Industrial remains can be found in many regions that experienced industrialization. However, they are, in general, at risk of loss through destruction and abandonment. Promoting tourism can be a helpful tool for regional restructuring and economic development. The creative economy is also emerging as a powerful tool for reinvigorating economic growth, employment and social cohesion of those areas, which may affect the development of touristic activities and industries. However, little research has been done to link creative economy theory and industrial heritage tourism. This paper elaborates on and clarifies the link between industrial heritage tourism and creative economy, and illustrates the impact of creativity and the driving role of the creative class in industrial heritage tourism through a case study. The study site, 798 art zone, is a newly emerged tourism destination in China which developed based on an abandoned soviet-style factory. Through analyzing the initiation status of tourism development in the factory, the interests of visitors, the influences of tourism, and the role of artists, the research reveals the dramatic change under the impact of tourism and more recently added development boom that has taken place at the 798 art zone. The findings identify the characteristics of 798 art zone in different periods and the contributions of the artist community to the art zone. Unlike most industrial heritage tourism sites, the development of 798 art zone was bottom up owing to the creativity of artists. With their creative eyes, artists identified the special features of the abandoned factory (high ceilings, historic design, open spaces, and abundant natural light), and used their creativity to add artistic feelings to this area. When the factory was facing the fate of being razed, they pulled together. With their efforts, the factory was preserved and 798 art zone was acknowledged by the government. The results are in accord with the creative economy theory that creativity is the driving force of economic development and improve the understanding of how creativity and tourism interact. The development pattern of 798 art zone might not apply precisely to any other places in the world, but it provides an effective alternative model for revitalization of old industrial sites as well as other tourism sites. Some management related suggestions and concerns about 798 art zone and tourists profile are proposed. Both practical implications and academic insights are presented based on the major findings of this study.

Heritage tourism is employed by many countries to facilitate economic development as well as to assist in the preservation of heritage. Different stakeholders have different and sometimes conflicting expectation in the process of converting heritage resources into marketable products. Heritage tourism is especially complicated because public and private, historical and sometimes ethnic resources are involved. Despite the fact that some literature is devoted to the impacts of the designation and management of heritage tourism on residents, little research has been done on how government roles and associated political perspectives can affect the way that heritage tourism develops. Detailed comparative studies that are undertaken from this perspective are rare. This research uses experiences of Daxu ancient town and Yangshuo town, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, to compare the influence of governmental involvement on heritage tourism development. Key stakeholders’ perceptions (tourists, entrepreneurs, residents and governments) were examined in both towns through quantitative and qualitative research. A tourist survey was conducted to collect data on their experience on their trips. A resident survey was conducted to collect data on local residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts, and their judgments of the government’s performance in tourism administration and promotion. Entrepreneurs were interviewed to understand their motivations, situations and expectations for their businesses. Finally, government officials were interviewed to understand the policies, marketing, and official attitudes and involvement in tourism development. Economic advantages have been a driving force in heritage tourism development in both towns. Yangshuo is in a more mature stage of tourism development than Daxu which is still in the initial stage. Residents in both towns show high expectations for tourism development, but Yangshuo residents are surer about most of the impacts brought by tourism. Entrepreneurs are often local investors and are struggling in Daxu while, in Yangshuo, tourism entrepreneurs are often from elsewhere and include international investors. Yangshuo entrepreneurs are more entrepreneurial, highly responsive to the market and are contributing to the attractions of Yangshuo. Government attitudes toward tourism are very different between Daxu and Yangshuo. Yangshuo’s government accords great importance to tourism and actively supports its tourism development and, as such, tourism boomed in Yangshuo. Daxu’s government passively supports tourism. This study confirms that variations in government support can greatly influence the style and pace of tourism development.

