Traditional Crafts as a New Attraction for Cultural Tourism (original) (raw)
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The Role of Traditional Craft Centers in Safeguarding Cultural Heritage
Management Theory and Studies for Rural Business and Infrastructure Development, 2016
Maintaining cultural heritage is an essential element of any effort to realize the growth potential and promote sustainability and vitality of rural areas. Founding of traditional craft centers in Lithuania was initiated in 2009 as a way to implement heritage safeguarding measures. Scientific problem was formulated as follows: did these centers prove to be an effective instrument of heritage policy? The present paper aimed at investigating the extent, to which traditional craft centers had implemented its role in safeguarding cultural heritage, and present recommendations for the improvement. Interview questionnaire was sent to 20 municipalities and 51 LAGs, responsible for the establishment of centers. It was identified that craft centers implemented measures, related to safeguarding of cultural heritage, rather actively and qualitatively. On the other hand, not all measures were implemented sufficiently, what made the process of safeguarding traditional crafts not continuous but p...
Folklore, 2018
The article critically engages with the articulations and manifestations of a UNESCO initiative for the safeguarding of so-called intangible cultural heritage in Croatian context in the first years of the active Croatian implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2009–2013). It presents the intersections of a UNESCO initiative with past and present thnology and folklore research in Croatia. Though one might get the impression (not entirely unfounded) that the project of protecting or safeguarding intangible heritage within the Croatian context first and foremost constitutes a global, imported product, the notion of protecting or safeguarding intangible cultural heritage can also be traced in the history of Croatian ethnology, folkloristics, art conservation, legislation, and folklore festivals production. A strong tendency to transform culture into a slick product can be seen as the main or only ‘innovative’ aspect of transmitting the old concepts into the contemporary framework of the UNESCO initiative. It seems like this aspect makes it easier for everyone involved – state administration and experts and those to whom a given cultural practice ‘belongs’ – to ignore ‘the side effects’ of the UNESCO initiative and the processes of its implementation that are discussed in the article. These side effects, perhaps not so visibly, concern society as a whole, and more directly local communities, as well as our specific professions and disciplines: ethnology and folkloristics. A somewhat different variant of this article was originally published in Croatian, as an introduction to Proizvodnja baštine: kritičke studije o nematerijalnoj kulturi (The Production of Heritage: Critical Studies on Intangible Culture) (edited by Marijana Hameršak, Iva Pleše, and Ana-Marija Vukušić), a collection of essays published in 2013 by the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research in Zagreb.
European Journal of Sustainable Development, 2019
Improving the quality of life and creating various economic benefits, conservation of cultural heritage can contribute to sustainable development as a concept having environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects. Intangible cultural heritage as the chief reason of cultural diversity particularly guarantee sustainable development. In recent years, the increase in the concern about local ways of life, festivities, has motivated the conservation of intangible cultural heritage specifically, and contributed to the continuity of the implementation of traditional craftsmanship as a domain of intangible cultural heritage and guaranteed the sustainable development. The conservation of traditional craftsmanship necessitates providing the transmission of knowledge between master and apprentice and the continuity of practice. Through 20th century, rapidly changing life conditions, the demand for traditional craftsmanship has noticeably decreased causing the decrease in the number of practitioner craftsmen. It needs to regenerate the organic relationships of crafts with the changing life conditions for their conservation. Tourism can be a motivating force to regenerate interrelations with the increasing demand of tourists for traditional crafts. This paper aims to present the effects of tourism on crafts and discuss specific conservation approach focusing on the sustainable development of historic environments particularly focusing on 17 sustainable development goals highlighted within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development published by United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
Crafting the City: Promoting Heritage Awareness Through Craft Making in a Historical Town
International Journal of Education & the Arts, 2020
This paper reports on a project designed to promote the understanding of the World Heritage site of Old Rauma, Finland, with the help of craft activities. Through fieldwork and an analysis of the data collected from two craft interventions, the paper examines how craft making can serve as a medium to celebrate a sense of place and inspire people to deliberate the role that heritage occupies in their everyday lives. Based on the study, it can be concluded that attention needs to be placed on the teaching and learning of creative practices in order to contribute to the makers'
