Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: European cities offer a variety of attractions, activities and facilities to tourists. One component of tourism in this urban context is cultural tourism which is a high potential growth sector within the tourism industry. Cultural tourists travel to cities mainly to see the most important and well known cultural attractions, to take part in cultural festivities, to view the cultural treasures of the cities and to attend performances and exhibitions. Other functions and activities such as retail functions and types also occur in the vicinity of the important cultural attractions of a city. Amongst these activities and functions are shops, cafés and restaurants. In an area of a city where cultural attractions and retail types coexist, the possibility exits that a spatial relationship between cultural tourism and retailing may occur in the sense that the tourists who visit these attractions may support the retail establishments in the vicinity of cultural attractions. The city of Leuven in Belgium is a typical West European city with a variety of cultural tourist attractions as well as functions which can be supportive of cultural tourism. These functions include shops, cafés and restaurants. An investigation was conducted to establish whether a spatial relationship exists between cultural tourism and retail activities in the part of Leuven known as the Ring. The geographical information systems TransCad, Arc/Info en ArcView were used for the processing and analysis of retail and cultural tourism data gathered in the Ring of Leuven. Three analytical procedures were performed separately for shops, cafés and restaurants. These procedures comprised (a) the determination of the numbers and types of supportive functions around the most important cultural-historical tourist attractions, (b) the determination of the numbers and types of supportive functions along the routes to cultural-historical sites from tourist points of origin, and (c) the determination of the numbers and types of supportive functions along guided-walk routes in the city. The analysis results show that a (spatial) relationship does exist between retail and cultural tourism in the Ring of Leuven. On average 44% of the retail functions (shops, cafés and restaurants) are located within a distance of up to saam from the six most important cultural building attractions in Leuven (procedure 1). Retail functions on guided-walk routes totalled 48% with cafés and restaurants being the most abundant (procedure 3). Only 19% of retail functions are located between points of origin and cultural building attractions (procedure 2). A more detailed study should be conducted to establish the exact nature of the spatial relationship which exists between retail and cultural tourism in the Ring of Leuven. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Europese stede bied 'n reeks attraksies, aktiwiteite en fasiliteite vir toeriste. Een komponent van die breër term toerisme in hierdie stedelike konteks is kulturele toerisme wat 'n baie sterk groeisektor binne die toerismemark is. Kulturele toeriste besoek stede hoofsaaklik met die doelom die belangrikste en bekendste kulturele attraksies te besigtig, om aan kulturele feeste deel te neem, die kunsskatte van stede te betrag en om teateropvoerings en tentoonstellings by te woon. In die nabyheid van die belangrikste kulturele attraksies van 'n stad kom ook ander funksies en aktiwiteite soos kleinhandelsfunksies en -tipes voor. Hieronder ressorteer onder andere winkels, cafés en restaurante. In die gedeelte van 'n stad waar kulturele attraksies en kleinhandelstipes naby mekaar voorkom, kan die moontlikheid bestaan van 'n ruimtelike verwantskap tussen kulturele toerisme en kleinhandel, in dié sin dat toeriste wat die attraksies besoek, moontlik ook die kleinhandelstipes wat in die nabyheid van die kulturele attraksies voorkom, salondersteun. Die stad Leuven in België is 'n tipiese voorbeeld van 'n Wes-Europese stad met 'n verskeidenheid kulturele toeriste-attraksies asook funksies wat kulturele toerisme ondersteun. Hierdie ondersteunende funksies sluit winkels, cafés en restaurante in. In die deel van Leuven wat as die Ring bekend staan, is ondersoek ingestel na die voorkoms, al dan nie, van 'n ruimtelike verwantskap tussen kulturele toerisme en kleinhandel. Die geografiese inligtingstelsels TransCad, Arc/Info en ArcView is ingespan vir die verwerking en analise van data oor kleinhandel en kulturele toerisme in die Ring van Leuven. Drie ontledingsprosedures is afsonderlk uitgevoer vir winkels, cafés en restaurante. Hierdie prosedures behels (a) die bepaling van die aantal en tipes ondersteunende funksies rondom die belangrikste kultuurhistoriese toeristeattraksies; (b) die bepaling van die aantal en tipe ondersteunende funksies langs die roetes tussen die toeriste-oorsprongpunte en die belangrikste kultuurhistoriese toeriste-attraksies; en (c) die bepaling van die aantal en tipe ondersteunende funksies langs begeleide stadswandelroetes. Die analiseresultate wys dat 'n verwantskap tussen kleinhandel en kulturele toerisme, ruimtelik-gesproke, wel in die Ring van Leuven bestaan. Só is gemiddeld 44% van die kleinhandelsfunksies (winkels, cafés en restaurante) tot op In afstand van SOOmvanaf die ses belangrikste kulturele gebou-attraksies in Leuven geleë (prosedure 1). Ook kom 48% van die kleinhandelsfunksies langs die roetes van begeleide stadswandelinge voor. Hier is dit egter die cafés en restaurante wat die grootste proporsies uitmaak (prosedure 3). 'n Gemiddelde proporsie van slegs 19% van die kleinhandelsfunksies kom tussen oorsprongpunte en die belangrikste kulturele gebou-attraksies voor. 'n Meer omvattende studie moet onderneem word om vas te stel watter tipe ruimtelike verwantskap tussen kleinhandel en kulturele toerisme binne Leuven se Ring voorkom.