Refers to tourism activities that capitalise upon a country’s or a population’s culture. Cultural tourism encourages tourists to interact with and appreciate diverse manifestations of a local culture, both tangible, such as architecture and traditional visual arts, as well as intangible, such as local music, storytelling and spiritual and knowledge systems. A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has highlighted the role that cultural tourism can play in regional development, by enabling the creation of links between tourism and culture which can enhance the attractiveness of destinations for tourists and increase “their competitiveness as locations to live, visit, work and invest in” (OECD, 2009).
Sources:
OECD (2009) The Impact of Culture on Tourism. Paris: OECD.