Cultural Heritage Pride Program

Transcription

1 Cultural Heritage Pride Program NOW: Background Heritage is a broad concept and includes the natural as well as the cultural environment. It encompasses landscapes, historic places, sites and built environments, as well as biodiversity, collections, past and continuing cultural practices, knowledge and living experiences. It records and expresses the long processes of historic development, forming the essence of diverse national, regional, indigenous and local identities and is an integral part of modern life. It is a dynamic reference point and positive instrument for growth and change. The particular heritage and collective memory of each locality or community is irreplaceable and an important foundation for development both now and in the future - ICOMOS (1999) International Cultural Tourism Charter: Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance. 8 th Draft. The Historic Peninsula of Istanbul has a plethora of cultural heritage attractions; in fact, Eminönü alone has 4500 historical buildings. Currently, both locals and tourists have a low awareness of the cultural heritage of Istanbul; however, it is important to improve awareness of Istanbul s cultural heritage because it is a crucial tourism aspect of the area. According to Kerimoglu and Ciraci (2006), natural and cultural values of the city have a more striking effect on visitors than any other artificial attraction (2006, p. 18). By increasing local awareness of cultural heritage, it is thought that local pride will increase as well because residents currently have only a minimal sense of pride. By understanding cultural heritage and their cultural traditions, locals may realize that these customs are important to maintain. By branding the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul as a cultural heritage destination, the city will have the opportunity to better compete with both nationwide and international destinations for cultural tourists. Since cultural tourists typically spend three times as much as leisure tourists, the creation of a cultural heritage pride program that increases tourist arrivals for cultural attractions 54

2 will help Istanbul generate more revenue from tourism. In addition, pride for cultural heritage can strengthen the implementation of preserving historic sites within the Historic Peninsula, which is crucial since UNESCO has set a timeline for improved preservation of these sites by February 1, 2008 in order to avoid inscription onto the List of World Heritage in Danger. Education for local communities about cultural heritage is necessary because it will help residents realize that tourism is beneficial because it can generate increased revenue; also, education will allow residents to be more selective when it comes to tourism development. In fact, tourism development should incorporate cultural heritage and preservation rather than just the creation of new modern businesses. Implementation of the Cultural Heritage Pride Program should result in increased knowledge of cultural heritage, in turn producing increased pride for locals. The Cultural Heritage Pride Program falls under demand management because it will promote the Historic Peninsula as a cultural heritage destination and result in a higher number of cultural heritage tourists as well as increased interest in and attendance at heritage activities by both domestic and international visitors. The increase in visitation numbers allows for employment creation and economic benefits to locals. Besides allowing for improved living conditions for locals, an increase in the amount of cultural heritage tourists can stimulate the provision of funds and sponsorships for continued preservation of cultural heritage, in regards to maintenance of sites and local traditions. 55

3 FUTURE: Goals Increased communication on the importance of cultural heritage awareness among local communities Increased number of and attendance in heritage events Increased visitation of heritage sites by domestic and international tourists ACTIONS: Activity Components 1. Add cultural heritage literature to existing and newly created brochures, signs, and websites targeting local public 2. Create cultural heritage special events committee 3. Develop cultural heritage curricula for local schools 4. Implement rotating exhibits in museums and cultural sites 5. Employ a living history program that re-enacts historical traditions at cultural sites Activity Description Cultural Heritage Literature Tourism can have a devastating impact on cultural heritage so it is necessary for destination sites to develop a plan on how to keep cultural heritage intact. First, it is necessary for both locals and tourists to understand what cultural heritage is and why it is important to preserve. In order for this to occur, a cultural heritage pride program committee should be established to lead the cultural heritage pride program, particularly for planning and promotion. The committee should consist of stakeholders having a vested interest in cultural heritage within the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul since they would be working on a volunteer basis. Second, a survey should be conducted on all heritage sites to determine which attractions already provide information on cultural heritage. A possible resource for surveyors is the Boğaziçi 56

