Art & Culture in Place-making & Cultural Tourism

Presented by Jan StromAcknowledging Dr Ros Derrett OAM

What is cultural tourism?

…the business of providing and interpreting a place’s

culture to visitors - including its lifestyle, heritage, arts

and people - in a way that helps visitors understand

what makes a place distinctive.(Commonwealth of Australia, ‘Creative Nations’ 1994)

“Cultural tourism is the art of participating in another culture, of

relating to people and places that have a strong sense of their

own identity. It is an approach to tourism that gives tourists

credit for intelligence, and promises them some depth of

experience and real-life layering that can be explored on many

levels”.

(Lips, cited in Wood, 1992:4)

Cultural tourism (CT) is centre of many urban regeneration strategies, it can:

•Re-animate city centres,

•Rejuvenate existing cultural facilities,

•Develop loops and trails, and create new cultural centres.

•Attract inward investment.

Increasingly fuzzy boundaries between cultural and

economic activities means that Cultural Tourism is

increasingly about jobs and income, and less about

promotion of culture per se.

Engaging cultural tourism, storytelling, sense of community & place-making …

Derrett, 2009

RESIDENTS

VISITORS

CULTURAL TOURISM

PLACE

IMAGE & IDENTITY

STORYTELLING

SENSE OF COMMUNITY &

PLACE

CULTURAL TOURISM

Why storytelling?

Action Time

Storytelling …

… encourages engagement.

What is engagement?

Action Time

Engagement …

… is a way of doing being and becoming.

It’s about connectivity, relationships,

communication, collaboration …

And it’s about both/and thinking rather than

either/or thinking.(Strom 2009)

What is community?

Action Time

The notion of community is …

... always something of a myth. A community implies a

coherent entity with a clear identity and a commonality of

purpose. The reality is that communities, more often than

not, are made up of an agglomeration of factions and interest

groups often locked in competitive relationships.

(Smit, 1995 cited in Joppe, 1996:475)

Community, the custodians of the content of Australian tourism,

must be enabled to participate in tourism by forming its content.

Only if Australians are involved in tourism will it survive.

(Wood, 1993:7)

Community, the custodians of the content of local tourism, must

be enabled to participate in tourism by forming its content.

Only if local community are involved in tourism will it survive.(Strom, 2009 building on Wood, 1993:7)

What is a sense of place?

Action Time

Sense of place …

… the common ground where interpretation and community

development meets in a concern to create or enhance a

sense of place, to establish what is significant and valued in

the environment or heritage of a particular community, and to

provide action for its wider appreciation and conservation.

(Binks, 1989:191 cited Trotter, 1998)

Can we nurture a sense of place?

… if so, how?

… if not, why not?

Action Time

Festivals in regional communities …

… can simultaneously be an experience, a product, an

outcome and a resource. As such, diverse stakeholders

feel a responsibility to nurture, sustain and grow the cultural

capacity of their host community. They work to ensure

mechanisms are in place to encourage effective

communication and relationship building by growing social

and cultural capital.

Big tourist ideas wantedMatt Deans 21st October 2009 Coffs Coast Advocate

A leading Coffs Coast tourism head, says Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey was 'right

on the money', in telling the region it needs a massive event to attract national

attention. Tourism association president George Cecato yesterday supported Mr

Hockey's opinion, that the Coffs Coast must get proactive and bring a signature

event to the region.

During a fleeting visit to town last week, the former Federal Tourism Minister says

no longer can coastal tourism just survive on pristine beaches.”You can't market

beautiful beaches, you need an identifiable brand” … “You need a big event to get

people here and then let them experience what you have.The regulars will come

back all the time. That's what puts you on the map”.Reference: http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/search-results/?page=searchresults&cx=005684713114513801790%3Avir3dk8sc7u&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=joe+hockey+story&sa=

What’s your BIG idea?

Coffs Coast Advocate Poll - Which event gets your vote?

Results:

•City of Weddings 3%

•Gay Games 25%

•Ironman series 9%

•Festival of the Guiness Book of Records 15%

•Coffs Coffers treasure hunt 5%

•Extreme sports festival 19%

•Choral festival 11%

•Campervan and Motorhome Rally 9%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

Reference: http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/10/24/your-say-on-what-events/

“…get proactive and bring a signature event …”

This does not take

The anthropological and the aesthetic.

The ‘way we do things about here’ – language, tradition,

heritage sites, practice, food, design, built & natural

environment, sense of place and community; and the creative

industries art-form, practice dimension.

…into account

How to put ART

in the heART of

community cultural pARTnerships …

Potential partners & nature of roles…

Activity Time

Potential partners• Government - local • Government - state & federal• Community - diverse• Cultural & other professionals• Community organisations• Educational institutions• Business & industry• Individuals• Media• Regional Agencies• Visitors

Nature of role• Manage/collaborate, provide service• Invest, advise, regulate• Audience, collaborate• Suppliers• Collaborators, audience• Collaborate, research, document• Supplier, collaborator• Share stories, volunteer, audience• Promote & document• Facilitate, suppliers• Audience

Two Case Studies:

Wilson River Experience Walk

Coffs Coast Town & Country Trails

Engaging cultural tourism, storytelling, sense of community & place-making …

Derrett, 2009

RESIDENTS

VISITORS

CULTURAL TOURISM

PLACE

IMAGE & IDENTITY

STORYTELLING

SENSE OF COMMUNITY &

PLACE

CULTURAL TOURISM

Art & Culture in Place-making & Cultural Tourism

Presented by Jan Stromjan.strom@scu.edu.au

Acknowledging Dr Ros Derrett OAMRos.derrett@scu.edu.au