/abstract/10.18573/jomec.179/">Fan tourism</a> has been on the rise in recent years, as people seek out sites featured in the books, TV series or films they feel a connection with. </p>
<p>In the UK, tourism linked to HBO’s Game of Thrones has proved a particular success story. Before the coronavirus pandemic, 350,000 people visited Northern Ireland annually for Game of Thrones-related tourism, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-48343910">spending an estimated £50m every year</a>.</p>
<p>Now, the UK tourism industry is looking to recover from the <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2020-07-08/northern-ireland-tourism-industry-likely-to-drop-by-over-50">devastating impact</a> of the <a href="https://www.visitbritain.org/2020-tourism-forecast">coronavirus pandemic</a>. </p>
<p>Across the UK, a new industry standard named <a href="https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en/know-before-you-go">“We’re Good to Go”</a> has been introduced, intended to give visitors confidence that tourism organisations are abiding by government standards. Tourism agency Visit Scotland has launched a <a href="https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2020/07/onlyinscotland-3-million-marketing-campaign-to-encourage-scottish-tourism/">marketing campaign</a> to encourage local people back safely, as has <a href="https://tourismni.com/media-centre/News/embrace-northern-irelands-giant-staycation-spirit-in-2020/">Tourism Northern Ireland</a>. Visits to sites beloved by fans could provide a valuable lifeline. </p>
<h2>Fan tourism, identity and local economies</h2>
<p>The visits taken by fans to these destinations involve an emotional relationship between <a href="https://theconversation.com/pizza-delivery-for-walter-white-the-pros-and-cons-of-fan-tourism-86658">space, place, memory and identity</a>. </p>
<p>Being a fan of a film or television series allows people to identify as part of a group of fellow fans with the same interests. When they visit important sites, they may feel a sense of connection to other fans in the same place. They may also remember how they felt when watching a favourite film or TV show, and feel a close connection to those sites. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://jomec.cardiffuniversitypress.org/articles/abstract/10.18573/jomec.179/">my research</a>, I have explored how visiting sites seen on-screen allows fans to use their imagination to inhabit fictional worlds that they can never truly visit. </p>
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<img alt="Fans wait for a photo opportunity at the Harry Potter platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station, London" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351047/original/file-20200804-16-1hi40wy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351047/original/file-20200804-16-1hi40wy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351047/original/file-20200804-16-1hi40wy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351047/original/file-20200804-16-1hi40wy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351047/original/file-20200804-16-1hi40wy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351047/original/file-20200804-16-1hi40wy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351047/original/file-20200804-16-1hi40wy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The Harry Potter Platform 9 ¾ photo opportunity at King’s Cross Station, London, in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-october-19-2018-queue-1450161314">NoyanYalcin/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Fan tourism includes visiting locations where films and TV series have been filmed, production studio tours – such as <a href="https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/">Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter Tour</a> – and film-related theme parks. It also often involves the use of <a href="https://jomec.cardiffuniversitypress.org/articles/abstract/10.18573/jomec.195">digital media technologies</a>, such as social media, to plan trips and to share experiences with others afterwards. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Documents-Library/documents/foresight_160_-_film_and_tv_locations.pdf">Visit Britain</a> has recognised the impact of film and TV locations on tourism. <a href="https://www.creativeengland.co.uk/film-tourism/">Visit England</a> reported that screen tourism contributed between £100 million and £140 million to the economy in 2014.</p>
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<p>This pre-pandemic success can be seen across the UK nations. In Scotland, locations associated with the TV series <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51488784">Outlander</a>, based on a series of books by American author Diana Gabaldon, saw an almost 200% rise in visitors. </p>
<p>Visit Wales’ promotion of sites used in <a href="https://www.visitwales.com/things-do/attractions/tv-film-locations/top-welsh-doctor-who-filming-locations">Doctor Who</a> also shows how screen media can inspire tourist activities, as does Tourism NI’s development of activities linked to TV show <a href="https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/derry-girls-doing-their-bit-to-promote-citys-tourism-38010469.html">Derry Girls</a>. </p>
<h2>After coronavirus</h2>
<p>When faced with disruption and upheaval, we often turn to favourite books or shows to offer comfort and as <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0093650220939778">a coping method</a>. Fans may have re-watched favourite films or television series during lockdown to help deal with their anxieties. </p>
<p>However, they have been unable to visit important locations due to the closure of museums, heritage sites and official media tours. Being able to to finally go back to such places again allows fans to reassert their identities, to stand again in important spaces, and feel a sense of reassurance and security as things begin to get back to normal. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Exterior view of National Museum of Wales in Cardiff" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351076/original/file-20200804-24-xbg7m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351076/original/file-20200804-24-xbg7m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351076/original/file-20200804-24-xbg7m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351076/original/file-20200804-24-xbg7m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351076/original/file-20200804-24-xbg7m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351076/original/file-20200804-24-xbg7m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351076/original/file-20200804-24-xbg7m3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, frequently used as a Doctor Who filming location, is set to reopen on the 27 August.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/national-museum-wales-cardiff-great-britain-289260224">Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fan tourists are a particular asset to tourist destinations because of their loyalty to specific locations. They may be more likely to want to return to important places before more general tourists. They may also want to support these sites financially to ensure their survival for future visits and for other fans.</p>
<p>Fans may also act as unofficial cheerleaders through their online connections on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. One <a href="https://www.fangirlquest.com/filming-locations/">popular fan practice</a> is the sharing of photos and trip reports, or explaining how to find specific locations. </p>
<p>If fan tourists’ post-lockdown experiences are positive, they can be a valuable source of word-of-mouth recommendations that encourage both fellow fans, and more general tourists, to return to specific tourist sites.</p>
<p>Fans are likely to visit sites <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15405702.2018.1524146">multiple times</a>. Their repeat trips offer economic benefits for tourism providers, but this also means that they may have different experiences at sites over time as the coronavirus recovery progresses. They can use this to report on their trips, which may reassure others that it is safe to visit.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1288512145567764482"}"></div></p>
<p>Already, films and TV shows beloved to fans are being used to welcome visitors back. For instance, a new mural of the characters in TV show Derry Girls has been unveiled at City of Derry Airport.</p>
<p>Fans’ close connection with texts and other media makes them a valuable asset. The relationships between media and fan tourists, local and national organisations, and businesses and operators look set to be more important than ever.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142695/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fan tourists’ loyalty to specific sites and locations may be a valuable asset in kickstarting UK tourism.Rebecca Williams, Senior Lecturer in Media, Culture & Communication, University of South WalesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1211482019-08-01T13:15:06Z2019-08-01T13:15:06ZThe original Love Island: how George Sand and Fryderyk Chopin put Mallorca on the romance map<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/286575/original/file-20190801-169710-njjs0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C5%2C924%2C720&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">ChopinSandDelacroix</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Eugène Delacroix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49157523">four million Britons watched</a> Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea being crowned the victors of Love Island 2019. Gill, a beauty therapist and model from Newcastle in the north of England, and O'Shea, a rugby player from Limerick in Ireland, proved the most popular pairing among the 24 reality TV show contestants on the Balearic island of Mallorca.</p>
<p>Their 12-day romance has ensured fame, fortune and social media influence for the two 20-somethings – and it won’t hurt Mallorca’s tourism numbers either. But perhaps few of the contestants or viewers know that tourism on Mallorca was kick-started almost two centuries ago by an earlier pair of star-crossed celebrity lovers, in a remote lodging just a few miles away from the ITV villa. So while Love Island might feel quintessentially 21st century, it was prefigured by events on the same island in 1838.</p>
<p>In that year, the “most famous woman in France”, the avant-garde, aristocratic, cross-dressing, best-selling novelist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Sand">Aurore Amantine Dupin Dudevant</a> – known by her male pen name of George Sand – travelled to Mallorca with the lauded Polish composer, pianist and political refugee <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/09ff1fe8-d61c-4b98-bb82-18487c74d7b7">Fryderyk Chopin</a>. She was 34, he six years her junior. </p>
<p>Sand claimed they had sailed to the Balearics seeking solitude, where she could write and Chopin compose. They were likely also fleeing from the scandal their love affair had caused in Paris. Sand was a high-society rebel, a divorced mother of two who had successfully won custody of her children. The critic Robert Graves has described her as “<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3e1ag2S07fsC&pg=PA335&lpg=PA335&dq=graves+sand+the+uncrowned+queen+of+the+Romantics&source=bl&ots=YOvUdjuLvk&sig=ACfU3U0_9hYgqLdogQXYGytBbF_ddBSfBw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwjLSVvOHjAhWB-qQKHZa6BU8Q6AEwEHoECB4QAQ#v=onepage&q=graves%20sand%20the%20uncrowned%20queen%20of%20the%20Romantics&f=false">the uncrowned queen of the Romantics</a>”, a conscious pioneer of a “modern”, liberated lifestyle. </p>
<p>At 28, Chopin was the same age as several of the Love Island hopefuls. Like one of this year’s contestants, he came to Mallorca with a recent broken engagement behind him – to fellow Polish émigré Maria Wodzińska. Yet unlike the bronzed, toned bodies of the 2019 ITV islanders, Chopin was in 1838 already ailing, with bronchitis or tuberculosis. Writing to a friend from the island, <a href="https://archive.org/stream/chopinsletters00chop/chopinsletters00chop_djvu.txt">he described his own appearance</a>. He dressed informally, Chopin explained, but his skin was still wan: “Behold me [here] without white gloves, without curled hair, but as pale as usual.” </p>
<p>Mallorca in the 1830s was heavily agricultural. In her travel memoir <a href="https://www.literarytraveler.com/articles/george-sand-her-majorcan-winter-of-discontent/">A Winter in Mallorca</a>, Sand estimated that almonds and pigs were the main exports, and she described too the orange groves, figs and olive trees. To the two Parisians the island seemed fertile yet strangely impoverished. “No peasant in the world is so dreary or poor,” Sand concluded. The island’s infrastructure for foreign visitors was extremely limited in the early 19th century. </p>
<p>Sand and Chopin sailed from Barcelona on a cargo ship, its hold full of hogs. Arriving in the capital of Palma, to their shock the couple could not find a functioning hotel. They stayed in expensive rented rooms in a bad neighbourhood – and Chopin’s piano was impounded by customs officers. They ended up renting a cell in an abandoned Carthusian monastery in the mountain village of Valldemossa. </p>
<p>The lovers’ Mallorcan tryst was bittersweet. Chopin’s letters praised the natural beauty, calm and “poetic feeling” of the island. He took pleasure in the “African sun”, the blue sea and the eagles he watched gliding overhead. Sand, however, grew disillusioned. She was angry in particular at the locals who disapproved of the unmarried lovers, and later vented her feelings in her notoriously acerbic memoir. </p>
<p>Yet however unflattering her account, Sand’s book put Mallorca on the literary map. She joked that she had “discovered” the island and predicted that once international travel connections improved “Mallorca would soon prove a formidable rival to the Alps”, a new destination for the North European traveller. That prophecy was realised with the opening of an international airport at Palma in 1960, and the advent of mass tourism.</p>
<p>Then – as with Love Island now – the couple’s Mallorcan love spectacle inspired much hand-wringing, moralising and outright disdain in the newspapers of the day. A journalist writing in the Polish monthly Przegląd Poznański, for example, <a href="http://www.ejournals.eu/sj/index.php/SLit/article/view/1189">lamented Chopin’s extra-marital love affair</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Our respect for this person should not blind us, or cause us to pass over in silence things which are so severely condemned by society. It is a source of bitter sorrow that such a beautiful life has not been without deep stain. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Today, contestants hope that a successful stint on Love Island will generate income from advertising, guest appearances and endorsements. For Sand and Chopin, the Mallorcan interlude was also productive for their own careers. Sand wrote <a href="https://booksien.com/2018/01/15/about-spiridion-by-george-sand/">her novel Spiridion</a> in the monastery, and Chopin composed a number of pieces at Valldemossa. But the romantic happy-ever-after which the most gossiped-about couple of 19th-century Europe had sought in the Balearic sun proved, ultimately, far more elusive.</p>
<h2>Unhappy ever after</h2>
<p>Like many Love Island contestants, Chopin and Sand found that an extended stay in a Mallorcan hideaway was no guarantee of successful long-term romance. The trip had an ambiguous effect on their relationship. Chopin was already seriously unwell, and his love affair with Sand would break down in terrible, <a href="https://crosseyedpianist.com/2013/04/10/divine-fire-fryderyk-chopin-and-george-sand/">very public recriminations </a> a few years later.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/286601/original/file-20190801-169684-1nudr5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/286601/original/file-20190801-169684-1nudr5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/286601/original/file-20190801-169684-1nudr5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/286601/original/file-20190801-169684-1nudr5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/286601/original/file-20190801-169684-1nudr5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/286601/original/file-20190801-169684-1nudr5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/286601/original/file-20190801-169684-1nudr5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A fine romance? Love Island winners Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ITV Studios</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Polish pianist died in Paris in 1849 and Sand did not attend his funeral. Graves <a href="https://literaryreview.co.uk/george-sand">has speculated</a> that the hostile reception which the lovers received from socially conservative, Catholic Mallorcans heightened the existing tensions in their relationship, fuelling Chopin’s own internal misgivings.</p>