Developing and Marketing Crafts Tourism
Developing and Marketing Crafts Tourism, 1999
Culture, crafts and tourism are rapidly becoming inseperable partners. Local crafts are important elements of culture, and people travel to see and experience other cultures, traditions and ways of living. Crafts products form an important element of the purchases made by tourists, providing an important economic input to the local economy. Tourism also supports the crafts themselves, ensuring the continuation of crafts production and strengthing local cultures. This partnership between culture, local crafts and tourism has been recognised by the European Union as providing an important source of economic development and new sources of employment in the future. Making the most of such opportunities, however, means that Europe has to compete successfully in global tourism markets. Culture has a vital role to play in making the tourism product more competitive. The rich cultural diversity of Europe and its crafts products can help to differentiate its tourism products from competing destinations elsewhere in the world. Culture also provides the living element of the product - the experiences which are increasingly the aim of tourist trips. The fact that tourists travel to see local cultures and crafts can also generate pride in local culture. However, bring culture, crafts products and tourists together is not enough to develop successful cultural tourism products. Local cultures are by definition more accessible to local people that to visitors. If tourists are to understand and enjoy their cultural experiences, therefore, these experiences need to be made understandable and accessible to them. A cultural bridge needs to be formed between the local culture and the culture of the tourist. This means that crafts products need to be based on the needs and wants of the customer - the tourist. The development of crafts tourism products therefore needs to start with the tourist. Who are these tourists? What do they want? What is the tourist willing to buy? By answering these questions a marketing-orientated approach to crafts tourism can be developed. A marketing approach is important, because crafts products will only be produced if there is a demand for them, and if local people can earn a living by producing them. This book provides some basic guidelines about how to develop cultural tourism from a marketing perspective.
Ecocycles
The intention of this article is to discuss the challenges in organising higher education in heritage practices and craft skills. The development of the Department of Conservation, University of Gothenburg, its establishment of a Craft laboratory, and the certification of craft skills in an Albanian context, is used as a case. Based on the activities of the Craft Laboratory in Sweden, the paper investigates the possibilities for a similar development in Albania. The background for the specific subject rests in a long-standing cooperation between the Department of Conservation and Cultural heritage without Borders Albania (CHwBA), in terms of skills development for improving restoration practices. Through the paper it is clear that the same kind of context are not in place in Albania, and that the needs are different. It is also obvious that CHwBA is functioning as a de facto Craft Laboratory in Albania and the need for an outfit like that are more focused on improving competences, s...
Cross-Border Croatian Cultural Heritage and the Expertise of Community Organisers
CHP Study Book Cross-Border Croatian Cultural Heritage and the Expertise of Community Organisers, 2022
This study book introduces a case study on ethnic integrity of a borderland area through the cultural activities of the Croatian communities living there. The research was conducted by the College of Advanced Studies on Social Inclusion, University of Pécs, Hungary. The researchers involved four civil organisations as partners into the project that are all committed to preserve and enhance Croatian cultural heritage, two from Hungary, Vizin Cultural and Traditional Association and Mohács Shokats Corresponding Club, and another two from Croatia, HKUD Valpovo 1905 and HKUD Osijek 1862, all four of them come from the historic territory of Baranya/Baranja. The research was implemented under the cross-border co-operation of the European Union's Interregional Relations Program, HUHR-1901-3.1.2-0043 CHP (Culture, heritage, and profession - Establishing a professional replenishment of heritage conservation through cultural events). The research was built on the concept of comparative event analysis. The partners involved have had a long-time history of co-operation, therefore, each of them were asked to organize one cultural event for their own Croatian communities, to which they are supposed to invite the other three ensembles to perform. The research group set out to examine the four events held in different locations and conditions on the basis of the following aspects: the process itself and the elements of the organization of cultural community events; the impact of cultural events on the local community including both Croatians and other ethnicities; characteristics of cross-border cooperation in producing cultural and performing arts events.