文献出处：MacDonald R, Jolliffe L. Cultural rural tourism: Evidence from Canada [J]. Annals of Tourism Research, 2003, 30(2): 307-322.
原文
Cultural rural tourism: Evidence from Canada
Roberta ; Jolliffe
Abstract
Tourism has become a development tool for many rural and more isolated areas to supplement traditional industries that are often in decline. In this paper, development of cultural rural tourism is examined in a case study of a French Acadian region on an island in eastern Canada. The roles of culture and community-based partnerships are considered in a proposed framework with four evolving development stages. The findings suggest that the framework is useful for rural tourism development; that culture, which is often well preserved in rural areas, is a valuable resource to include; and that community-based partnerships such as cooperatives may be very effective.
Keywords: cultural tourism; rural development; community-based partnership Introduction
Rural communities and peripheral areas such as islands face the challenge of continuous economic development. Where primary traditional industries such as fishing and farming are in decline, tourism often becomes another tool to help create jobs and to raise the standards of living. These areas realize this potential through
development of local resources, culture, and heritage. The integration of such alternative sources may help to sustain local economies and to encourage local development. Actually many tourists seek rural destinations which offer pleasant experiences related to the natural environment, historic heritage, and cultural patterns. It is this culture and heritage that are often well preserved between generations in rural areas and it is in periods of economic decline that their residents seem to cling more to a distinct heritage. Culture and tourism then become resources for socioeconomic development in rural and peripheral communities. This has been observed in studying cultural tourism in many of the small islands of the North Atlantic.
The rural tourism concept has many interpretations (Page and Getz, 1997 and Sharpley et al., 1997).Bramwell and Lane (1994) propose that rural tourism can include activities and interests in farms, nature, adventure, sport, health, education, arts, and heritage. In 1996, Pedford expands the concept into living history such as rural customs and folklore, local and family traditions, values, beliefs, and common heritage.Turnock (1999) further broadens the view of rural tourism to embrace all aspects of leisure appropriate in the countryside. Given these various findings, the concepts for this particular study are integrated as cultural rural tourism. This is defined as referring to a distinct rural community with its own traditions, heritage, arts, lifestyles, places, and values as preserved between generations. Tourists visit these areas to be informed about the culture and to experience folklore, customs, natural landscapes, and historical landmarks. They might also enjoy other activities in a rural
setting such as nature, adventure, sports, festivals, crafts, and general sightseeing. This concept fits the WTO (1994) finding that environmental and cultural heritage are major themes that can be conserved for future use while benefiting the present. Cultural rural tourism development
To help understand the cultural rural tourism process, a framework is proposed for analysis of the development activities that occur in the case study. The framework is based on a variety of sources that indicate a niche for providing tourists an educational, adventuresome, and enriching experience. The sources include the model by Lewis (1998), the tourism product lifecycle findings of Butler (1980) and Hill (1993), and the findings by Prohaska (1995) for the development of cultural tourism in island destinations, which are often rural areas. Also considered are Pedford’s findings (1996) that local residents need to become involved as part of an area’s living history to aide local cultural tourism. The host provides the knowledge of traditions and folklore which contribute to tourists’ authentic experiences without endangering the resource concerned. This fits with the US National Trust Heritage Tourism program that promotes heritage development by balancing short-term gain and long-term preservation. The framework as shown inTable 2 incorporates the findings of these studies.
Stage one is the initial evolution when a rural region employs the tourism concept in its economic development process. This involves the integration of cultural and rural resources into the socioeconomic planning for a community. The process seems to begin slowly when a few tourists arrive in the community and some
residents see an opportunity. This stage includes more of individual offerings. The second stage evolves from this simple start. It is the stage to plan and to implement strategies that start to benefit the whole region. This will develop into more formal plans based on cooperation among the community’s residents, organizations, and businesses. In rural areas, this might involve partnerships between local and regional groups as well as national organizations and various levels of government. Page and Getz (1997)discuss the importance of community cooperation and partnerships in rural tourism. Prohaska (1995) also notes that local hosts tend to seek government assistance for heritage areas with unique or distinct identities that have been developed over generations. At this stage, examples may include festivals and special cultural events to attract more tourists into an area.
The third stage is developing the plans into more advanced and formal cultural rural tourism offerings that benefit the community in the short-term and conserve the resources for the long-term. At this stage, there are increased efficiency and effective development of more permanent attractions, activities, and educational programs of the natural environment, historical sites, and cultural experiences. A tourism organization for the region also takes control of the process to ensure more coherent and integrated marketing of the area. The final stage is the fully centralized planning and implementing of tourism in the rural region. At this point, the planning should be responsible, appropriate, and enduring for short and long-term community benefits while also preserving its resources. It is at this fourth stage that five principles proposed by the US National Trust play a role to help guide the preservation of
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