A cultural revolution for tourism

Cultural tourism is surely one of the tourist industry’s most interesting challenges today. Even just in terms of the fact that it is growing faster -– on a worldwide scale – than any other tourism segment. Today, it would represent between 8 and 20% of the global volume of leisure travel, depending on how it is defined. Furthermore, in Europe, it lies at the heart of the links that are developing between culture, economic growth, leisure and the establishment of a collective identity within the Union.Yet, cultural tourism can easily fall victim to its own success. In France and elsewhere, some, particularly mediaoriented sites are already reaching saturation, whereas others remain scarcely known because of insufficient exposure. The primary pitfall lies in managing the channel like mass tourism. This attitude can go so far as to threaten all sites, the quality of life in host communities and conclude in a humdrum experience doubled by a drop in the quality of service that in the long term leads to a drop in interest from the public. In this regard, the notion of sustainable development takes on utmost importance: sustainable tourism. Cultural tourism by nature is in the forefront of this trend in that for a region it can simultaneously represent both a danger and a formidable opportunity for economic and socio-cultural development. Whence the multiplication of charters and treaties on the subject on a pan-European and even worldwide scale. One thing is certain: properly directed, the channel remains a major opportunity for the tourist industry as well as for the communities that host it.But the term also covers a vast reality ranging from visiting a modern art gallery to a stay of several nights for a jazz festival and each player in the sector takes it on with its own more...