<p>We do not yet know if the Love Island villa – rented by ITV from its millionaire German owner – will become a tourist attraction. But at Valldemossa, the Chopin-Sand connection is still <a href="https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2017/08/05/as-mallorca-enjoys-the-frederic-chopin-festival-we-remember-his-island-sojourn-with-george-sand/">a major visitor draw</a>, 180 years on. The town boasts a museum, and offers visits to the monastic cell where the couple lived, as well as regular recitals of Chopin’s music. </p>
<p>Relics associated with the famous visitors are displayed – including Chopin’s piano, finally rescued from customs officials.</p>
<p>So Gill and O'Shea, flying back to the UK, might spare a moment to peer down from their aeroplane window onto the cool northern hills, where those first, pioneering “islanders” put controversial, public-private Mallorcan love affairs on the map.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121148/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natalia Nowakowska receives funding from the British Academy and the European Research Council. </span></em></p>180 years before Love Island, Chopin and Sands travelled to Mallorca to pursue their romance.Natalia Nowakowska, Associate Professor of Early Modern History, University of Oxford, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1103022019-01-23T13:43:21Z2019-01-23T13:43:21ZFyre festival fiasco: exploitation of Caribbean islanders highlights colonial legacy of tourism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254983/original/file-20190122-100276-17uef4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ja Rule and Billy McFarland in still from Netflix Fyre documentary.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Luxury, consumption, hedonism and sexual conquest are all tropes that have been long associated with travel to the Caribbean. The 2017 luxury music event Fyre Festival, masterminded by <a href="https://www.showboxpresents.com/events/detail/367687">rapper Ja Rule</a> and <a href="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/10/11/fyre-festival-billy-mcfarland-jail-time/">entrepreneur Billy McFarland</a>, repackaged these tropes for a millennial market. But thanks to drastically insufficient planning, the fantasy turned into a nightmare, as would-be attendees were <a href="https://www.spin.com/2017/05/fyre-festival-disaster-timeline/">stranded in Grand Exuma</a> without sufficient water, food or shelter. </p>
<p>Now, competing documentaries on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljkaq_he-BU">Hulu</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ0KNVU2fV0">Netflix</a> have recounted these events through the lens of millennial consumer culture, media coverage, greedy “entrepreneurship” <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45827157">and fraud</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uZ0KNVU2fV0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>But another story is humming in the background. Many Caribbean islands including Exuma rely principally (and often precariously) <a href="https://thenassauguardian.com/2018/01/22/island-insights-exuma/">on tourism</a>. Their status as hedonistic playgrounds often conceals exploitative power dynamics. In focussing on the stresses and losses of the festival’s stakeholders and attendees, the documentaries ultimately fail to interrogate the colonial baggage that they conspicuously depict.</p>
<h2>The Fyre festival chaos</h2>
<p>The documentaries highlight the increasingly erratic planning of the festival and its lurching cash flow.</p>
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<p>As attendees arrived and confronted the lack of basic infrastructure and information, they began to post images online of flooded disaster tents and the festival’s “catering” – not meals prepared by celebrity chefs as had been promised, but processed cheese and bread. Scheduled <a href="https://www.nme.com/blogs/festivals-blog/fyre-festival-luxury-chaos-pictures-2061836">headline acts withdrew</a> before the event had even started. As night fell, stranded festival-goers in the documentary footage described the scenes as “barbaric”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254925/original/file-20190122-100270-1644zpa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254925/original/file-20190122-100270-1644zpa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254925/original/file-20190122-100270-1644zpa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254925/original/file-20190122-100270-1644zpa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254925/original/file-20190122-100270-1644zpa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254925/original/file-20190122-100270-1644zpa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254925/original/file-20190122-100270-1644zpa.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=753&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fyre catering.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">@trev4president on Twitter</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To say that the festival failed to materialise on its sales pitch would be a gross understatement. As both documentaries show, social media first marketed Fyre through expensively shot video footage of influencers and models running in slow motion through crystal waters. Drone shots showed yachts powering towards the idyllic Bahamian coastline. A coordinated network of hundreds of social media influencers posted teasers, intensifying Fyre’s “hype”.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mz5kY3RsmKo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The goal was to sell, according to McFarland, “a pipe dream to the average loser”. Tickets (some priced at US$12,000 for VIP packages) sold out rapidly.</p>
<h2>Paradise islands</h2>
<p>The Caribbean has long been imagined as a place of luxury and <a href="https://www.crcpress.com/Consuming-the-Caribbean-From-Arawaks-to-Zombies/Sheller/p/book/9780415257602">consumption</a> – a place to escape the strictures of life at home, and “go native”, or become “tropicalised” through sensory excesses. For instance, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Pleasure_Island.html?id=s10kWVH9k9oC&redir_esc=y">in the early 20th century</a>, Cuba was one of the illicit, <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300177893/havana-habit">close-but-foreign</a> playgrounds that North Americans tourists could visit to gamble, drink and seek prostitutes. It is not surprising then that Fyre’s marketing exploited the vice heritage of its island location (which, it was claimed, once belonged to Pablo Escobar). As McFarland bragged: “We are taking the dream of the average American, and saying: for three days you can become Pablo Escobar”. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254933/original/file-20190122-100273-x3y2vr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254933/original/file-20190122-100273-x3y2vr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254933/original/file-20190122-100273-x3y2vr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254933/original/file-20190122-100273-x3y2vr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254933/original/file-20190122-100273-x3y2vr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254933/original/file-20190122-100273-x3y2vr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254933/original/file-20190122-100273-x3y2vr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A promotional video for Fyre festival.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">YouTube</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The festival location originally promised in Fyre’s marketing strategy was a “remote and private island” inviting “a quest to cross boundaries”. The narrative of discovery, conquest and “possession” of “virgin” territories positions the tourist as sexual <em>conquistador</em>, as anthropologist <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0160738394000972">Colleen Ballerino Cohen has observed</a>. As <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Small-Place-Jamaica-Kincaid/dp/0374527075">important studies</a> have argued, the tourism market recolonises the Caribbean – both figuratively and literally. The construction of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1470-9856.2010.00453.x">paradise islands</a> cannot be separated from the colonising gaze.</p>
<h2>Paradise lost</h2>
<p>Caribbean nation-states are predominantly and often perilously reliant on extractive, mono-culture economies such as tourism – and these are a legacy of colonisation. Capital may be concentrated offshore, benefiting foreign operators, but contributing little to the local economy. The dominance of all-inclusive resorts, for example, where guests part with their cash in their home countries, limits participation by local businesses. McFarland’s team likewise encouraged their guests to buy credit-loaded wristbands to pay for drinks, food and experiences.</p>
<p>While the documentaries featured plenty of Fyre’s video marketing, showing white bodies partying in slow motion, black bodies were glimpsed intermittently, toiling in the background. Netflix’s film certainly does more to acknowledge this reality, recounting how 200 local contractors were brought in urgently to work day and night to prepare the site. These contractors were reportedly not paid. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254944/original/file-20190122-100276-l3crmy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254944/original/file-20190122-100276-l3crmy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=352&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254944/original/file-20190122-100276-l3crmy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=352&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254944/original/file-20190122-100276-l3crmy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=352&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254944/original/file-20190122-100276-l3crmy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254944/original/file-20190122-100276-l3crmy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254944/original/file-20190122-100276-l3crmy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A screengrab from the Netflix film Fyre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In fact, local restaurant owner <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-46937725">Maryann Rolle</a>, whose venue frantically catered for employees and attendees, not only lost earnings but spent US$50,000 (£38,000) of her life savings in covering her costs. </p>
<p>The Fyre fiasco and the documentaries that have followed it expose the cruel reality of a global capitalist system where material resources and labour have been (often violently) extracted from “peripheral” countries by “core” countries.</p>
<p>The documentaries’ <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/21/fyre-festival-co-founder-ja-rule-criticises-new-documentaries-netflix-hulu">respective agendas</a> are <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2019/01/21/the-fyre-festival-makes-for-a-compelling-car-crash-whichever-documentary-you-choose/">ambivalent</a> – Hulu interviewed McFarland for its documentary while Netflix’s film is produced by FuckJerry/Jerry Media which also marketed the festival. </p>
<p>But motivation aside, both films failed to fully interrogate the effects on local people of this disaster – so audiences have instead turned to the internet to express their solidarity with local workers and to crowdfund <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/exuma-point-fyre-fest-debt">Rolle</a>. At the time of writing, $161,000 had been raised.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110302/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Ogden does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Two new documentaries about the disastrous 2017 Fyre fail to fully acknowledge the exploitation of the people of the Exumas.Rebecca Ogden, Lecturer in Latin American Studies, University of KentLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1003912018-07-24T08:19:59Z2018-07-24T08:19:59ZMamma Mia! Here come the tourists again<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228840/original/file-20180723-189323-1az5gml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Universal Pictures</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Abba-inspired sequel of Mamma Mia is filling cinemas around the world. But the film’s location – the small Croatian island of Vis – should now also expect to attract high numbers of visitors. The inevitable increase in inbound tourists visiting the film’s coastal backdrop will become the latest example of <a href="http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?K=9781845415839">film-induced tourism</a> – a phenomenon which describes the way people flock to visit film and television locations.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/20/mamma-mia-tourists-croatia-vis-abba-film">Srećko Horvat</a>, a Croatian philosopher, the remote island – which represents the imaginary island of Kalokairi in the film – is now preparing to experience a similar fate to the location of the original film: the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/dec/20/mamma-mia-greek-island-money">Greek island of Skopelo</a>. </p>
<p>In 2008, the “Mamma Mia effect” was a phrase coined to describe the way the original <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2008&p=.htm">£460m-earning</a> movie triggered unprecedented demand for hotel accommodation on the tiny Aegean island and sent prices in local bars and restaurants soaring. Despite concerns about the negative impact of these tourism “invasions” and the risk of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/overtourism-a-growing-global-problem-100029">overtourism</a>”, it has been <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/film/were-sad-mamma-mia-didnt-12937225">reported</a> that some of the Greek islanders have expressed upset about the decision to film the sequel elsewhere. If Skopelos can no longer claim to be <em>the</em> Mamma Mia island, the revenue from film tourists might now be enjoyed by the Croatian island instead.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1021385511259312129"}"></div></p>
<h2>Must-see locations</h2>
<p>You don’t have to look far to find adverts enticing film lovers to visit the locations of movies. For example, <a href="https://www.roughguides.com/gallery/40-film-locations-around-the-world/">Rough Guide</a> provides 40 “must-see” film locations around the world. Destination marketing organisations also use them to promote their visitor offer – Visit Wales’s <a href="http://www.visitwales.com/holidays-breaks/days-out/tv-film-locations-uk">“Light, Camera, Action” campaign</a> aims to attract people to see where the likes of Torchwood and Robin Hood were made. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.tourismnewzealand.com/markets-stats/sectors/film-tourism/">Tourism New Zealand’s</a> campaign has successfully piggybacked off the popularity of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Hobbit movies.</p>
<p>The potential income from film-induced tourism can be significant. For example, the blockbusters Rob Roy and Braveheart generated an additional tourism income of more than £15m for Scotland. In fact, more than 500,000 American Braveheart <a href="http://www.scottish-tourist.com/braveheart/">fans travelled to Scotland</a> – despite the fact the movie was made in Ireland.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228843/original/file-20180723-189332-1a6f7xj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228843/original/file-20180723-189332-1a6f7xj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228843/original/file-20180723-189332-1a6f7xj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228843/original/file-20180723-189332-1a6f7xj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228843/original/file-20180723-189332-1a6f7xj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228843/original/file-20180723-189332-1a6f7xj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228843/original/file-20180723-189332-1a6f7xj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The location of Hobbiton, as used in the Lord of the Rings films, near Matamata, New Zealand.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rob Chandler via Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Lord of the Rings trilogy prompted a 50% increase in tourist arrivals to New Zealand – and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/12/14/the-impact-economic-and-otherwise-of-lord-of-the-ringsthe-hobbit-on-new-zealand/">Forbes estimated</a> income of NZD$33m (£17m) a year just from these visitors. Total revenue from film production in New Zealand totalled $3.155 billion in 2014. Back in 1991, the movie Thelma and Louise – which featured Canyonlands and the Arches National Park in Utah – led to a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0261517795001115">visitor increase of 22.6%</a> with an additional increase of 16.6% the following year. </p>
<h2>Blessing and curse</h2>
