Cultural Tourism: Marketing Challenges and Opportunities for German Cultural Heritage

Abstract Because of the generally precarious state of public finance in Germany, at federal, state and community levels, expenditure for cultural purposes is being reduced constantly. Therefore, cultural institutions such as heritage sites are virtually compelled to find additional sources of funding to improve their financial situation and ensure their long‐term survival. One of the more suitable means of increasing the revenue situation on an ongoing basis is to improve and expand the cultural tourism offerings. Despite this significance of cultural tourism, an empirical study established that German heritage sites have by no means exploited the real potential of cultural tourism in a comprehensive manner. Thus, the objective of this paper is, on the basis of a well‐founded delineation of the concept and demand‐side situation, to demonstrate the potential success factors for developing cultural tourism and to do so from a marketing perspective. Keywords: Cultural TourismCultural Heritage SitesGenerating RevenuesMarketing Notes 1 The cultural area includes activities relating to theatre, musical heritage protection, libraries, museums, the protection of historic monuments, external cultural policy and other cultural heritage protection, art colleges and universities, as well as the administration of cultural institutions. Federal Statistical Office, ‘Öffentliche Ausgaben für Kultur nach Bereichen’ accessed 29 August 2005, available from http: //www. destatis. de/basis/d/biwiku/ausgtab7. php 2 Söndermann, ‘Öffentliche Kulturfinanzierung in Deutschland 2003/2004’, 355; Federal Statistical Office, Kulturfinanzbericht 2003, 20. 3 Federal Statistical Office, Kulturfinanzbericht 2003, 50. 4 Ibid. , 52. 5 Söndermann, ‘Öffentliche Kulturfinanzierung in Deutschland 2003/2004’, 359. 6 Ibid. , 370. 7 The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) defines cultural heritage as a broad concept that includes tangible assets as well as intangible assets. It encompasses cultural landscapes, historic places, sites and built environments, as well as collections, past and continuing cultural practices, knowledge and living experiences. ICOMOS, ‘International Cultural Tourism Charter: Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance’ accessed 18 August 2005, available from http: //www. international. icomos. org/charters/tourismₑ. pdf 8 World travel and tourism is expected to generate US6, 201. 5 billion of economic activity (total demand) in 2005. World travel and tourism employment is estimated at 221, 568, 000 jobs in 2005, 8. 3% of total employment, or 1 in every 12. 0 jobs. For more details see World Travel World Tourism Organization (WTO) and European Travel Commission (ETC), ‘City Tourism Hücherig, ‘Kulturtourismus im Ruhrgebiet’, 274; Nahrstedt, ‘Museumsmanagement’, 5; Maschke and Zeiner, ‘Die Bedeutung des Kulturtourismus für städtische Destinationen’, 93. 13 Heinze, ‘KulturtourismusMarketing im Zeichen des Erlebnismarktes’, 399; Dümcke, Kultur und Tourismus in den neuen Ländern, 8. 14 Dümcke, Kultur und Tourismus in den neuen Ländern, 41. 15 McKercher and Du Cros, Cultural Tourism, 6–10. 16 Ibid. , 8. 17 Silberberg, ‘Cultural Tourism and Business Opportunities for Museums and Heritage Sites’, 361. 18 Ibid. , 364; McKercher and Du Cros, Cultural Tourism, 136–37; Formica and Uysal, ‘Market Segmentation of an International Cultural‐historic Event in Italy’, 18–22; Kemmerling Clack, ‘Cultural Tourism’, 154–59; Miller, ‘Cultural Tourism Worthy of Note’, 7. 19 Silberberg, ‘Cultural Tourism and Business Opportunities for Museums and Heritage Sites’, 362–63; McKercher and Du Cros, Cultural Tourism, 135–51; Richards, ‘The Scope and Significance of Cultural Tourism’, 19–30. 20 Richardson, Marketing Australian Travel and Tourism; McKercher and Du Cros, Cultural Tourism, 201–2. 21 Adapted from Kotler and Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 5–14. 22 Adapted from Lancaster and Massingham, Marketing Management, 25–47. 23 A. Hausmann, ‘Kulturstätten als touristische Destinationen—strategische Konzeption für den erfolgreichen Markteintritt’, 2–3 accessed 17 August 2005, available from http: //www. aski. org/fach2₂003. htm 24 Hausmann, ‘Kulturtourismus’, 52–53. 25 Adapted from Kotler and Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 269–78. 26 Bieger, Management von Destinationen, 185; A. Hausmann, ‘Kulturstätten als touristische Destinationen—strategische Konzeption für den erfolgreichen Markteintritt’, 8 accessed 17 August 2005, available from http: //www. aski. org/fach2₂003. htm 27 Adapted from Kotler and Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 67. 28 Silberberg, ‘Cultural Tourism and Business Opportunities for Museums and Heritage Sites’, 364–65. 29 Ibid. , 365. 30 Dümcke, Kultur und Tourismus in den neuen Ländern, 52. 31 McKercher and Du Cros, Cultural Tourism, 202–5. 32 G. D. Lord, ‘The Power of Cultural Tourism’, 1–5 accessed 12 August 2005, available from www. lord. ca/publications/articles/powerculturalₜourism. html; McKercher and Du Cros, Cultural Tourism, 136–37; Opaschowski, Wir werden es erleben; Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus, Jahresbericht 2004; Schirrmacher, Das Methusalem‐Komplott, 37–61.