ABSTRACT
So far, this book has discussed what cultural tourism is, how both CHM and tourism work, how to assess whether cultural assets have the potential to function as tourism products and, considering both robusticity and market appeal, where an asset fits into the attractions hierarchy. The task now is how to transform this information to create sustainable products that deliver high quality experiences. This task involves three final steps: planning for tourism, marketing the product in such a way that a suitable audience is attracted for the core experience provided, and delivering experiences. Chapters 14 and 15 address these topics. Since each asset is unique, each will require different planning, marketing, and experienced management treatments. However, the core principles remain the same. Three operationalization scenarios exist, of which only one is sustainable. In one unsustainable scenario, the transformation of assets to products occurs organically. Subsequent management is reactive in nature. Small numbers of tourists discover places and begin to consume them. Word of mouth publicity spreads and more tourists begin to visit. The travel trade and local destination marketing organization observe this pattern and see an opportunity to develop the product further. Typically as well, the first group of tourists shapes the experience for later tourists. The travel trade and/ or the DMO then further define or refine the core product and promote its benefits to potential consumers. The asset manager, if one exists, is then placed in a reactive position of having to cope with both increased visitation and associated unplanned impacts. In many instances, no formal manager exists, especially when cultural assets are seen as common property used by traditional stakeholders, creating an even greater challenge of how to manage the asset and control the experience. The end result is often a loss of control over the site, the message conveyed about the expected experience and how the place is consumed. A second, also unsustainable scenario is more proactive in nature. Asset managers, local custodians, NGOs, and business people feel an asset has tourist potential but grossly overestimate the size of the market, the asset’s position in the attractions hierarchy, and its competitive advantages. Large sums of money are invested to develop it. However, insufficient visitor numbers are generated to cover day-to-day operational and longerterm maintenance costs, resulting in either bankruptcy or the need for ongoing public funding to keep the product operational. Scarce resources are spent promoting this asset, to little avail, because its fundamental flaws mean that it will never succeed. Worse still, resources may be diverted from other areas to prop up this asset. And, as discussed previously, lack of resources means necessary maintenance and conservation works cannot be undertaken, resulting in the progressive deterioration of the asset.