<p>Tourism is by no means new to Croatia. It is one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations, with <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat">86.1m overnight stays in 2017</a> – up 10.6% since 2016. The contribution of tourism to its GDP is set to rise to <a href="https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2017/croatia2017.pdf">31.5% by 2027</a>. But the additional Mamma Mia effect may fuel concerns that the country is becoming over-reliant on tourism, which might be detrimental to Croatia’s <a href="http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/croatia-risks-by-tying-to-booming-tourism-01-25-2018">long-term economic growth</a>. This scenario highlights the “double-edged” nature of tourism – the rush to see the film set may generate welcome income, but it can be both a <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stop-city-breaks-killing-our-cities-79132">blessing and a curse</a>.</p>
<p>Film-induced tourism can raise public awareness of important places and issues – for example, <a href="https://www.gadventures.com/blog/dian-fossey-legacy-travel/">the plight of gorillas in Rwanda</a> following the film Gorillas in the Mist – improve a destination’s image and boost local employment. But it also poses a challenge to destinations without the infrastructure to cope with sudden spikes in visitor numbers. This increase in tourism can lead to overcrowding, congestion, social problems and higher property values which effectively price locals out. </p>
<p>The negative impact of film-induced tourism is illustrated well by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/feb/14/thailand-maya-bay-the-beach-movie-close-to-tourists-leonardo-dicaprio">Maya Island in Thailand</a> – the location for the film The Beach in 2000. The film prompted a sudden 22% spike in young people visiting the island. But growing concerns about environmental damage have led to a recent decision to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/maya-bay-thailand-closed-local-authorities-the-beach-film-location-excessive-tourism-a8208036.html">close the beach</a>. With 5,000 tourists arriving by boat every day, excessive pressure has been placed on its ecosystems, damaging coral reefs and habitats. </p>
<p>Similarly, in Scotland, the locations of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Transformers: The Last Knight have prompted many tourists to visit the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-40874488">Isle of Skye</a>. This surge of tourists is placing unwelcome pressure on an infrastructure unable to cope with high visitor numbers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228852/original/file-20180723-189332-rduuzk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228852/original/file-20180723-189332-rduuzk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228852/original/file-20180723-189332-rduuzk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228852/original/file-20180723-189332-rduuzk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228852/original/file-20180723-189332-rduuzk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228852/original/file-20180723-189332-rduuzk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228852/original/file-20180723-189332-rduuzk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Maya Island, Thailand: a travel destination made popular by the film, The Beach, is set to close to tourists.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Playa_Maya,_Ko_Phi_Phi,_Tailandia,_2013-08-19,_DD_04.JPG">Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The film and tourism industries have much in common. But although <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237807231_Promoting_Destinations_via_Film_Tourism_An_Empirical_Identification_of_Supporting_Marketing_Initiatives">joint marketing campaigns</a> between the tourism and film industries make sense, those behind them must take joint responsibility for addressing the potential impact. It is time for these two industries to work together and address how they can bring longer-term social, cultural and economic benefits and sustainable prosperity to destinations.</p>
<p>One opportunity to mitigate the impact of film-tourism on fragile locations may lie in sustainable certifications such as the “<a href="http://wearealbert.org/">We are Albert</a>” project. This UK-based project provides the film and TV industries with expertise and opportunities to help ensure their productions are made in a way that benefits individuals, industry organisations, film locations and the planet. The online scheme of rewarding film and television teams for implementing sustainable and responsible production techniques is a model of good practice. In seeking a sensitive approach to filming on location, such initiatives might go some way towards addressing the Mamma Mia effect. </p>
<p>Collaborative working across these two industries might help both industries show they are more than “Money, Money, Money”. Rather, pursuing a strategy which is more about “Knowing me, Knowing you” at a community and environmental level might help keep tourists, the industry, locals and the environment happy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100391/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Everett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Croatian island of Vis is gearing up for a massive influx of tourists wanting to see where the Abba-inspired movie sequel was filmed.Sally Everett, Deputy Dean (Business School), Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/879972017-12-19T19:22:59Z2017-12-19T19:22:59ZTourists are happy when taken off the beaten track, and smaller cities and towns can tap into that<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/198084/original/file-20171207-31525-34dwwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Yes, it's a beautiful part of the world, but what sets Ballyhoura apart is the deliberate focus on a warm, local welcome.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephendotcarter/5611373774/in/photolist-9xRKVG-3CF4mc-eijciU-cpxLvC-ab4pyk-9onsMx-9xRL7Y-ab4BsZ-eidsvi-cpya51-9onsuF-eidso6-cpxMcf-UsjXJt-eidsui-9onsJv-ab42Ze-cpy8Ao-ab4x9r-Tniq85-7MnFzy-cpyeiQ-cpxMHj-9ontmF-9onsAi-9onsNi-9onsz4-9xNML6-ab4dV4-6iAnnm-7Ers45-ab4ytr-ab4q8c-ab4ssr-ab4f1R-5c8B8U-9oqukE-9ontsn-7yUTJr-cpy6F1-cpxJUu-cpxW7N-ab4zmP-cpycSG-7ErtfS-TnipWJ-cpxS81-cpy9F5-6iAiAq-ab4sWB">stephendotcarter/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Big cities and places with internationally renowned attractions have long been the most popular tourist destinations. Even today, Chinese tour companies in Australia, for instance, mostly <a href="https://epubs.scu.edu.au/tourism_pubs/2219/">focus on the biggest cities</a> – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane – and landmarks like Uluru. But modern tourism is starting to take a slightly different path, regional travel, which creates economic benefits for towns and also leaves tourists with a better impression of a country.</p>
<p>Unpublished research undertaken by one of us (Elizabeth Turenko) while working as a tour leader in Ukraine in 2013-2014 confirmed this. Feedback from guests travelling on a group tour to Europe showed 80% preferred to visit “well-known” large cities, mostly capitals, when it came to choosing a tour. </p>
<p>Most of the time, though, these tourists were disappointed because the cities did not live up to their expectations. But, the study revealed, 75% of tourists enjoyed travelling to smaller towns when they did decide to visit them as part of a tour.</p>
<h2>Big cities are losing their local flavour</h2>
<p>There is no doubt the major cities are attractive and are still perceived as the essence of a country for many tourists. Yet the question remains: are these cities actually showing the “real country”? At a time of globalisation and global cities, to what extent do the larger cities still give tourists “the taste” of local culture.</p>
<p>Rural Tourism Marketing Group CEO <a href="http://ruraltourismmarketing.com/">Joanna Steele</a> <a href="http://www.cfra.org/node/2504">writes</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In the past five years tourism has seen some big changes. Large numbers of travellers have lost interest in cookie-cutter restaurants, lodging and attractions. Instead, they want local food, local attractions and connection to the lifestyles of local people.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The best places to experience that are often small local towns and villages. Here life hasn’t yet been adapted to tourist needs and the authenticity feels right.</p>
<p>Turenko also investigated the tourists’ preferences during a group bus tour in Europe. The main program involved a one-day visit to Amsterdam and a second day on which tourists could spend their free time in Amsterdam or go on a group trip to <a href="https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/plan-your-trip/day-trips/old-holland/smalltown-harbours/volendam">Volendam</a>, a small town 20km away. The 90% of the group who opted for the town visit were very satisfied with their decision.</p>
<p>So, was there anything special about Volendam? Not really.</p>
<p>Much like many small towns in the Netherlands, Volendam has limited tourist attractions, these being mostly its built heritage (wooden buildings) and cultural assets (a museum and a cheese factory). When surveyed, the visitors explained they enjoyed the glimpse into the local culture and the routine life of the locals.</p>
<p>The tourists appreciated going to local shops and eating at local restaurants far away from standardised brands and international franchises. They felt they could feel the “soul” of the country.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/198072/original/file-20171207-31532-jx8b4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What does Volendam have that Amsterdam doesn’t? It probably comes down to everyday local character.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the time of this 2014 survey, cities and holidays at the coast were the <a href="https://www.nbtc.nl/web/file?uuid=7361722f-011d-4714-b98b-8ced3eee1bb2&owner=388ad020-d235-4624-86a4-d899f855a216&contentid=48712">main attractions for visitors to the Netherlands</a> (36% and 22%, respectively). But interest in the countryside and touring the Netherlands (12% and 10%, respectively) has been increasing.</p>
<h2>Finding a local tourism niche</h2>
<p>Let’s be frank: smaller towns and villages have not been dormant, and many have jumped at the opportunities offered by tourism. We all have heard about farm holidays, horse riding, wine tasting tours, nature guided walks and so on. </p>
<p>Building on this, innovative regional tourism practices have been recognised worldwide for displaying a breadth of approaches and end products. A good example in Ireland is <a href="http://visitballyhoura.com/">Ballyhoura</a>, “a world where the little pleasures of sharing everyday things with the locals in Ballyhoura – talking with them, walking with them and sharing a joke – is possibly the greatest attraction of them all!” </p>
<p>Despite a lack of outstanding tourism resources, the area became a successful tourism destination thanks to a very personalised marketing method. Visitors even received a welcoming letter. The focus on “<a href="http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/csi13476/$FILE/Rural-Tourism.pdf">promoting a genuine rural experience and warm welcome</a>” creates an incentive for more local start-up enterprises and for a co-operative, closing-the-loop process of quality control.</p>
<p>Longreach and Winton are Australian towns that have taken advantage of distinctive local histories and features such as old mines and fossil beds. Longreach has the <a href="http://outbackheritage.com.au/">Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame</a> and the <a href="https://qfom.com.au/">Qantas Founders Museum</a>, while Winton’s <a href="http://www.australianageofdinosaurs.com/">Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum</a> offers “products” of the natural environment such as dinosaur stamps and bones.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196454/original/file-20171127-2004-xmtv11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196454/original/file-20171127-2004-xmtv11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196454/original/file-20171127-2004-xmtv11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196454/original/file-20171127-2004-xmtv11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196454/original/file-20171127-2004-xmtv11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196454/original/file-20171127-2004-xmtv11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196454/original/file-20171127-2004-xmtv11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nowhere else has one: the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Shrimpton/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet all attempts have not been met with success. Many smaller towns are slowly disappearing in Australia. Main streets with closed shops and abandoned business are not uncommon.</p>
<p>The combination of lack of employment and population ageing and loss is a chicken-and-egg situation. The various levels of government are acutely aware of this, and tourism offers a possible way out of the dilemma facing these towns. Several recent initiatives have shown how tourism can contribute to the development of these areas when innovation, expertise and community participation are brought together. </p>
<p>Charleville in far west Queensland offers a great example of this, with the outback town working on making the most of its clear nighttime skies, far from the city lights. An extension to the <a href="http://www.cosmoscentre.com/">Cosmos Centre and Observatory</a>, <a href="https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/index.php/regional-development/regional-economic-development/building-our-regions/remote-communities-infrastructure-fund/1385-charleville-cosmos-centre-planetarium-stage-1">funded by state and local governments</a>, has boosted visitor numbers in just one year. The extension displays fun and serious facts about planets and life in space, enhanced by interactive media. </p>
<p>For the town of fewer than 4,000 people, the growth in tourism is like a nice spring rain after a long dry season. It’s another reminder of why rural tourism can be “<a href="https://www.conversational.com/rural-tourism-the-perfect-small-town-business-idea/">the perfect small town business idea</a>”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87997/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karine Dupre is currently working on the Top Secret Precinct Master Plan for the Murweh Shire as a consultant. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Turenko does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The big cities are still magnets for tourists, but often they find the smaller towns offer a more satisfying taste of local life. It’s why rural tourism can be ‘the perfect small town business idea’.Elizabeth Turenko, PhD Candidate, Griffith UniversityKarine Dupré, Associate Professor in Architecture, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/866582017-11-02T11:19:17Z2017-11-02T11:19:17ZPizza delivery for Walter White: the pros and cons of fan tourism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192825/original/file-20171101-19853-gknvvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Breaking Bad/AMC</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s a delicious story: so many fans of the US crime series Breaking Bad have tried to recreate the scene where protagonist Walter White angrily throws a pizza on to the roof of his house that the real world owners have <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41596496">built a six-foot fence around the property</a> to keep them out.</p>
<p>Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s easy to understand why the real life residents are not so impressed. While there is clearly an attraction for fans to travel to get close to their favourite film or TV series, sometimes this devotion can cause problems for the people who have to put up with all the attention.</p>
<p>For fans, these trips are important – it reinforces their love of, and loyalty to, their favourite TV shows. It illustrates how big a fan they are and it makes the fiction appear more real. As you would imagine, many tourist destinations are also keen to profit from any links they have to popular culture – offering official tours and merchandise to attract travelling fans. For example, <a href="https://theconversation.com/elvis-tourism-selling-the-king-from-tupelo-boy-to-graceland-icon-82290">visiting Graceland</a> has become a mini industry in itself – for an Elvis fan, no trip to Memphis is complete without going there.</p>
<p>It was recently reported that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-41561589">traffic is to be banned</a> from part of a road in County Antrim in Northern Ireland, made famous by the TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones, to protect its famous tunnel of beech trees known as the Dark Hedges. You can understand the local people’s wish to preserve the natural beauty of the road – but it’s hard to deny the attraction of the revenue that Game of Thrones has brought to the region – an <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36749938">estimated £150m</a>. </p>