Project Roatán was initiated in 2008 as a collaboration between the University of South Florida (USF) and the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH) to investigate the prehistory of the island of Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras. Based on data from the 2009 field season of Project Roatán, this study examines the ways in which native islanders of the Postclassic period (A.D. 900-1500) expressed their social identity and cultural affiliations with contemporaneous groups on northeastern mainland Honduras through their ceramic traditions. These initial investigations serve to evaluate the relationship between islanders and mainland groups and any major differences in terms of their status or occupation, islanders' ties into regional trading systems, and the primary function of sites on the island. Although the materials presented demonstrate a strong tie to the indigenous groups of the mainland, which were most likely ancestors of present-day Pech populations, a significant difference is apparent in the types and quantities of exotic materials present on the island, as compared to those found on the mainland. Published accounts and reports from previous expeditions to the island are examined to support this trend. It is argued that models of political economy are best suited to address the heightened importance of social relationships within economic interactions of the indigenous Bay Islanders. The practice of creating an inclusive group identity, deemed the corporate strategy of power, was employed by elites in the region with the aim of maintaining the status-quo. Extreme exploitation and the accumulation of resources were not necessarily central goals in an environmentally self-sustaining region, and the practice appears to have contributed ultimately to long-term cultural stability in the region. Drawing from external connections, indigenous populations of this region appropriated symbols and designs in an emblemic manner to express a common identity and reinforce a cultural practice of inclusiveness. Within this setting, the data indicate that the island of Roatán likely either represented a special physical location for the northeastern region - in terms of access to outside trade networks and resources, or perhaps in terms of spiritual or ideological significance -or was inhabited by group of individuals that enjoyed privileges not shared by those on the mainland. A combination of emblemic style and corporate strategy is presented as a possible explanation for standardization within the ceramic assemblage of the island in the absence of mass production. Lastly, the results of the study are used to critique the ways in which archaeological data have been exploited within the heritage tourism industry to represent past inhabitants of the island and commoditize identity. The future of tourism and issues of representation on the island are also considered in light of recent political disruption.

This study focuses on Bhaktapur Durbar Square, one of the monument zone of Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site which lies within a Bhaktapur city, an ancient historic town. Through survey research targeting local people and key informants interviews, this study tried to investigate on the domains of major impacts from the cultural tourism in Bhaktapur Durbar Square from the perspective of local community. The study then explores the different factors serving to generate the impacts from macro and micro level of context. Macro level deals with the international and national context whereas micro level deals with local context. Using data collection methods such as interviews with organizations involved in the management of WHS, tourism, expert interviews, primary and secondary data analysis, which is to explore factors affecting the generation of tourism impacts for the community, is carried out. By combining the research conducted at the community level and the many influencing factors, the study intends to explain the socio-economic-cultural heritage impacts at the community level in light of the management or governing process of the WHS, the institutional arrangement as well as the interactions between organizations, and in the context of policy – which is reflected in the current legal framework influencing the site. This study finds that cultural tourism in Bhaktapur has contributed significantly to local government’s tax revenue particularly through tourist entry fee which in turn contributed in the conservation of the world heritage properties. However, the study also found that there have been limited positive impacts of cultural tourism for the majority of local people i.e. farmers group. Tourism has not encouraged the growth in the agriculture sector – a sector in which more than 60% of the farmers are involved. The concentrated tourism development at the core area of the city imparts the economic disparity among the people one who live in the core area and one beyond it. This study also found that tourism in Bhaktapur has limited impacts in raising the standard of living, household income, skills and training, infrastructure and public facilities. In the analysis of factors in the international context, this study argues that the nomination process, guidance from relevant international organizations and development in WHS discourse have influenced the cultural tourism development – although not directly. In terms of the national context, it finds that there is a lack of comprehensive policies and planning for conservation and tourism development which works in separate institutional framework. Analysis of factors in the local context, problems at the local area, such as decreasing agriculture land, inefficient management plan, lack of political commitment, lack of awareness and education, limited scope of work, lack of community organization, etc contribute to the perceived tourism impacts. This study finds institutional problems such as lack of planning mechanism, difficulties in coordination as well as legal framework that prevent the management system from working together to address local issues. This study recommends that a strong cooperation and coordination mechanism should be established under the framework of comprehensive community development and management plan in order to develop local economy alongside with tourism and contributing to wider benefits to the local community. A community based tourism strategy is recommended in order to reduce the disparity, directly benefiting the community and encouraging the local community to involve in decision making process. All of these efforts may help to realize at the micro level, the ideal of WHS for development that has been stated by organizations such as UNESCO in the macro level. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Tourism is not just an aggregate of merely commercial activities; it is also an ideological framing of history, nature and tradition which has the power to reshape culture and nature to its own needs (MacCannell, 1976). Since the reform and opening up, tourism has greatly expanded in mainland China over the past decades. The abundant cultural and historical attractions have become principal tourism resources and spurred the growth of a large heritage tourism industry. Cultural tourism attracts lots of attention from both the public and academics nowadays. However, tourism impacts on China’s cultural heritage places are as yet little understood. This dissertation would explore the tourism impacts on built heritage and local community with the case study of a historic site – West Street in Yangshuo County, Guangxi Province. Tourism is not just an aggregate of merely commercial activities; it is also an ideological framing of history, nature and tradition which has the power to reshape culture and nature to its own needs (MacCannell, 1976). Since the reform and opening up, tourism has greatly expanded in mainland China over the past decades. The abundant cultural and historical attractions have become principal tourism resources and spurred the growth of a large heritage tourism industry. Cultural tourism attracts lots of attention from both the public and academics nowadays. However, tourism impacts on China’s cultural heritage places are as yet little understood. This dissertation would explore the tourism impacts on built heritage and local community with the case study of a historic site – West Street in Yangshuo County, Guangxi Province. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