4 University s Tourism Administration students because this work could be used for internship credit. After determination of existing cultural heritage promotion, it will be necessary to create new brochures and signage for all cultural heritage sites in order to demonstrate to both tourists and locals that cultural heritage awareness exists in the Historic Peninsula. This is necessary because currently only one brochure for Istanbul provides information regarding cultural heritage. The signs and brochures created should provide information on what cultural heritage is, what it means to the Historic Peninsula, what it means to tourists, what sites within Istanbul are on the UNESCO World Heritage List and why. The creation of cultural heritage information should also be placed online. Funding will be necessary for the initial printing of new brochures containing cultural heritage information; for example, it is estimated that the creation of 200,000 new brochures should cost around 80,000 YTL. The spread of the knowledge of cultural heritage at cultural sites will demonstrate to locals how important cultural traditions are to maintain. Keeping traditional elements in the modern culture of Istanbul allows locals to be proud of their heritage. Once the literature is available to international tourists, it will help increase tourism arrivals to Istanbul. According to a report of the research group of the European Travel Commission and of the World Tourism Organization (LAgroup & Interarts, 2005), an increasing demand from Asia will occur for European cities within the next ten years; therefore, brochures and additional information should be made available within Asia and on the web so that this market can be tapped. Besides attracting a higher number of tourists, these 57

5 brochures will also spur cross-cultural interaction by educating travelers on how to treat cultural sites in order to prevent deterioration and how to be culturally sensitive, which in turn should improve the current relationship between locals and tourists. Resources: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Greater Municipality, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, IKSV, Les Arts Turcs, ICCROM, Ministry of National Education, TUREB, UNESCO, ADInteractive website design, History Foundation, Istanbul, local Universities, National Educational Management Potential Funding: American Express, Global Heritage Fund, PATA, ICCROM, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Eminönü Municipality. Cultural Heritage Curricula Local schools and other educational institutions should develop programs that educate children about cultural heritage. Reasons for education are similar to those stated previously in the cultural heritage literature description; in fact, curricula should teach children what cultural heritage is and why it s important in Istanbul. By educating local children about cultural heritage, they will gain respect for local traditions and also perhaps gain an interest in learning how to participate in heritage customs, such as making carpets or becoming a whirling dervish. In addition, education programs should teach children how to treat cultural sites and also how to be culturally sensitive. Educational programs are necessary for children because cultural heritage is a relatively new concept within Istanbul; in fact, education within museums 58

6 began just ten years ago. One recommendation for educating children about the topic is to create a curriculum to be added onto existing programs, such as the program aimed at getting 100,000 students to the theatre before Another recommendation is to have students taking cultural heritage courses at Koç University to come to local schools and give a presentation on cultural heritage. Resources: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Greater Municipality, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, IKSV, Les Arts Turcs, ICCROM, Ministry of National Education, TUREB, UNESCO, History Foundation, Istanbul National Educational Management Potential Funding: Global Heritage Fund, PATA, ICCROM, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Eminönü Municipality Cultural Heritage Activities Committee It is necessary to create a variety of cultural heritage activities for locals, which allow them to showcase their cultural traditions in all areas, such as arts, dance, cooking, music and more. Activities planned should include festivals, shows, and performances. A committee will be held responsible for determining what cultural heritage special events to host and the planning of the events. Besides increasing resident pride and awareness of local traditions, cultural heritage special events also attract international tourists. The special events planned should respectively portray the past traditions of the local residents of Istanbul. Large special events can bring a city together and increase local pride; for example, the Il Palio held in Siena is a traditional activity that locals participate in and attend. In addition, it attracts 59