<p>Similarly, for a city such as Albuquerque, New Mexico (not renowned for its global tourist attractions), the increase in tourism related to both AMC’s Breaking Bad and the current Better Call Saul is <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/breaking-bad-boosts-albuquerque-tourism-article-1.1289815">important for local businesses and residents</a>. Nevertheless, some fans have become a nuisance, as in the case of the pizza throwing pests – so regulating private and public access to the former filming location has become a hot topic for locals. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uk2sibEFZl0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>For the majority of fans, many of whom pay to go as part of an <a href="https://www.breakingbadrvtours.com/">official tour group</a> which actually cooperates with the home owners so as not to disturb their daily routine, simply taking a picture of themselves in front of the location is an important part of their fandom. So when fans pass through spaces made famous in the media, taking photos to preserve the moment is a celebration of their relationship with the TV show or movie. Building a fence will not only prevent fan photography but it may disrupt the congenial relationship between local business, tourists and residents which has been carefully built up over years. </p>
<p>When I visited the house as part of my own research on fan tourism earlier this year, I was impressed by the relationship our tour guide had with the family, how warmly they welcomed the tour group and how interested they seemed in what brought us there to visit.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192690/original/file-20171031-18735-1340mm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192690/original/file-20171031-18735-1340mm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192690/original/file-20171031-18735-1340mm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192690/original/file-20171031-18735-1340mm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192690/original/file-20171031-18735-1340mm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192690/original/file-20171031-18735-1340mm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192690/original/file-20171031-18735-1340mm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When I went in search of Walter White (no pizza in sight).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pilgrim’s progress</h2>
<p>In my own research, I see clear parallels between the centuries-old religious pilgrimage to sacred sites of worship and the pilgrimages that fans make to <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Cult-Collectors/Geraghty/p/book/9780415617666">locations of popular culture</a> they cherish. Taking pictures of buildings, landscapes and people at these popular media sites becomes a way of affirming their affection for the show. But it is also about achieving some sort of mastery or control. Being there, comparing photos with the images on screen, seeing how shots were filmed in relation to what is really there gives fans a better understanding of the filming process. </p>
<p>This knowledge taps into a fan preoccupation for learning and developing their expertise. It also offers fans another more personal connection to the series; when watching and rewatching it, they can imagine themselves being there – they are now part of it. In terms of being a fan, memories of the tourist site captured in photos and video strengthen the connection to popular media and enhance the fan experience. </p>
<p>For example, a short film made by fans of the original Ghostbusters (see below) works as a travel guide for other fans who might want to visit New York City filming locations, but it also highlights the real affection these fans have for the movie.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c85kOdXyIpY?wmode=transparent&start=2" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/492/438">Fan tourism</a> is about the relationship between space, place, memory and fan identity. Those fans who travel to sites made special through their appearance on screen get something out of visiting. It makes the fictional text more real and renders the viewing experience more special when they return to it. What negative news coverage of fan tourism neglects to share is that the vast majority of fans work with local businesses and residents to get access to special sites – and they value them just as much as the locals. </p>
<p>Surely rather than building fences or banning cars, it would be better for all concerned to work out ways in which these special sites are managed? Most fans are happy to pay for their homage to the film or series that they love, so why not make it a win-win situation for all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86658/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lincoln Geraghty does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Busloads of people rubber-necking their favourite movie location can be a pest, but fan tourism is a growing business.Lincoln Geraghty, Reader in Popular Media Cultures, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/849282017-10-13T14:39:37Z2017-10-13T14:39:37ZA beacon of urban renewal: how post-industrial Dundee transformed itself<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189766/original/file-20171011-16686-2yjlm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">V A from River AR</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Creativity and culture have always contributed enormously to the evolution of our societies, but in recent years there has been a growing realisation of the value of the arts as an economic driver.</p>
<p>Cities have woken up to the fact that a vibrant cultural offering makes people want to live there, and the numbers back this up. <a href="https://nycfuture.org/pdf/Creative-New-York-2015.pdf">New York</a> is home to nearly 14,000 arts-related businesses employing nearly 300,000 people and generating revenues of $230 billion each year. <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/creative-industries-in-london.pdf">London’s</a> creative industry sector is worth £35 billon and employs around 800,000 people.</p>
<p>These may be massive global cities, but in Dundee, a small city on the east coast of Scotland, the creative industries produce a total annual <a href="https://www.rgu.ac.uk/download.cfm?downloadfile=6117EE60-FB84-11E3-80660050568D00BF&typename=dmFile&fieldname=filename">turnover</a> of £190m and provide employment for 3,000 people. When you consider that the population of the city is just 150,000, you get some indication of the importance of the cultural sector to its economic well-being.</p>
<h2>Renaissance city</h2>
<p>Dundee is a dynamic city with a <a href="http://www.dundeecityofdesign.com/downloads/Dundee%20Cultural%20Strategy_online.pdf">strong cultural identity</a> and a <a href="http://creativedundee.com/2015/08/dundee-creative-industries-eu-study/">history of innovation and creativity</a>. But by the late 1980s, profound <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264816898_The_decline_of_jute_and_the_de-globalisation_of_Dundee">post-industrial decline</a> had turned a once proud and world-facing city into a fragmented shadow of its former self.</p>
<p>Now the city famed for <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/victorian/trails_victorian_dundee.shtml">jute, jam and journalism</a> – the three Js that defined its economy and global reputation – has become home to a thriving digital media industry, internationally respected universities, world-renowned <a href="http://www.drugdiscovery.dundee.ac.uk/about-us/news">drug discovery</a> and medical <a href="http://medicine.dundee.ac.uk/main-news">advancements</a>, not to mention a vibrant design and creative sector.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_pSyg0UPgA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">V&A Dundee/YouTube.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.archdaily.com/tag/kengo-kuma">Kengo Kuma’s</a> new <a href="https://www.vandadundee.org/building-vanda-dundee/the-building">Victoria and Albert building</a> which sits at the heart of Dundee’s £1 billion <a href="https://www.dundeewaterfront.com/about/masterplan">waterfront regeneration</a>, is already having a transformative effect, with investment flowing into the city and businesses springing up to service the anticipated tourist numbers.</p>
<p>The economist <a href="http://luskin.ucla.edu/person/allen-j-scott/">Allen Scott</a> refers to the “<a href="http://escholarship.org/uc/item/77m9g2g6#page-1">new economies</a>” of post-industrial cities, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The peculiar forms of economic order that are in the ascendant today represent a marked shift away from the massified structures of production and the rigid labour markets that typified <a href="http://www.cddc.vt.edu/digitalfordism/fordism_materials/thompson.htm">fordism</a>… [and are] made up of sectors such as the high-technology industries; neo-artisan manufacturing; business and financial services; cultural-product industries (including the media).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is surely an apt description of contemporary Dundee, where the solution becomes one of nurturing and retaining diverse and rich talent.</p>
<h2>Voyage of rediscovery</h2>
<p>The fact that the V&A will soon open its first building outside of London coupled with its elite <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-30275768">UNESCO City of Design status</a>, means that Dundee is finally being recognised as a design hothouse. Both of these initiatives are the result of dogged determination by groups of passionate people within the city, who believe in the city and wouldn’t live anywhere else. Why move when you can help build?</p>
<p>It is a <a href="http://en.unesco.org/creativity/creative-economy-report-2013">well-evidenced</a> fact that the creative and cultural economy is growing, and smaller cities like Dundee can benefit from the opportunity to take their share of this market. Many of the building blocks are already in place. The city enjoys a great resource of talent nurtured by the universities of Dundee and Abertay, and a great coastal location with a wealth of local heritage.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189774/original/file-20171011-15748-epex7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189774/original/file-20171011-15748-epex7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189774/original/file-20171011-15748-epex7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189774/original/file-20171011-15748-epex7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189774/original/file-20171011-15748-epex7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189774/original/file-20171011-15748-epex7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189774/original/file-20171011-15748-epex7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dundee sits on the River Tay, looking over to Fife.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ernpics/37489411666/in/pool-dundee/">Eric Niven/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This and Dundee’s transformation is not lost on the growing audience for cultural tourism. A thriving cultural scene can drive exponential growth in both tourism and inward investment. It makes a place not just attractive to visit, but also to live, study and work in. This in turn engenders civic pride, a strong identity and a burgeoning self-confidence.</p>
<h2>Lessons to be learnt</h2>
<p>Dundee’s path to “rediscovery” has much to offer other cities. It’s not based around any individual’s ambition or success. It represents a strong partnership between government, local authorities, agencies, industry, academia and education, where organisations and focused like-minded individuals have agreed a shared vision.</p>
<p>Many people cite the establishment of <a href="http://www.dca.org.uk/about">Dundee Contemporary Arts</a> (DCA) as the turning point for this cultural shift. DCA opened in 1999, but the idea of building a visual arts centre in Dundee was established in the early 1980s with the aim of brightening up a decaying industrial townscape. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190162/original/file-20171013-11680-1v2epa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190162/original/file-20171013-11680-1v2epa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190162/original/file-20171013-11680-1v2epa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190162/original/file-20171013-11680-1v2epa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190162/original/file-20171013-11680-1v2epa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190162/original/file-20171013-11680-1v2epa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190162/original/file-20171013-11680-1v2epa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The creation of the DCA - Dundee Contemporary Arts - in 1999 prompted a cultural shift in the city.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DCA</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The establishment of a <a href="https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/627b195f-7918-3bae-a3dc-c72ce077029a">biological sciences centre</a> at the University of Dundee effectively kickstarted a new focus in both academia and spin-off businesses around drug discovery. This new identity, labelled <a href="http://www.biodundee.co.uk/About+BioDundee/">Bio-Dundee</a>, harnessed the notion of a dense cluster of scientists and businesses compressed within a three-mile radius. The opportunities for growth on a global scale attracted talent to Dundee from all over the world, and the talent wanted good housing and good schools, but also good cultural and recreational provision. </p>
<p>In the late 1980s to mid 1990s, a new industry began to form in Dundee. Driven by closure of the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/timex-closes-dundee-factory-company-leaves-city-after-bitter-dispute-1464205.html">Timex factory</a> which was producing <a href="https://www.extremetech.com/computing/127109-zx-spectrum-30-years-old-and-still-one-of-the-cheapest-computers-ever-made">ZX Spectrum computers</a>, a bedroom computer games industry started to emerge, with the globally successful game <a href="https://readonlymemory.vg/the-making-of-lemmings/">Lemmings</a> and later <a href="https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/dundee-games-designer-says-two-decades-grand-theft-auto-boosted-citys-reputation/">Grand Theft Auto</a> exemplifying its ambition.</p>
<p>Throughout the 1990s the games industry cluster grew, with University of Abertay launching the world’s first <a href="https://www.abertay.ac.uk/discover/academic-schools/arts-media-computer-games/">computer games degree programme</a>, attracting students and other creatives to the city, which was now garnering international acclaim. The <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/interactive-tayside-profile">Interactive Tayside</a> business support agency was set up by Scottish Enterprise Tayside, and an industrial strategy was formed.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189773/original/file-20171011-16653-ba8vqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189773/original/file-20171011-16653-ba8vqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189773/original/file-20171011-16653-ba8vqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189773/original/file-20171011-16653-ba8vqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189773/original/file-20171011-16653-ba8vqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189773/original/file-20171011-16653-ba8vqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189773/original/file-20171011-16653-ba8vqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Desperate Dan, a much-loved character from The Dandy, a comic first published in 1937 by Dundee publishers DC Thomson.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/seapigeon/37459911032/in/pool-dundee/">Graeme/Flickr</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since then, the city has been able to retain and attract creative talent from all over the world, causing a rising swell of demand, activity and development. In short, people took risks, invested their lives, generated success, and government took note. Investment soon followed.</p>
<p>The city’s continuing evolution is part of a journey which began centuries ago with Dundee’s trailblazing achievements in exploration, trade and communications, and is based on authentic activity and indigenous growth. Linen and textiles, education, jute, jam, journalism, drug and medical research, computer gaming and the creative and cultural industries have all grown from activities that were started by citizens of Dundee, in a physical and political landscape both challenging and complementary, and changing with the times.</p>
<p>Dundee is not built around recommissioning a brownfield site, developing buildings and then incentivising their use. It is in fact the very opposite: strong, industrious and innovative activity attracting further development funding. Dundee has always been about adapting to change and exploring new opportunities. A new journey of discovery has begun.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84928/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Harris has received funding from AHRC; Scottish Enterprise; Creative Scotland; Scottish Arts Council; Scottish Government.
