TOU2009 Cultural Tourism (FOBUS)

Semester 2 (ONC)Springfld (EXT)Toowoomba

Units 1.0 (Tourism) Band 3A

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to USQConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/business/student/computerreq.htm>.

Synopsis

Cultural tourism is one of the exciting growth areas of tourism. This course describes a process through which cultural assets may be developed for use as cultural tourism products in a way that allows for cooperation between tourism managers and cultural heritage managers. A comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of the asset in its context is acknowledged throughout the course. First the course describes basic concepts concerning culture, cultural assets and cultural tourism. A module is devoted to analyses of authenticity and commodification and how these concepts are differently interpreted by various cultures. Subsequent modules describe tangible, intangible, contemporary and heritage assets. The course also considers issues of intellectual copyright and indigenous people and the development of indigenous cultural tourism in Australia. Other issues such as the cultural tourism market, globalisation, branding, ethics, and sustainability through partnerships are also covered. A range of cultural assets, including some from the World Heritage List are used as examples and case studies. Finally the course describes a cultural tourism plan through which cultural assets can be managed. Students are given the opportunity to select a cultural asset for analysis in their assessment.