Tourism has emerged as one of the most dynamic sectors in many countries; as one outcome, it has generated widespread hope that this particular industry can bring prosperity to numerous developing nations. Conversely, there is substantial suspicion of its capacity to bring equitable benefits to the poor. A recent proposition is to strengthen the tourism-poverty nexus by placing tourism at the heart of poverty reduction strategies. This thesis explores the application of this new and relatively untested approach. It does so by conducting a case study of the impact of heritage tourism, a community-based and poverty-focused tourism initiative, implemented in Anse La Raye, the most impoverished rural community in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Obviously a single case study cannot justify sweeping generalizations, but it can perhaps serve at least to raise a number of useful policy questions that might also have some broader application.The findings reveal that poverty-focused tourism development initiatives can positively impact the lives of the rural poor, under certain circumstances. Some observable effects included the creation of useful community infrastructure, linkages of direct and indirect employment benefits and consequent income generation. Notwithstanding these successes, this limited research piece suggests that, despite their nearly exclusive and commendable focus on the livelihood of the poor, pro-poor approaches to tourism also have limitations [for example, seasonal and part-time employment, and leakages] and certainly cannot be regarded as a panacea for reducing poverty in any poverty stricken region. Nonetheless, it is believed that St. Lucia, at least, can learn from the experiences of Anse La Raye as it further refines its tourism development policies in quest of further development targets.

A large part of the tourism literature has focused on the phenomenon of slavery tourism, or the visitation of sites related to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In the U.S. South, former plantation homes are popular sites of visitation, albeit very few studies have looked at African Americans' experiences there. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation is to understand both the politics of representation of slavery at slavery related sites (production side) and the different ways African American visitors make sense of these sites (consumption side). The present study uses the case of the African Burial Ground National Monument, a former cemetery for enslaved and free Africans living in colonial New Amsterdam (today New York City) and now a National Park in Lower Manhattan, which exhibits a complex combination of "darkness" and "sacredness." The site exposes the public to its contentious process of development and reveals that African American visitors have mixed perceptions of slavery and the way it should be remembered and represented on site (Africans as victims or as victors), as well as a range of motivations to visit, experiences and emotions attached to the site. This research illustrates how slavery tourism sites choose to represent slavery, whether from the perspective of the White slaveholders, as it has traditionally been done, or from the perspective of enslaved Africans, as it is done at the African Burial Ground. Whatever the strategy they choose, this study demonstrates that there is a process through which these sites go in order to create the final product to be presented in the brochures, tour narratives, and exhibits. This study illustrates how visitors' relationship to the site influences their experience there, including the physical, spiritual, and psychological acts they exercise (volunteering, praying, pouring libations, communicating with the ancestors, etc.), and the meanings they attach to the site visited, whether it is pride, sadness, anger, or peace. The significant insights from this study contribute to the current literature on slavery tourism, particularly the one on African American visitors' experiences, and suggest managerial propositions for the National Park Service and other institutions offering interpretive programs on slavery.

Questioning notions of authenticity through the dynamics of Zulu culture as expressed by Zulu beadwork in the cultural tourism industry, allows this study to evaluate the historical perspectives of Zulu culture. It further provides a genealogical perspective of Zulu beadwork, and explains the nature of Zulu beadwork within the tourism industry of KwaZulu-Natal. The literature of this dissertation specifically evaluates the historical foundations of Zulu cultural history and heritage and further gives an evaluation of the literature related to issues of authenticity and cultural tourism. This dissertation is framed in the theories of identity and culture; borrowing from cultural anthropology studies; tourism studies and cultural communication studies. The dynamics of cultural tourism, which are created in the relationship between the bead makers and their prospective consumers (the tourist), are also to be the focus of this study as this will work to facilitate unpacking the reasons which add to tourism destinations offering cultural experiences and as well focus on development strategies that are in place for developing cultural tourism for economic gain. This study will employ a qualitative research methodology, which is concerned with non-statistical information about the notions of authenticity in cultural tourism; used as a medium to Zulu beadwork symbolism, as viewed by Zulu bead makers and the cultural tourists based in the Durban South and North beach regions. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the notions of authenticity as applied through the tourism process that occurs in the KwaZulu-Natal, Durban’s beach front; through the stall keeping that occurs in the area, where Zulu beadwork is one of the key items sold to the tourist. / M. Soc. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed April 9, 2009). Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 489-534).

Thesis (M.R.M.)--Acadia University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-161). Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.