Paul Harris is Chair of Regional Screen Scotland.</span></em></p>Many cities could learn from Dundee, which overcame industrial decline to become a UNESCO City of Design, with a shiny new cityscape to matchPaul Harris, Professor and Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/783372017-06-08T19:26:41Z2017-06-08T19:26:41ZThere’s a city in my mind …<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172211/original/file-20170605-31053-11i54x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bicycles are the main form of transport around the Burning Man Festival and are recycled or gifted afterwards.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9756642@N02/8046490863/in/photolist-dg3np6-fLRP5s-dg3pFW-dg3nre-dg3jJM-dg3pYf-dg3ptq-dg3udo-dg3tQg-dg3kzc-fLSbwJ-7ERTu5-r5erM6-32Fio9-anyFwk-8C1WWE-8BWEja-8BXSGn-8BZRXE-8BXbUk-8BXSb6-fLzjqi-5fCYGx-anBuHs-5fCYnz-g9aEAV-fBzpxn-fLzjRT-8BZSqo-fLRV8L-5vVEVE-5iVPCk-4qXuZF-o5A318-8LhH8h-71JCxR-6XjKYy-71JRG4-71PmaC-71JPfi-71Prth-71JEp6-fMRDZu-dcnd6s-dcncXN-8C14ZC-5vVwpG-6X9UBB-71NKfU-nLjvky">stuartlchambers/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On the alkali flats of north-western Nevada’s <a href="http://www.americansouthwest.net/nevada/black-rock-desert/">Black Rock Desert</a>, the featureless yellow-packed playa (desert basin floor) stretches to the horizon. Under a 38-degree sun, the dry air peels back the cuticles and cracks the skin. Swirling particles signal the dust storms that will block the throat and scratch the eye, taking visibility down to less than a metre. </p>
<p>Black Rock seems an unlikely place for almost 70,000 people to converge on an annual festival with no programmed events, no line and nothing for sale. Yet, every August, <a href="https://burningman.org/event/brc/">Burning Man</a> brings a temporary self-governing city to the desert.</p>
<p>In the space of 30 years, Burning Man has transformed from a small community festival into a “must do” on the global event tourism circuit. It draws partygoers, experimentalists, activists, committed “Burners” and experience-seekers looking to tick “The Burn” off their bucket lists. </p>
<p>The ten days of self-curated art, community and self-expression in the desert is also big business. In 2015, according to the <a href="https://burningman.org/culture/history/brc-history/afterburn/">After Burn Report</a>, attendees spent an average of AU$2,600 during the festival. And 20% of them came from outside the US.</p>
<h2>Volunteer-powered governance</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=704&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172212/original/file-20170605-31050-1xqsuv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=885&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Burners enjoy refreshments at the Dust City Diner.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thelastminute/33246005571/in/photolist-SDQtbB-SgEEvG-SCT8jd-REyfF2-RBjT1x-Shh4gb-SiqnxE-RASg3n-SGHfHB-RC6bAW-SGUJDV-SQYTLR-SFthRP-SDDW8A-SgTYFJ-SMbJp5-RxQPtY-Si93du-Ry9Qvw-SGoMFg-STKFBD-ShY137-SjreDf-SCFPwG-RxWEFA-Rzddwy-SEk3NR-ShPDGJ-SB8JmG-RAu36W-RzLai5-SNxuoG-SDDh7K-Si6bJo-SLUTJu-SgWT7G-RE4xvn-ST2qrx-SS9jo2-SDsuwY-Sir8au-SiB4Qy-Si5HSN-RzBqpL-RzByqW-RBq4b2-RBMev8-SQWhBg-SRHLea-RAikE5">Duncan Rawlinson/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Burning Man’s secret of success and point of difference from other festivals worldwide is the temporary suspension of patrons in a mental and physical space outside their everyday reality. This requires a different type of governance that permits all sorts of activities. </p>
<p>Creating a universal culture of permission and managing a population the size of Greater Bunbury while complying with policy and regulatory conditions is no mean feat. </p>
<p>A not-for-profit based out of California, Burning Man runs primarily on volunteer power. Legal teams negotiate everything from special recreation permits with the federal Bureau of Land Management to helping to secure thousands of temporary food establishment permits with the Nevada State Health Division so festival goers can gift food between each other.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=715&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=715&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=715&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172346/original/file-20170605-16898-1f8l3cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Department of Mutant Vehicles oversees the art cars, such as Neverwas Haul at the 2013 event.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thelastminute/9697269996/in/photolist-fLV3wh-d8ieK7-dc5gQZ-fLBN6M-fmvqg2-fLV715-d8ijHN-fLUSok-aRxULc-4BFDaG-oMpq58-cXRF8d-fmR3Vy-5jr14g-fmRbWQ-a6uPzb-fEUgdK-9NJybd-32KbPG-pk4ozw-aRwJ54-6YEbaK-fLuwGK-fmvpVP-p4Cv3g-oMoRub-6WMPtG-fKbpyf-qqeh73-fLUiCQ-am4dVf-5mMBrA-6YbneM-fmRhU7-kcC1fV-db8wVQ-56Cdg4-oL2KwX-fmKTmu-fLUW7j-g12WLM-kcD8Wp-oRoFCm-8iqs1b-6XJrJ4-fMz5hP-fJ5HHD-5fHkNo-dj5dsU-anyw74">Duncan Rawlinson/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sustaining Black Rock City in the harsh Nevada desert is challenging. The temporary autonomous zone is built and maintained through self-regulating urban planning, community services, project grants, public infrastructure, emergency protocols and safety plans. </p>
<p>The Black Rock City Department of Public Works oversees way-finding and street surveying. The Department of Mutant Vehicles oversees the art cars – pirate ships, dustbowl-era shacks and flamethrowing octopi – that glide past pedestrians and cyclists.</p>
<p>The festival is in many ways an innovation lab for rethinking cities. Infrastructure and services are provided, creating a scaffold for civic engagement as Black Rock City citizens co-create, maintain and dismantle a city in the space of two weeks. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172215/original/file-20170605-31028-1xcq8ry.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A mini-city grid is built, maintained for two weeks, and then dismantled.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thelastminute/33264506481/in/photolist-SFthRP-SDDW8A-SgTYFJ-SMbJp5-RxQPtY-Si93du-Ry9Qvw-SGoMFg-STKFBD-ShY137-SjreDf-SCFPwG-RxWEFA-Rzddwy-SEk3NR-ShPDGJ-SB8JmG-RAu36W-RzLai5-SNxuoG-SDDh7K-Si6bJo-SLUTJu-SgWT7G-RE4xvn-ST2qrx-SS9jo2-SDsuwY-Sir8au-SiB4Qy-Si5HSN-RzBqpL-RzByqW-RBq4b2-RBMev8-SQWhBg-SRHLea-RAikE5-RxR43m-SMbLMS-RAnGvA-RymoRG-SQoPzx-RBWZBY-SBWndq-RxVDH5-SF42rZ-SjKq7U-SLPFfm-RAPpLk">Duncan Rawlinson/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Ten principles of temporary urbanism</h2>
<p>Volunteer-provided tools are in place to help local communities bring to life various cultural and social enterprise programs. </p>
<p>These are guided by the festival’s ten principles. These principles, enshrined by festival founder and Burner guru Larry Harvey, wouldn’t be out of place on the wall of any civic urbanism devotee: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, participation, immediacy and leaving no trace.</p>
<p>Black Rock City’s remote location means the majority of festival-goers drive, often cross-country. Around one-third fly in. Power-hungry generators scatter the playa and mutant vehicles leave diesel fumes in their wake. </p>
<p>The cost and impact of ten days’ worth of living is apparent after each festival. Burning Man has recognised this impact and has voiced a commitment to reducing the festival footprint. </p>
<p>The “leave no trace” principle incorporates MOOPing, or removing all Matter Out Of Place. MOOP is anything not found on arrival, including grey water, dust dunes and plant matter. Magnet sweepers, rakes and rebar-removing grips are all part of MOOP kits.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172214/original/file-20170605-31005-ec768t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ‘leave no trace’ principle means nothing that wasn’t there before the festival is left behind.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thelastminute/33261351211/in/photolist-SFc7UB-SNh8MS-RC1R6G-SEwjhz-Sh11b5-RzNpUL-SHaBin-SNezrU-SACRF9-RBRt4U-RBqwan-RC3r3s-RD7dPp-SEAcBH-SNh4US-SEviqB-SEQQLK-SMuG85-SGbVt4-SD4qqh-SPSZS7-SRoye6-SUuEKT-SBBvvA-SC6yty-SgWRVy-SBzCqb-SR1wMT-SMM9ss-Sgx5Fw-SQVUG5-SfY5QL-ST5Ve6-SBbcF7-SD2cFT-SRRck8-RxW4AW-SQFXo4-RALo9D-RADSN6-STzfbt-SfYgmq-RBSjTH-SPyqm5-RArXyJ-SM9Koy-SiPY2y-SPC8zG-SFPRca-SE1HvZ">Duncan Rawlinson - Duncan.co - @thelastminute/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Spreading to Australia</h2>
<p>The culture cultivated at Burning Man has spread as far afield as Australia. In April 2017, Western Australia hosted its fourth Burning Man offshoot event, <a href="http://blazingswan.com.au/">Blazing Swan</a>, at Jilakin Rock City. The eastern seaboard has its own <a href="http://burningseed.com/">Burning Seed</a>.</p>
<p>Burning Man’s increasing popularity also delivers increasing returns. Organisers put the annual economic benefit to Nevada at US$45 million. Reno-Tahoe International Airport estimates a US$10 million annual contribution as Burners flow through to Reno, stocking up on supplies and stopping for a well-earned shower.</p>
<p>The festival has no doubt brought Nevada valuable exposure along with the spending. Nearby Reno has leveraged Burning Man’s civic, cultural and innovation ethos to recast itself as a liveable, progressive city with a burgeoning start-up and maker scene. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172221/original/file-20170605-31010-o7c10b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Welcome to Gerlach.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://twitter.com/northviews4team">Northview S4 Team/Twitter</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The festival has also become an important partner for Gerlach, the 200-person community closest to Black Rock City. Located next to a former gypsum quarry, the town’s welcome sign would be at home outside many remote Australian mining communities: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Welcome to Gerlach. Attitude: Good. Population: Wanted.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The impact of Burning Man includes seasonal employment and direct support for Gerlach’s social infrastructure. <a href="http://www.blackrocksolar.org/">Black Rock Solar</a>, established at Burning Man, brought the festival’s gift economy to everyday life in rural Nevada. It has provided free or low-cost renewable energy to local schools, towns and Native American communities. </p>
<p>Burning Man is also a gateway to Nevada’s remote natural attractions. Some 17% of festival goers visit other parks as part of their trip. </p>
<p>For remote Western Australian towns and cities, unique events could act as a springboard, enticing tourists to launch themselves into all that the state has to offer.</p>
<p>Local and state governments across Australia have been actively building calendars of tightly curated, highly programmed arts and sporting events to lure tourists. Burning Man models an opportunity for governments to support the vision of local social entrepreneurs and not-for-profits in co-creating context-specific, unique experiences for the public good. </p>
<p>A re-imagined role for government might involve helping local populations to shape leisure landscapes by enabling paths through the thicket of policy and regulatory barriers. Government might even gain clues from an experimental utopian festival about innovations in everything from sustainable living to urban governance.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The Conversation is co-publishing articles with <a href="http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/community/futurewest">Future West (Australian Urbanism)</a>, produced by the University of Western Australia’s Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts. These articles look towards the future of urbanism, taking Perth and Western Australia as a reference point. The newly released third issue is available <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/timothy-moore/future-west-03-leisure-state/paperback/product-23205823.html">here</a>. You can read other articles in the ongoing series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/future-west-30248">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78337/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bree Trevena does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The annual Burning Man Festival creates a temporary city in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. In many ways, it’s an innovation lab for rethinking cities.Bree Trevena, PhD Researcher, Research Unit in Public Cultures, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/781772017-06-07T20:11:42Z2017-06-07T20:11:42ZMelbourne’s love-hate relationship with being Australia’s ‘street art capital’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172189/original/file-20170605-20582-2kyody.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Melbourne's Hosier Lane: some see it as art, others think it's vandalism. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/25242293926/">Bernard Spragg/Flickr </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tourists are drawn to cities by a myriad of attractions and activities. Some cities are blessed with iconic attractions that are on every visitor’s “must see” list – the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Sydney, for example. </p>
<p>Other cities rely on a more eclectic mix of “sights and sounds” to lure increasingly well-informed and diverse visitors. For instance, Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has at various times promoted itself as the nation’s “<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430430903053109?scroll=top&needAccess=true">sports</a> and <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2011.634894">events</a> capital”, the “<a href="http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/300706%2Cmelbourne-vs-sydney-which-is-australia-s-arts-capital.aspx">arts</a> and <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17438730802138881">culture</a> capital” and, more recently, as the “<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/paste-modernism-20120120-1q9p5.html">street art capital</a>”. </p>
<p>Street art, also known as graffiti, has not always had strong community support. The proliferation of the “art form” has many strident critics. For example, Graffiti Hurts spokesman Scott Hilditch <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13604810903525215?scroll=top&needAccess=true">complained that funding</a> a mobile phone app to guide users around Melbourne street art sites would glorify graffiti vandalism. </p>
<p>Yet there is no denying the growth of street art and the popularity of sites around inner-city Melbourne. On a sunny afternoon in the city’s laneways, you are likely to see a range of local and international visitors, some posing for photos in front of freshly painted walls, others passing by on their way to a nearby cafe <a href="https://theconversation.com/flat-white-urbanism-there-must-be-better-ways-to-foster-a-vibrant-street-life-78338">for a flat white</a>. </p>
<p>You may see see <a href="https://www.artthyneighbour.com/">local “artists”</a> guiding groups on street art tours. You may even see newlyweds looking for that quintessentially Melbourne photo for their wedding album. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171992/original/file-20170602-22794-1pobw0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171992/original/file-20170602-22794-1pobw0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171992/original/file-20170602-22794-1pobw0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171992/original/file-20170602-22794-1pobw0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171992/original/file-20170602-22794-1pobw0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171992/original/file-20170602-22794-1pobw0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171992/original/file-20170602-22794-1pobw0r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A wedding photo shoot in Melbourne’s Hosier Lane.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-or-it-didnt-happen/4748540997/in/photolist-y5wvH3-8eBvNv-8HXgX9-8HUe8n-8HXfxG/">vincentq/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite questions <a href="http://www.marcuswestbury.net/2009/07/05/street-art-melbournes-unwanted-attraction/">about the legality</a>, and perhaps morality, of street art, its popularity is undeniable. Melbourne’s laneways and their street art have become a major drawcard. In a 2008 Lonely Planet poll, Melbourne’s laneway street art was voted <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/antigraffiti-lobby-sees-red-at-heritagelisting-proposal-20080622-2uzy.html">Australia’s top “cultural attraction”</a>. </p>
<p>If social media counts (which it most certainly does), Hosier Lane, the epicentre of Melbourne street art, has arguably become the city’s premier tourist destination. It attracts <a href="https://theconversation.com/some-rough-sleepers-are-attracting-tourists-with-their-street-art-71983">significantly more Instagram hashtags</a> than traditional destinations like Melbourne Zoo or Federation Square. </p>
