The Economic Impact on Culture Tourism: Some Case Study Evidence from Greece

Introduction

Tourism has become the most important element in the pursuance of the country in economic development. The study has an underlying principle in supporting the country’s action towards the sustainable development while at the same time improving the quality of life. The main objective of the research is to determine the impact of culture tourism in the economy, most specifically in Greece. Because of the availability of the cultural resources in Greece, there are ideal places for vacation or for the business purposes. It is important the there are increasing awareness in the society regarding the cultural tourism which can positively contribute in the economic development of the country. In the long run, there will be a supporting action for the pursuance of the development of the other areas.

Literature Review

Various case studies that centered in discovering the impact of tourism and hospitality industry had an overview regarding the influence of the culture of the host country. The relationship of the tourism and the various attractions were enhanced by the culture. In this case, there is a strong relationship of culture and tourism and that is needed to be addressed and developed. The connection of the culture to the history and heritage of the country can be an effective ingredient to steam up the competency in the tourism industry. Still, the main concern of the country is to continuously attract the visitors and evidently increase the rate of return of the foreigners. Based on this concept, Greece can associate the country’s tourism action in terms of placing a cultural theme in the route or destination. It is best applied in the individual sites or cluster of attractions.

In the issue of globalization, the increasing importance of the development and setting strategies can be possible in connecting the people to the culture and history of the host country. Through the use of the appropriate themes, various visitors are enabled to learn the history of the country and increase their interest in returning. The effective collaboration of the culture and the practice of tourism can help in the promotion of the country’s beauty as well the visitors can understand and interpret the culture quickly. Greece has the position in tourism effectiveness because of their rich literatures most especially in the earlier times or era of Homer and other famous writers. For example, the journey of Hercules and his twelve labors, and the introduction of the immortal gods and goddesses to the people can be an effective in detailing the rich cultures (Jelincic, 2002; Vrettos, 2006; & OECD, 2009).

People that both love or untamed by the Greek literatures can be familiar with their rich culture and history, and therefore finds the connection with the places. In addition, the increasing popularity of the artifacts or archeological sites can heighten the awareness of the people with regards to the cultural richness. The cultural route of the tourists contains a number of products such as mythical activities involved in the works of the heroes (OECD, 2009). This route can be accessible in promoting the heritage and culture tourism of the country for both local and foreign visitors. Greece is the country that has plenty of cultural resources giving the advantage and significant importance for the planning of the national tourist policy. The continuous development of the culture tourism can bring the recognition of the richness and the attributes of the small islands and small communities in Greece (Sdrali and Chazapi, 2007). The increasing development of the tourism is a great clue that an effective management and marketing strategies can be the guidance of the other countries in their attempt to find the connection of the culture in the tourism (Gilmore, et al., 2008).

Methodology

The applied method in the study is the use of the comparative case studies that centers in strengthening the tourism in a country. In addition, with the help of the information being provided by the past researches, there will be an investigation of the literature gaps. The involvement of the culture can be an effective strategy in the pursuance of tourism development and/or reconstruction. Through the help of the comparative case studies, the study can have the opportunity to design an appropriate strategy and ensuring that the culture can be an effective guidance for the economic development of the country. The applied method can also lend a hunch on the various strategies on how to manage and market the culture tourism.

References:

Gilmore, A., Carson, D., Ascencao, M., & Fawcett, L., 2008. Managing 'balance' in a Tourism Context, Irish Journal of Management, Vol. 29, No. 1.

Jelincic, D.A., 2002. Culture: A Driving Force for Urban Tourism, Institute for International Relations [Online] Available at: http://www.culturelink.org/publics/joint/tourism01/Jelincic_Urban_Tourism.pdf [Accessed 31 March 2010].

OECD, 2009. The Impact of Culture on Tourism, Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development [Online] Available at: http://www.em.gov.lv/images/modules/items/OECD_Tourism_Culture.pdf [Accessed 31 March 2010].

Sdrali, D., & Chazapi, K., 2007. Cultural Tourism in a Greek Insular Community: The Residents’ Perspective, Munich Personal RePEc Archive [Online] Available at: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/6368/1/MPRA_paper_6368.pdf [Accessed 31 March 2010].

Vrettos, A., 2006. The Economic Value of Arts & Culture Festivals: A Comparison of four European Economic Impact Studies [Online] Available at: http://www.efa-aef.eu/newpublic/upload/efadoc/11/Comperative%20Analysis%20A.%20Vrettos.pdf [Accessed 31 March 2010].