7 international tourists and media coverage. Currently, travelers who visit Istanbul for cultural activity participation tend to organize their travels individually, come due to recommendations from friends and relatives, hail from the European Union, and visit more frequently in summer (Kerimoglu & Ciraci, 2006). These demographics demonstrate that a popular time to host special events related to cultural heritage is in the summertime and that promotion should focus on the European market; however, activities should also be planned for the off season in order to decrease seasonality. Additionally, cultural heritage special events are important because they can help persuade tourists to remain in the Historic Peninsula for longer periods of time. In fact, these activities may help raise the average length of stay to be higher than the current length of less than three days. Lastly, the events planned can attract repeat visitors. Resources: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Greater Municipality, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, IKSV, Les Arts Turcs, History Foundation Potential Funding: American Express, PATA, ICCROM, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Eminönü Municipality. Rotating Exhibits Rotating exhibits encourage locals to go to museums because they can view varying artefacts and information. Without rotating exhibits, locals are discouraged to visit museums because they will be paying to view the same artefacts that they experienced in previous visits. In order to determine what museum exhibits should be rotated, a meeting between the Municipality, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the 60

8 museum curators needs to be conducted. One recommendation for establishing rotating exhibits is to form collaboration with a museum in another city or country that houses Turkish artifacts, especially those linked to Istanbul, in order to get exhibits in Istanbul on temporary loan that residents would not normally be able to view unless traveling to another destination. Once rotating exhibits are established, they should be advertised in local papers in order to get local recognition and visitation. Resources: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, museum curators/staff. Potential Funding: Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Eminönü Municipality. Living History Program Heritage is a product and, as a product, it is subject to differences in validation and interpretation as the historical process itself. Heritage changes over time and in the way it is presented and also in the ways in which the public reacts to its presentation - Schouten, F. F. J. (1995) Heritage as Historical Reality in Herbert, D. T. (ed) Heritage, Tourism and Society. London: Mansell Publishing Ltd, pp (p.26) A living history program should be employed that re-enacts historical traditions at cultural sites by determining what locals wore during the various time periods, including the Ottoman and Byzantine periods, and what activities occurred. The costumes worn should appropriately represent those that were worn in the past; in addition, workers can partake in cultural traditions, such as carpet weaving. Student volunteers should be hired on a temporary basis to try out the program to determine if 61

9 it improves the visitor experience at cultural sites. Once a trial run has occurred, permanent staff should be hired in order to have living history representatives working at all times. Funding will be necessary to start the living history program because costumes need to be created and materials for making handicrafts need to be purchased; in fact, it is estimated that the initial amount of start-up is 100,000 YTL. Also, if the program is successful and museums hire permanent staff to work as living history representatives this will cost 650,000 YTL a year based on a salary of 16,000 YTL for 40 people to be dispersed between the museums. For living history programs that create handicrafts, such as the carpet weaving example, this provides an opportunity for further revenue generation in the museum. Tourists view the workers making handicrafts and usually wish to buy them as souvenirs. An example of a popular tourist destination that has a living history program is Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. There you can meet various people from the 18 th century and experience life as it was then, through religion, food, gardening, and more. Istanbul should benchmark the living history practices that attract tourists to Colonial Williamsburg and structure a program that involves all aspects of previous time periods. The living history should keep authenticity and character intact in order to create a connection between museum visitors and the past. In addition to dressing and acting like people from previous times, the workers can provide information to visitors while they view exhibits. This type of program makes museums exciting to visit because live activities and discussion occur, rather than just viewing exhibitions and written information about the past. 62

10 Resources: Mr. Halım Bulutoğlu and the History Foundation, local universities, local performing arts groups. Potential Funding: Global Heritage Fund, PATA, ICCROM, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Eminönü Municipality. Timeline & Financing Plan Activity/Item Total Cultural Heritage Literature 0 80,000 * * * Cultural Heritage Curricula Cultural Heritage Activities Committee Rotating Exhibits Living History Program 0 100, ,000 * * Total (YTL) 0 180, ,000 * * 830,000 *These programs could continue indefinitely if successful, and the funding would continue as stated in the previous years for each activity; however, the funding may alter depending on various factors (i.e. how many people are hired or how many brochures are printed). 63