<p>Regardless of social and <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/10/01/1222651140951.html">political</a> <a href="https://www.academia.edu/2382965/Negotiated_Consent_or_Zero_Tolerance">disapproval</a>, the proliferation of Melbourne’s street art does provide a point of distinction in an era of growing competition between cities.</p>
<p>City destinations are having to find new and creative <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2013.783794">ways to distinguish themselves</a> from the rest. Numerous <a href="http://deansunshine.com/">local</a> and <a href="http://www.stencilgraffiticapital.com/">international</a> websites, blogs and books have recognised Melbourne as Australia’s “street art capital” over the past decade. </p>
<p>In turn, <a href="https://www.artthyneighbour.com/artists/solarquins-and-salvaging-skulls-hayden-dewars-surreal-murals-have-an-important-message">street art</a> images have been <a href="http://search.informit.org/documentSummary;dn=224833673406451;res=IELBUS">selectively packaged and promoted</a> to boost the city’s “creative” and “vibrant” image. The Melbourne City Council website <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/arts-and-culture/art-outdoors/pages/street-art.aspx">recognises</a> “the importance of street art in contributing to a vibrant urban culture”, and acknowledges:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Melbourne’s street art has become internationally renowned and has become an attraction for local and overseas visitors experiencing Melbourne’s creative ambience.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Despite this, the council seems at pains to differentiate between “graffiti” and “street art”. Melbourne City has a <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/residents/home-neighbourhood/graffiti/Pages/graffiti.aspx">web page</a> explaining to both artists and property owners the legalities of street art. </p>
<p>The council refers to research and community consultations as the basis for its <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/residents/home-neighbourhood/graffiti/pages/graffiti-management-plan.aspx">Graffiti Management Plan</a>. According to its <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/arts-and-culture/art-outdoors/Pages/street-art.aspx">“Street Art” webpage</a>, these revealed that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… most people do not like graffiti ‘tagging’ … However, many people appreciate ‘street art’ such as larger, more artistic pieces, or murals placed in appropriate locations with the required permission.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, trying to separate the two <a href="https://www.fastcodesign.com/3022524/can-graffiti-be-good-for-cities">is problematic</a>. Many street artists engage in both forms of “<a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/PubSpace/2009/3.html">writing</a>” – the term street artists use to describe their production of graffiti or street art. </p>
<p>Although it’s broadly recognised by the City of Melbourne as adding to the city’s cultural aesthetic, relatively little is understood about the economic value of street art. Measuring its economic value to the city is challenging. But creative tourism forms such as this clearly have their merits as tourists increasingly seek out “<a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1206331202005001006">alternative public spaces</a>” in search of creative landscapes and authentic experiences. </p>
<p>Thus, it’s possible that creative tourism is <a href="https://www.academia.edu/3070326/Creativity_and_tourism_in_the_city">more valuable than conventional tourism</a>. </p>
<p>Certainly, Melbourne is increasingly well known for its “laneway galleries”, however challenging the management of this ephemeral attraction might be for governments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78177/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ryan Jopp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Melbourne’s street art has an international reputation and may be a very valuable tourist attraction. But the city remains ambivalent about the activities that have created its ‘laneway galleries’.Ryan Jopp, Lecturer in Tourism and Management, Academic Director (Education Quality and Assurance), Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/783382017-06-01T20:09:22Z2017-06-01T20:09:22ZFlat white urbanism: there must be better ways to foster a vibrant street life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171414/original/file-20170530-16272-sce73z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The flat white experience is so ubiquitous that it could be anywhere.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-friends-cafe-seen-through-window-387398542?src=dTGMl-Lbhm8W2-dXfIhH2g-1-19">mavo from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Iconic architectural pieces may attract large numbers of tourists but are not the only things that live in the memories of visitors to Australian cities. Everyday experiences also endure. In fact, eating is one of the top tourist activities. </p>
<p>It’s also where the money is spent. According to Tourism Research Australia’s <a href="https://www.tra.gov.au/Research/View-all-publications/All-Publications/Economic-reports/tourism-satellite-account-2015-16">Tourism Satellite Account 2015-16 report</a>, tourists spend the largest percentage of their money – about 21 cents in every dollar – on takeaways, restaurant meals and beverages.</p>
<p>It isn’t just international tourists searching for memorable cafe and dining experiences – leisure-seekers from nearby suburbs or towns are too. According to Food Industry Foresight’s <a href="http://www.fiforesight.com/fif-reports/australia/coffee-beverages-in-australia.aspx">Coffee & Beverages In Australia</a> annual tracking study, Australians drink about two coffees out per week. That equates to about 1.8 billion espresso-based coffees a year, costing A$7.3 billion.</p>
<p>So that cafes, restaurants and bars remain competitive, the architecture becomes part of the attraction. This has led to some ubiquitous design signifiers: white subway tiles, reclaimed timber, austere pendant lighting, white anodised SHS steel and exposed brick.</p>
<p>Additionally, cafe names often echo a civic rhetoric – see Common Ground, Public House, New School Canteen. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171282/original/file-20170529-25227-1t5ib4x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cafes, for example Fitzroy’s New School Canteen, often include a civic language in their names.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google Streetview</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The replication of the cafe typology – each must have the right owner, the right coffee, and the right baristas, business name and interior designer – can be as tedious as the desire of city authorities to have a leisure landscape, a stadium, or an event to fill it.</p>
<p>Cities use these precincts and events as strategic tools to project an attractive image of themselves as they compete for tourist dollars, business investment, professional talent and the coveted high ranking in <a href="https://theconversation.com/liveable-sydney-has-clear-winners-and-losers-78030">liveability indexes</a>. </p>
<p>And Australia has many tourist leisurescapes under construction. There’s <a href="http://www.darlingsq.com/">Darling Square</a>, a A$3.4 billion neighbourhood near Sydney’s Darling Harbour; Perth’s <a href="http://www.mra.wa.gov.au/projects-and-places/elizabeth-quay">Elizabeth Quay</a>, a mixed-use development of office, entertainment and residential buildings around a 2.7-hectare artificial river inlet; and the <a href="http://www.goldcoastculturalprecinct.info/">Gold Coast’s expanded cultural precinct</a> of 16.9 hectares, with Stage 1 to be delivered in time for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. And each comes with those ubiquitous cafes.</p>
<h2>Leveraging the lure of the cafe</h2>
<p>Property developers have recognised how to leverage the popularity of this “flat white tourism”. A nearby “cappuccino” strip can increase land values. It also helps with marketing apartment buildings: the promise of a cafe that anchors a new development is enticing for home buyers and investors. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171284/original/file-20170529-25236-153dlxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171284/original/file-20170529-25236-153dlxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171284/original/file-20170529-25236-153dlxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171284/original/file-20170529-25236-153dlxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171284/original/file-20170529-25236-153dlxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171284/original/file-20170529-25236-153dlxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171284/original/file-20170529-25236-153dlxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Artist complex in Melbourne, designed by Rijavec Architecture, includes ground-level apartments alongside a corner cafe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google Streetview</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Local councils also see cafes as desirable. To maintain street life, planning regulations often require active, public-facing street fronts, rather than blank walls, car parks, gardens or fences. The aim is to accommodate activity that encourages pedestrian interaction and casual surveillance. </p>
<p>Paired with changing consumer habits (such as online and mall shopping), the result is that many high streets are now dominated by the cafe, a sort of “high street lite”. The cafe appears to be a market-driven solution to achieve an active street front in Australian cities. This is flat white urbanism.</p>
<h2>Consider the alternatives</h2>
<p>Australians are not just consuming coffee. In fact, people are not just passively consuming cultural or leisure activities (such as going to bands or watching sport). Australians are making, doing and playing; active participation is on the rise around the country. </p>
<p>For example, the Australia Council study <a href="http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/files/research/aca_221751_research-fact-sheet-54911b235537d.pdf">Arts in Daily Life: Australian Participation in the Arts</a> highlighted that about one in three Australians is involved in creating visual art or craft. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4159.0">General Social Survey, 2014</a> shows that 31% of Australians are also volunteering. This has put pressure on council services and raised questions about how councils can help enable community activity.</p>
<p>The availability of affordable and accessible space is a looming issue in major Australian cities. There is demand for more diverse uses at ground level – studios, live-work apartments, community rooms, kindergartens, ateliers, small-scale light industrial zones, education facilities. </p>
<p>But the desire among lessors for the maximum rental return means less profitable businesses or civic users can’t afford street-fronting leases.</p>
<h2>A way to fund diverse activity</h2>
<p>The concept of the developer contribution offers an opportunity to reimagine the ground plane of apartment buildings, to diversify away from look-alike cafes. The developer contribution is a percentage of a building budget that goes to community infrastructure (for the health, safety or wellbeing of the community). </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171416/original/file-20170530-16280-rk6bbj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Berlin’s many street-level artist workshops and studios attract visitors from far and wide.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/la-citta-vita/5852181395/in/photolist-9V8XDe-7CDZaQ-9bc5pH-9bbA54-o6ynd8-aoshFb-9bck5c-97QhkZ-CxDRG8-bWehfM-nJAjyZ-djxuRy-5ssqM3-q6v5cS-97TpcS-F9hu35-TbH7he-2Taoof-q6v5td-pe5scM-bmEeev-qiW2ra-9qyLpz-bKMNZM-fHzVDf-9beGXN-CF3jrt-cCUqqL-91q2wf-9bby5i-9nMntc-dTEVjJ-9bfkcU-9bzoCH-bUEYyb-aBi88s-7p3n4w-94b5dp-doUxrV-9nMYkK-dTE3vS-9HMEA6-9mYfJV-4qqNBU-aCv8r4-9bzwMP-dTyq3H-dTzhQk-dTEMN1-9bf5xy">La Citta Vita/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At present, this money is generally channelled via council towards building libraries, multipurpose community centres, maternity health centres, sporting facilities or neighbourhood parks with play equipment. Cultural infrastructure seldom comes into the frame.</p>
<p>It is at the level of developer contribution that local councils can intervene. This could be through an ad-hoc process of negotiating more floors for the development in return for providing community space. Or it could be through rezoning, which is tied to developer contributions. </p>
<p>For example, developers could be granted a larger floor-area ratio through rezoning if they give a percentage of the building over to community use. This could include social housing.</p>
<p>A redefinition of what comprises community infrastructure could underpin this shift. This might extend to redefining public art contributions – developers are often required to provide a percentage of their project budget to public art. Would a subsidised artist studio be more valuable than a sculpture?</p>
<p>Urban policymakers have to be careful to maintain the uniqueness and distinctiveness of a place for both locals and tourists. Responding to the proliferation of cafes by creating incentives for, or regulating, other uses could be one way to diversify street life. </p>
<p>Then, cafes might not only give the appearance of a cultural scene, or of it being made somewhere nearby, or of it happening on the first floor. It is happening next door. This brings benefits to both the local and non-local coffee tourist.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The Conversation is co-publishing articles with <a href="http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/community/futurewest">Future West (Australian Urbanism)</a>, produced by the University of Western Australia’s Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts. These articles look towards the future of urbanism, taking Perth and Western Australia as its reference point. The newly released third issue is available <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/timothy-moore/future-west-03-leisure-state/paperback/product-23205823.html">here</a>. You can read other articles in the ongoing series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/future-west-30248">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78338/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy Moore does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The ubiquitous cafes across Australian cities attract locals and tourists alike, but surely there’s more to thriving neighbourhoods than a flat white.Timothy Moore, PhD Candidate, Melbourne School of Design, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/700622017-01-09T20:09:25Z2017-01-09T20:09:25ZSlave heritage is big business, tainting the diaspora’s bonds with Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151689/original/image-20170104-18644-h9u9qf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ghana's Elmina Castle was has been declared a World Heritage Site and renovated as a tourism destination</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters/Luc Gnago</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ghana’s meandering coast is dotted with numerous <a href="http://easytrackghana.com/tour-ghana_forts-castles.php">forts and castles</a>. These monuments were built between the 15th and 17th centuries by early modern European <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/chartered-companies.htm">chartered companies</a>. They were initially used for trading gold and other commodities. After Ghana became enmeshed in the trans-Atlantic slave trade in 1650 they were used as spaces to buy, torture and hold captured people before shipping them away from Africa. </p>
<p>Over the past three decades these landmark monuments have taken on another role. Ghana has developed a significant heritage tourism industry and the monuments have become tourist attractions. They particularly draw people of the original historic <a href="http://history-world.org/African%20Diaspora.htm">African diaspora</a>.</p>
<p>The descendants of Africans who were captured and enslaved in the <a href="http://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/africanpassageslowcountryadapt/introductionatlanticworld">western Atlantic World</a> return to the continent – and to the monuments – for a number of reasons. For many, it is a way to reconnect with their ancestry and find a sense of belonging in the African world. The memory of Africa can also be a source of strength, pride and identity.</p>
<p>Heritage tourism in Ghana provides an important opportunity for diasporic Africans to connect with their history and identity. But in the context of global neoliberal capitalism it also creates an uncomfortable continuity. Today the forts and castles of Ghana’s coast continue to fulfil one of the key purposes for which they were first built – making money. This trend has distorted the relationship between the historic African diaspora and the continent.</p>
<h2>From independence to neoliberalism</h2>
