Browsing by Subject "cultural heritage tourism"
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Item Mutually Beneficial: Heritage Conservation and Community Development in EthiopiaGottert, Leslie Larsen; MA in Historic PreservationAn analysis of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre’s changing perception of the community’s role in the conservation of World Heritage informs a discussion of the evolution of heritage conservation in Ethiopia. Case studies on two of Ethiopia’s living cultural World Heritage sites, the Rock-hewn Churches at Lalibela and Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historical Town, illustrate how the site and local tradition bearers are of mutual benefit to each other in terms of the conservation of Outstanding Universal Value and the transmission of local cultural values to present and future generations. By comparing heritage conservation activities at the two properties, the treatise discusses the shift in the approach to decision making about conservation strategies from the conventional and top-down to the values-led and grass roots and identifies the downstream effects of program implementation at each site and development in the town on the historical built environment and the surrounding community associated with it. With tourism, particularly cultural heritage tourism, recognized as a significant factor in national economic growth, the Ethiopian government is increasingly considering the country’s World Heritage sites as economic assets as well as cultural resources. This changing appreciation is particularly relevant in the context of its effort to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of poverty alleviation. Since the conception of the ‘Historic Route’ over fifty years ago to promote international tourism in Ethiopia, the national leadership has valued the use of heritage sites to raise the country’s international standing as well as bring in foreign exchange. Ethiopia’s experience following the listing of its first World Heritage sites in 1978 provides lessons for its own consideration as well as that of other nations as they proceed with the development of additional national heritage sites as cultural tourist destinations. A key finding is the importance of expanding heritage conservation programs beyond technical assistance with site management and preservation to include public policy advocacy to promote and defend the interests of the World Heritage sites and the communities with which they are associated.Item PARANORMAL TOURISM AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION: AN ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF SELECT HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND COMMUNITIES(2023-05) Caudle, Jessica; Melanie, Lytle; Jim, Houran; Michele, Hanks; Historic Preservation Department; MA in Historic PreservationThis thesis examines paranormal tourism as a hybrid subsector of cultural heritage and dark tourism to demonstrate the current issues regarding the acceptance and utility of site interpretation practice and its potential as a revenue source for historic communities and sites. Three underlying criticisms are analyzed—authenticity, destabilization of historical narrative, and exploitation of disenfranchised peoples—with solutions in interpretation practice to demonstrate the possibility that paranormal tourism can provide a primary or secondary source of revenue generation for historic communities and historic sites. Freeman Tilden’s Principles for Interpretation heavily influence the recommended interpretation practice suggested within the inclusion of paranormal tourism. Tilden demonstrates in his book Interpreting Our Heritage that interpretation provides the necessary historical facts within these stories for a complete historical narrative that addresses critical criticism topics. This thesis argues that paranormal stories offer additional context to historical narratives that can provoke the audience into an emotional response necessary to maintain interest in the historic site. I use a critical topics approach with case studies to analyze small communities, including Tarrytown, New York, Mansfield, Ohio, and Alton, Illinois, examining the economic impact of rebranding their communities as paranormal tourist destinations. I analyze three selected historic properties with a reputation for reported paranormal activity: the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, Illinois; and Beattie Mansion in St. Joseph, Missouri. Using the solutions extracted from examining the issues in acceptance of paranormal tourism, economic data from the small communities and historic properties, and responses from the personal interviews I conducted with managers of each selected historic property, I have developed a toolkit for historic properties and communities to utilize when adapting traditional site interpretation for inclusion of paranormal tourism. This toolkit addresses the criticisms of paranormal tourism, including authenticity, destabilization of historical narrative, and exploitation, and provides real-world examples of solutions to combat these criticisms. In addition, practical information is provided, including marketing, tour pricing, and employment needs.