Comments

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  Rossitza Ohridska-Olson January 27, 2010 at 7:59pm

  Hello Wendy, thanks to the Internet, now with little French you can see all the cultural activities agenda at http://www.culture.fr/fr/sections/. No English, although.

  

  Accueil

  Portail de l'actualité culturelle en France. Théâtre, cinéma, danse, cirque, littérature, multimédia, sculpture, peinture, expositions, concerts, art…
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  Wendy Capra January 27, 2010 at 4:14pm

  Great idea, guys! I lot of times I go somewhere and of course you know you have to see this building and that church, but it's not always so easy to figure out the cultural things you want to do, esp. if u r in one of them furreign countries where they don't have the good sense to speak English! LOL One time when I was in college I was in Paris with my two roommates and none of us spoke a word of French, and the day we left we found out that there had been this totally awesome concert that we would all have LOVED to go to but how could we have known about it?? So yes, any help in digging up the cutlural angle on travel is welcome. Hope I'm not rambling :-)
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  Rossitza Ohridska-Olson January 27, 2010 at 2:45am

  Jordan, the Americans, once they are at a destination, they go to some cultural event, although 18% of them consider that going to a sports event is cultural tourism. That was not my point to Paul. My point is, as you say, to 1. Have the interest for culture and choose an itinerary because of the culture, not because of any other reason. 2. Have interest in some type of culture and choose the destination because of it. Let's say, I am a fan of the Byzantine culture. I will travel anywhere - from NYC to London to Istanbul to see the newest exhibition, or festival or whatever. That is being cultural tourist. If I went to New York to see the Yankees games, and I was told that there is an interesting exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum, I would go there and still see it, but it doesn't mean that I am a cultural tourist. The difference, as you see is the motivation for the trip, not what I do once I am in a destination.
  
  If we count the cultural tourists all that have visited an event, a museum, theater or whatever during that trip, the Americans would be the biggest cultural travelers, because in their country 78% do something similar while on vacation or travel. That includes shopping, as per the research of Laura Mandala (http://mandalaresearch.com - you can purchase the full report on the American cultural traveler there) and all kind of activities, that were not the motivation (reason) for the trip.
  
  I believe although this group duplicates the "Cultural Tourism" group here, on Tripatini (http://tripatini.com/group/culturaltourism). The idea of the group creators was to create a place for cultural tourism travelers, not professionals, and we are kind of going in professional discussions here. If anybody wants to talk shop (in cultural and creative tourism), you will be welcomed in the Cultural Tourism group. There is a lot more professional resources there also.

  

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  Jordan Simon January 26, 2010 at 11:43pm

  I have to agree with Rossitza, at least when it comes to the American market, especially outside large urban centers. I'm thankful that my parents believed in travel, in exposing me to other cultures growing up, but then I was born and raised in Manhattan, and my mom was an artist. Part of the "problem" is that Americans generally don't get much vacation time. We expect a certain level of comfort when we travel and ceretainly don't want hassles, which is why all-inclusives have rocketed in popularity. And while the AIs offer tours of the destination, they're often soulless, sterile, and could be plonked down anywhere on earth. Organizing itineraries is exhausting, especially in these parlous times. Yes, many people of all nationalities book tours and cruises designed to provide "If its Tuesday" destination highlights, including cultural landmarks, and even on occasion to attend a specific event like the Obergammerau. But that isn't quite the same thing as having time and flexibility (like those delightful Aussies we often encounter on year-long sabbaticals!), which can lead to enchanting unexpected discoveries, enriching our understanding of a place and its people. Ultimately, kudos to anyone who travels for whatever reason, period. :-)
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  David Paul Appell January 26, 2010 at 10:03pm

  Yes, ma'am, I can certainly appreciate that! It's quite true that most people just want to let go and are not obsessively culture-focused on holiday. But many A. are open to it, B. travel with it as an important component, or C. travel with it as the main reason. So as I see it, here we're accentuating the positive and encouraging a wonderful tendency.
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  Rossitza Ohridska-Olson January 24, 2010 at 9:37pm

  Maybe I didn't make myself clear. One thing is to travel to see cultural attractions, and another - this being the sole reason to travel. Normally people travel to relax, not work and not be overwhelmed. The ones who make time to go to NYC for a show or see the Metropolitan Museum, are much less than those that decide to go to see NYC in their vacations and visit the museum and go to a show.
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  David Paul Appell January 24, 2010 at 9:22pm

  Well, there are many reasons we travel, and to me at least it's obvious culture does play a big part for many people -- certainly not everyone, but that's not the claim being made. In any case, I know more than a few people who make a point of, say, visiting New York City once a year or at least regularly, to take in the current exhibitions, Broadway shows, and so forth. Many reasons cities make a point of creating an extensive festival schedule is to boost their tourism appeal (Miami included). And why would one go to a city like Florence if the Uffizzi and the many cultural monuments weren't a huge part of its appeal? I have cousins in Italy who have driven to Vienna mostly to attend the Stadtsoper, and I myself once even flew from New York to Reykjavik specifically to see a Buena Vista Social Club concert. So fortunately, its definitely a real and not uncommon phenomenon!
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  Rossitza Ohridska-Olson January 24, 2010 at 7:00pm

  As much as I want to agree with the group description statement that most of people travel to experience culture as a main reason, the fact show just the opposite. People travel to relax, and then, once they are at a destination, they visit cultural attractions, events and interact with the local culture. People who decide to travel to see a cultural attraction, event or to experience local cultures represent only 14% of the US travelers and 40% of the European ones. That still is a significant part of the world traveling population, but unfortunately stating that this is the main reason for travel is not correct.