<p>The rise of Ghana’s heritage tourism industry coincided with a shift in its economic policy orientation. From independence in 1957 well into the 1980s the economy was largely state controlled. Its <a href="http://www.justiceghana.com/index.php/en/2012-01-24-13-47-55/6720-discipline-in-economic-management-the-key-to-sustainable-growth-and-prosperity?showall=&start=1">policies</a> included government interventions aimed at easing the people’s hardships. But by the end of the 1990s Ghana’s economic, social and political policies had, by and large, become aligned with the <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NrLv4surz7UC&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=neoliberalism&ots=Jv-AIN6IjK&sig=C4w1cd1CCNCXNp4b2a28BpSU-Yw#v=onepage&q=neoliberalism&f=false">global neoliberal agenda</a>. </p>
<p>The economic and ideological system of <a href="http://www.sok.bz/web/media/video/ABriefHistoryNeoliberalism.pdf">neoliberalism</a> is centred on the primacy of private property and private enterprise. Government intervention in the economy is discouraged. Neoliberalism operates on principles such as subsidy removal, social spending cuts and the privatisation of social services. </p>
<p>These free market and pro-business principles were <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=w0Z_AgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=imf+conditional+lending&ots=AFE9HaYQoZ&sig=1UzOqv2sbyktxLFWbqGwLxCBS-o#v=onepage&q=imf%20conditional%20lending&f=false">imposed</a> on developing countries desperate to secure loans to salvage and stabilise their erratic economies. Powerful international agencies made loans conditional on countries adopting neoliberal reforms. The <a href="https://www.thebalance.com/bretton-woods-system-and-1944-agreement-3306133">Bretton Woods</a> twin financial institutions of the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/about">World Bank</a> and the <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/about.htm">International Monetary Fund</a> did the same. In this way they were able to reshape the economies of many African countries, including Ghana’s.</p>
<p>The ultimate objective was to make developing countries toe the line of profit maximisation in both public and private sectors.</p>
<h2>Tourism potential and profit</h2>
<p>Tourism was identified and bolstered by the government as a viable, reliable and productive source of revenue within the framework of global neoliberalism.</p>
<p>Ghana boasts an irresistible package of celebrated cultural heritage. In addition to its extant European castles and forts, it also has a number of old slave markets, slave routes and slave cemeteries.</p>
<p>In 1993 Ghana boosted its tourism attractiveness with a US$10m investment <a href="http://sova.si.edu/record/Accession%2099-111?q=*&s=0&n=10">project</a>. This was planned and implemented by the Ghanaian authorities in conjunction with the <a href="http://www.undp.org/">United Nations Development Programme</a> and the <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/">United States Agency for International Development</a>.</p>
<p>It involved, among other things, the development of the <a href="http://www.kakumnationalpark.info/">Kakum National Park</a> as well as the preservation and renovation of the <a href="http://www.capecoastcastlemuseum.com/">Cape Coast</a> and <a href="http://www.elminacastle.info/">Elmina Castles</a>. As if to glorify these sites, <a href="http://en.unesco.org/">Unesco</a> declared the castles and forts <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/africa/">World Heritage sites</a>. They were furnished with new museums and other tourist facilities.</p>
<p>The new policy targeted the massive patronage of the historic African diaspora, particularly those from the US, as effective partners in development. </p>
<p>Within the neoliberal framework, both the ideology of <a href="http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-pan-africanism.html">Pan-Africanism</a> and the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade became marketable commodities.</p>
<h2>Tourists, customers and investors</h2>
<p>African Americans were invited to come back to their “roots”. But increasingly they became aware that they were regarded as tourists and customers in Ghana. Some were also encouraged to become stakeholders in the broader project of capitalist development. Land grants and other business incentives were promised to the diaspora. The objective was to encourage <a href="http://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/Foreign-Direct-Investment-(FDI).aspx">foreign direct investment</a> in the economy’s various sectors.</p>
<p>The travel and tourism sector was one where some of the historic African diaspora entered and did brisk business. Those with the necessary resources and expertise competed with their Ghanaian counterparts. By forming tour companies, they facilitated travel to the country in appreciable numbers. Others also invested in hotels and beach resorts.</p>
<p>In 2015 tourism and travel directly contributed a total of around <a href="http://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic%20impact%20research/countries%202016/ghana2016.pdf">GHC4.5 million</a> (more than US $1 million) to Ghana’s GDP. This amounts to about 3.3% of national GDP.</p>
<p>This is good for business. But what does it mean for relations between the continent and the diaspora? Ghana’s forts and castles, among other things, were once used to make profit off African bodies. Today they continue to exist as money-making facilities. The legacy of slavery has been turned into a commodity and diasporic Africans are cast as <a href="http://search.proquest.com/docview/1770385210?pq-origsite=gscholar">tourists, investors, customers and foreigners</a> – rather than members of the <a href="http://search.proquest.com/docview/1677381295?pq-origsite=gscholar">African family</a> to which they belong.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70062/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kwaku Nti does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the era of neoliberal capitalism, both the ideology of Pan-Africanism and the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade have become marketable commodities.Kwaku Nti, Assistant Professor of History, Armstrong State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/668972016-10-24T01:59:42Z2016-10-24T01:59:42ZWhat Myanmar’s bizarre capital tells us about the future of travel<p>Naypyidaw, Myanmar, is one of the strangest capital cities in the world. The city, only a decade old, is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAbaIi1bngc">sprawling maze</a> of 20-lane highways, government compounds and pastel condominiums. </p>
<p>One <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/mar/19/burmas-capital-naypyidaw-post-apocalypse-suburbia-highways-wifi">visitor</a> described it as “an eerie picture of post-apocalypse suburban America.” Another was more blunt, <a href="https://burmastarrecords.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/than-shwe-unmasking-burma-tyrant.pdf">calling it</a> “the most awful place you have ever been to.” </p>
<p>In terms of entertainment, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tour-naypyidaw-myanmars-ghost-town-capital-city/story?id=26884685">there’s not much</a>: a gem museum, several golf courses, a zoo. And looming above all is the city’s most popular attraction, the Uppatasanti Pagoda, which has received <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g2036450-d6361415-Reviews-Uppatasanti_Pagoda-Naypyidaw_Mandalay_Region.html">four of five stars</a> on one popular travel site, with nearly half of the reviewers calling the attraction “excellent.” </p>
<p>Measuring over 300 feet tall, the gleaming gold pagoda looks like an ancient marvel. But although the Uppatasanti Pagoda is an impressive building – especially when photographed in evening against a darkening blue sky – the splendor is a façade.</p>
<p>The pagoda is no wonder of the ancient world; it was completed in early 2009, with a portion of the structure <a href="http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1886304,00.html">reportedly built by children</a>, some as young as seven or eight. And it’s almost an exact replica of the more famous <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=shwedagon+pagoda&espv=2&biw=1011&bih=623&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwixlp3e09XPAhWGKx4KHbchCVoQ_AUIBigB">Shwedagon Pagoda</a>, which was built in the country’s former capital, Yangon, in the 14th century.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LAbaIi1bngc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A drone tours Naypyidaw from the air.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In truth, Naypyidaw’s crown jewel is only the artificial heart of a spiritually dead city, a crude memorial to the superfluous grandeur of a brutal military regime.</p>
<p>Still … those colors, the contrast, that image. It’s – dare I say – Instagram-worthy. </p>
<p>And since <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10548408.2013.750919">research</a> has shown just how important social media content and shared images have become to planning a trip, an important question emerges for those looking to attract visitors to a destination: Has what a place looks like become more important than what a place actually is?</p>
<h2>Surface-deep destinations</h2>
<p>A few years ago, I traveled to Guyana and Suriname – two small countries in South America and two places I knew virtually nothing about – to conduct research <a href="http://travelerstales.com/the-guidebook-experiment/">for my book</a> about how the proliferation of guidebook material, including the explosion of information available through social media, has changed the way we see the world.</p>
<p>But last year, as I traveled through Myanmar for a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Greetings-Myanmar-Exploring-Progress-Countries-ebook/dp/B01GQU43PK">Kindle Single</a> on how the country is adjusting to an influx of visitors and investment, I began to think about the influence of social media not only on the way we travel but also on the places we visit. </p>
<p>While the surface-deep appeal of the Uppatasanti Pagoda suggests my initial hypothesis might be true – that what a place looks like has become more important than what a place actually is – nowhere is this tension more apparent than at Myanmar’s most photographed and most popular tourist destination, <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/myanmar-burma/bagan-paganregion/bagan">Bagan</a>, a vast plain of ancient temples and pagodas located a few hours northwest of Naypyidaw.</p>
<p>On one side of the argument are tourism officials who hope to capitalize on <a href="http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/will-burma-meet-its-tourism-expectations-this-year.html">increased travel to Myanmar</a> by turning Bagan into one of the world’s great bucket list destinations. They’ve repaired structures, built hotels and improved access to the region.</p>
<p>On the other side are preservationists and archaeologists who have watched with horror over the past 20 years as hundreds of rundown pagodas, many of which were built between the 11th and 13th centuries, have been <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00438240802453195">swiftly and systematically rebuilt</a> with little regard for their original form. One archaeologist <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/07/world/fg-bagan7">was quoted</a> in 2006 saying, “They are carrying out reconstruction based on complete fantasy… It completely obliterates any historical record of what was there.” </p>
<p>But more pagodas lead to more pictures. And nothing seems to frighten tourism officials quite like a tourist without something to photograph. When Myanmar’s Ministry of Culture banned visitors from climbing on some of the largest structures in 2016 – thus hindering their access to Bagan’s ubiquitous “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagan#/media/File:Bagan_Sunset.jpg">sunset photo</a>” – the country’s vice minister for tourism <a href="http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/lifestyle/travel/19144-tourism-ministry-joins-fight-against-bagan-ban.html">was adamant</a> that the ban would “seriously impact the tourism sector.” While he understood the “need for the long-term conservation of pagodas … the ban should not have been imposed before an alternative viewing location had been put in place.” </p>
<p>Tourism officials won. The ban was rolled back, and the photos continued.</p>
<p>Less than a year later, the issue was being forced once again. An <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37183943">earthquake in August 2016</a> caused significant damage to nearly 400 of Bagan’s temples, including Shwesandaw Pagoda, the site’s most popular sunset viewing spot. This time, instead of having tourists climb up crumbling stairs, new solutions are being proposed, including the creation of an elevated <a href="http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/mandalay-upper-myanmar/22468-lakeside-sunset-viewing-hill-proposed-in-bagan.html">viewing area next to a nearby lake</a>. </p>
<p>Save the pagodas, sure. But more importantly, save the photo op.</p>
<h2>The influence of social media on travel</h2>
<p>Why does this matter?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10548408.2013.750919">Tourism scholars</a> have confirmed the influence of social media content – posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. – on a traveler’s pretrip planning process. This is what media people refer to as “earned media,” free publicity generated by visitors eager to share their experience. </p>
<p>If the message is positive (earned media has the unfortunate tendency to <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/27/news/companies/ask-seaworld-twitter/">backfire</a>), it’s remarkably effective, elevating the destination’s “brand” in the consumer’s mind. The media research company Nielsen found that people trust <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/apac/docs/reports/2015/nielsen-global-trust-in-advertising-report-september-2015.pdf">“recommendations from people I know”</a> significantly more than editorial content, consumer opinions posted online or, not surprisingly, paid television, newspaper and online ads. </p>
<p>So when someone turns to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram to share memories from their recent vacation (and, say, uses the hashtag <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bagan/">#Bagan</a>), the post serves not only as a personal update but also as an effective promotional tool for airlines, hotels and tour companies linked to that particular location. </p>
<p>To take it a step further, many of these researchers specifically cite the influence of visual imagery in social media. Those planning a vacation often <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/itt/2010/00000012/00000002/art00004">browse pictures</a> and video from other people’s trips for inspiration. And there’s certainly no shortage of pictures to choose from. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517714000132">One study</a> found that recent vacationers to Mallorca, Spain, were over twice as likely to share a photo album or video on Facebook than they were to write an online review. They were over four times as likely to post a photo than compose an online blog or diary.</p>
<p>Some of this, of course, can be attributed to the ease by which these networks allow us to share our images: snap, filter, upload, repeat. Recommendations that once took the form of text – “This place is amazing!” – are instead now transmitted through captionless shots of stunning locales.</p>
<p>And as these social networks continue to grow – Facebook has over a <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/">billion daily users</a>, Instagram over <a href="https://www.instagram.com/press/?hl=en">three hundred million</a> and Snapchat over <a href="https://www.snapchat.com/ads">a hundred million</a> – the world’s collective photo album will only increase. <a href="http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends">One estimate</a> puts the number of images uploaded to the internet per day on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp at nearly three billion. That’s a lot of Machu Picchu.</p>
<p>So what to make of all these pictures? For those in the tourism industry, the implication is clear: Make your destination Instagram-worthy and watch the earned media/visitors pour in. </p>
<p>But for travelers, the implication is more of a warning: Be wary of surface-deep destinations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66897/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Bockino does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Social media is changing the way we travel, with people increasingly eager to visit Instagram-worthy destinations. Has a place’s visual appeal become more important than its history and authenticity?David Bockino, Assistant Professor of Communication, Elon UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/587292016-05-12T03:20:00Z2016-05-12T03:20:00ZWhy is it still possible to climb Uluru?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/120961/original/image-20160503-19538-1ks2eue.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Peled/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles has described climbing Ulu<u>r</u>u as an unforgettable tourist experience – comparable to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-20/adam-giles-calls-for-renewed-debate-about-uluru/7342208">scaling the Sydney Harbour Bridge</a>. The traditional owners, he has said, could derive important economic benefits from keeping it open. </p>
<p>Yet the A<u>n</u>angu people, Ulu<u>r</u>u’s traditional owners, have asked for decades that tourists not climb it. They <a href="http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/do/we-dont-climb.html">explain</a> that Ulu<u>r</u>u is a sacred place; the path followed by the climb represents an important dreaming track and A<u>n</u>angu feel a personal responsibility for the deaths or injuries of climbers. </p>
<p>So why is the climb still an option? </p>
<h2>History of the climb</h2>
<p>Ulu<u>r</u>u has been climbed by tourists for much of the 20th century. In the early 1960s, a safety chain was installed to accommodate the growing number of visitors. Despite this chain, over 30 people have lost their lives climbing “the Rock”. Many more have been injured. Still, about <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/resource/management-plan-2010-2020-uluru-kata-tjuta-national-park">one-third of visitors</a> choose to climb. </p>
<p>The title for Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a National Park, in which Ulu<u>r</u>u stands, was transferred to A<u>n</u>angu control in 1985. Following the Rock’s handback, the traditional owners were obliged to lease the Park back to the Director of National Parks, with day-to-day management handled by Parks Australia. </p>
<p>At the time of the handover, the Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a National Park board of management (made up of a majority of traditional owners) agreed not to close the climb, to minimise harm to the tourism industry.</p>
<p>In 2010, Parks Australia <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/b4822afc-2694-46d4-978c-e298decf4255/files/tourismdirections.pdf">published a report</a> saying the climb would be permanently closed when:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>the Board, in consultation with the tourism industry, is satisfied that adequate new visitor experiences have been successfully established, or <br>
<ul>
<li>the proportion of visitors climbing falls below 20 per cent, or <br></li>
<li>the cultural and natural experiences on offer are the critical factors when visitors make their decision to visit the park.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>This means that Parks Australia has a clear mandate to develop alternative tourism products. Despite this, the core business of Parks Australia is conservation, rather than tourism development. </p>
<p>Although there are specialist staff to facilitate A<u>n</u>angu participation in tourism at Ulu<u>r</u>u, an inevitable tension exists between the traditional focus and knowledge base of Park employees and the push to develop A<u>n</u>angu business opportunities.</p>
<h2>Conflicting economic imperatives</h2>
<p>Between 2013 and 2015, I conducted 20 weeks of research at Ulu<u>r</u>u as part of a study undertaken by the Australian National University, in association with Macquarie University. I examined how A<u>n</u>angu use their cultural heritage to earn a living. As I discovered, the environment in which A<u>n</u>angu attempt to develop sustainable alternatives to climbing is extraordinarily challenging. </p>
<p>In this complex cultural and economic situation, one challenge comes from the Ayers Rock Resort. The resort is located 20km from the Rock, and A<u>n</u>angu land rights don’t extend to its grounds. </p>
<p>Instead, Ayers Rock Resort is owned by the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC), a federal statutory authority that buys land and businesses to realise economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits for Indigenous Australians. </p>
<p>A subsidiary of the ILC, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, has been responsible for running the resort since it was acquired in 2011. Voyages has focused on transforming Ayers Rock Resort into a prime destination for Indigenous tourism.</p>
<p>As an example of the conflict that can arise from this arrangement, we can look at Ma<u>r</u>uku Arts, a locally-based A<u>n</u>angu arts and tourism enterprise. Ma<u>r</u>uku has a regional mandate and serves many communities outside Ulu<u>r</u>u. The resort contracted Ma<u>r</u>uku to run a market stall on its lawn, so guests could buy art and watch demonstrations of local artists at work. </p>
<p>Through its new outlet, Ma<u>r</u>uku is able to put <a href="http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p344543/pdf/ch102.pdf">over A$100,000 extra each year into the local A<u>n</u>angu community</a>. However, Ma<u>r</u>uku has struggled to pay the sales commissions stipulated by the resort, on top of the commission paid to artists and the running costs of the stall. Between May 2012 and April 2015, the A<u>n</u>angu enterprise lost A$16,163 on the market stall, whereas Ayers Rock Resort earned A$112,652 in commission.</p>
<p>As the resort management explained to me, Voyages has invested considerably in developing the market stall infrastructure, and Ma<u>r</u>uku’s market has caused the resort’s income from its own art galleries to drop. It also argues that the market provides new jobs to A<u>n</u>angu.</p>
<p>The market stall represents just one example of the competitive business environment in which not-for-profit A<u>n</u>angu businesses like Ma<u>r</u>uku Arts are trying to survive. </p>
<p>Ayers Rock Resort strives to be profitable, not least because the ILC’s acquisition has resulted in a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-19/uluru-resort-deal-sparks-call-for-reforms/6864796">sizeable debt burden</a>, (the ILC recently received a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-08/ayers-rock-resort-65m-bailout-nigel-scullion/7393378">A$65 million loan</a> from the federal government). This induces decisions which, while commercially sound, are not always conducive to the sustainability of A<u>n</u>angu-owned enterprises focusing on “culture work”.</p>
<h2>Funding and the Intervention</h2>
<p>There are other complications in the attempt to develop sustainable and culturally appropriate alternatives to climbing Ulu<u>r</u>u. One is the <a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-corporately-getting-national-parks-on-national-balance-sheets-8152">tight operational budget for Australia’s park agencies</a>.</p>
<p>At Ulu<u>r</u>u, Parks Australia has faced some particularly challenging years, as a decline in tourists – from 349,172 in 2005 to 257,761 in 2012 – caused revenue from the sale of entry tickets to fall. </p>
<p>At the same time, lack of funding has meant that the Ulu<u>r</u>u Cultural Centre, where tourists are encouraged to begin their visit to the Park and learn about A<u>n</u>angu culture, hasn’t been maintained properly. It looks dilapidated, and anything but an alternative to climbing.</p>
<p>The community has also been impacted by the Northern Territory Emergency Response, known locally as the Intervention. In 2006 an administrator was appointed to run the A<u>n</u>angu village of Mu<u>t</u>itjulu, which is adjacent to the Rock.</p>
<p>The Mu<u>t</u>itjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation, responsible for delivering aspects of municipal and community services, had its funding and several of its functions taken away. </p>
<p>Although the corporation regained control of the community in 2007, it has since wrestled with a high turnover of CEOs, disagreements over service provision and accusations of corruption. The corporation oversees several local businesses, one of which – a tourism enterprise – failed during my research.</p>
<p>Let us return to Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles and the subject of climbing Ulu<u>r</u>u. Rather than investing in the climb, in the face of A<u>n</u>angu wishes, Mr Giles should consider resolving the conflicting agendas, governance challenges and funding difficulties that characterise the Ulu<u>r</u>u economy. </p>
<p>Once tourists can enjoy various sustainable products based on A<u>n</u>angu culture, the destination will become truly unforgettable and benefit A<u>n</u>angu economically. Then, the Ulu<u>r</u>u climb can be closed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/58729/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marianne Riphagen worked on the research project The value of Aboriginal cultural heritage – cultural production and regional economies in Eastern Arnhem Land and the Western Desert, which was funded by a Discovery Grant from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Uluru’s traditional owners have asked for decades that tourists not climb their sacred site. Parks Australia has committed to closing the climb – but only when some ambitious goals have been met.Marianne Riphagen, Visiting Fellow, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/296412014-08-06T20:54:59Z2014-08-06T20:54:59ZTourism over tradition in Taiwan – how to be a culture vulture abroad<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55292/original/cwjzpfg3-1406702007.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Amis are fighting to safeguard what remains of their own heritage.*</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alistair Noble</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>How do we move beyond being a cultural tourist to having some deeper level of understanding of what local festivals mean to the people involved? That question has been on my mind of late. </p>
<p>Just before midnight on a recent summer evening, in a small village on the east coast of Taiwan, a crowd of men in a ritual circle began to dance and sing an ancient song. The sound of the men’s voices rang out over the sea and through the mountain forest behind, accompanied by the ringing of bells tied to the dancers’ legs. This ritual of song and dance continued for nine millet wine-fuelled hours, until long after sunrise. The women of the village watched from the sidelines, all through the night. </p>
<p>This was the opening night ceremony of the annual <a href="http://library.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2007/gsh4871/3-1.htm">Ilisin</a> ritual in one village of the indigenous <a href="http://www.apc.gov.tw/portal/docList.html?CID=C1F3A60A42545179">Amis</a> tribe of <a href="http://www.hl.gov.tw/bin/home.php?Lang=en">Hualien County</a>. I was fortunate to attend as a member of a small group of researchers from my university in Taipei, some of whom attend this ceremony every year and have close links to the village people. </p>
<p>But the Amis people are <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2014/07/30/2003596231/1">not keen</a> on having many visitors at their ceremonies, and I was warned that especially the younger folk can be less tolerant of those they see as mere tourists. They often don’t like to be filmed or photographed. For the Amis, their rituals are private village business. </p>
<p>Today, this brings many Amis people into open conflict with the <a href="http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002023">Tourism Bureau</a> of the ethnically Chinese government in Taipei, with local government in some areas. It also leads to tensions within village communities. </p>
<h2>Cultural heritage versus the tourism industry</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=953&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=953&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=953&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1197&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1197&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55294/original/8gfbkndh-1406702957.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1197&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Colourised photograph of an Amis couple in traditional clothing. Taken in pre-WWII Japanese-ruled Taiwan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A few weeks ago, a group of Amis activists staged <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/07/04/2003594326">an invasive “tour”</a> of the Tourism Bureau offices in Taipei, mimicking the behaviour of cultural tourists: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Wow, so this is what the Tourism Bureau people wear at work. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It was a clever PR stunt, but the issues are serious. Other minority groups in Taiwan have had their cultural traditions and sacred ceremonies <a href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2014/07/09/2003594672">appropriated</a> and manipulated to serve the tourist industry. Now the Amis are fighting to safeguard what remains of their own heritage.</p>
<p>Interestingly, <a href="http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/38946/9/92402209.pdf">Amis society</a> is matrilineal. A man is lower in status than his wife and his wife’s mother, and clan lineages pass through the female side of a family. Intersecting with this, the men are organised in strict age-set groups, each with particular responsibilities and regulations. </p>
<p>Amis religious beliefs were traditionally inextricable from these social systems, the political economy of social relations within the village, with neighbouring clans, and with the spirit world. In older times, <em>Ilisin</em> was a vital annual commemoration and renewal of contracts with ancestral spirits and powerful spirit-beings or gods. Within this context, it was also a time when a new chief might be chosen, when age-set groups might be promoted, and women might choose a husband.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55293/original/2mc32vj6-1406702884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The opening night ceremony of the annual Ilisin ritual.*</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alistair Noble</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Adding a layer of complication to understanding what Ilisin means today, the Amis people largely <a href="http://c.ianthro.tw/sites/c.ianthro.tw/files/da/df/403/403956_0001.pdf">converted</a> to Christianity after 1945. The majority are Roman Catholic, and the early Catholic missionaries encouraged the continuation of traditional ceremonies and even participated. </p>
<p>Presbyterian missionaries, on the other hand, forbade participation in such ceremonies and worked to undermine the traditional social structures. Because of these tensions, there are few villages today that can claim to have an unbroken tradition of Ilisin, and in many places the age-set and matrilineal inheritance systems collapsed decades ago.</p>
<p>The tourism industry exerts considerable pressure on indigenous people, through government policy and crude economics. Many groups have been encouraged to wear more outlandish costumes and to alter the <a href="http://haha.hl.net.tw/index-1.html">dates and locations</a> of festivals for the convenience of tour buses. </p>
<p>Some in the tourism industry have pushed for the Amis villages to gather together to celebrate Ilisin in bigger, <a href="http://ab.hl.gov.tw/en-us/Media/FestivalList">concert-like</a> gatherings at less remote places. This undermines many of the most important functions of such rituals, which are inherently local. </p>
<p>Some Amis also point out that the gods and ancestor-spirits of different villages often <a href="http://library.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2007/gsh4871/3-7.htm">didn’t get along</a> with each other, so celebrating a collective Ilisin must surely be a recipe for disaster.</p>
<p>Although I felt a little awkward as an obviously foreign observer at this important ceremony, quite a few village people chatted to me in English. They were curious to know where I was from and why I was there. Some kindly offered me <a href="http://www.drugs.com/npc/betel-nut.html">betel nut</a>. </p>
<p>We had to return to Taipei after two days, and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/07/22/typhoon-matmo-makes-landfall-in-taiwan/">typhoon Matmo</a> was due to arrive that evening. One of the senior village men told us that the Ilisin ritual must continue regardless, and that they would dance and sing even in the typhoon. </p>
<p>Such determination in the face of disaster gives us some hope for the future of the Amis people and their valuable heritage.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p><em>*Please note, to protect the privacy of living Amis people, the author’s photographs do not show faces.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29641/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>At the time of writing, Alistair Noble works for the Graduate Institute of Ethnomusicology, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei.</span></em></p>How do we move beyond being a cultural tourist to having some deeper level of understanding of what local festivals mean to the people involved? That question has been on my mind of late. Just before midnight…Alistair Noble, Visiting Associate Professor, National Taiwan Normal UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.