Purpose of Managing Visitors in Heritage Sites - Essay Example

Visitor Management (Heritage Sites) Table of Contents Introduction 3 Purpose of Managing Visitors in Heritage Sites 3 Process of Managing Visitors 4 Management Principles 5 Visitation Management Objectives in the Heritage Sites 5 Visitor Management Activities in the Recent Heritage Sites 6 Activities Regarding Conservation Values of the Site 7 Balancing Management Requirements of the Visitors 7 Promoting Values of the Heritage Site 8 Recommendations 8 Conclusion 9 References 11 Introduction Managing balance between visitation and conservation has long been recognised as the major aspects in the global tourism industry, especially the sites associated with world-class heritages that are likely to gain attention of the global tourists. Since the increasing growth in the global tourism business industry, developing a tailored as well as appropriate management plan for the visitors has been viewed as the major decision for the tourism organisations and agencies. In relation to the present day context, visitor management programs of the organisations are majorly designed with strategic tools and approaches to improve visitors’ experience within a particular heritage tourism site (Shackley, 2009). The primary objective of this study is to develop a critical understanding about the different types of strategic processes of managing visitors in global cultural heritage sites. In this regard, the essay tends to identify the strategic directions as well as different managing and controlling tools or approaches used by the organisations or managing committees to offer exceptional visiting experience to each group or individual customers in the heritage sites. Purpose of Managing Visitors in Heritage Sites In relation to the modern competitive scenario in the tourism business industry, the process of managing visitors especially in the heritage sites ranges from cultural to urban destinations. According to the recent visitation and conservation strategies of the global destinations, there are numerous objectives to why the process of visitor management has been recognising as an increasingly important area to be undertaken by the groups responsible to manage visitors in the heritage sites. World Heritage Sites (WHS) conserve an Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) with adequate authenticity and integrity that grasp the attention of the visitors irrespective of their geographical locations. Therefore, the WHS can be widely accepted as a core and the most valuable drivers in the tourism industry to generate major financial contribution in the global economy. In this regard, the key purpose of the management departments in the WHS is to ensure that the nominated properties are effectively protected for bringing major economic and socio-cultural development on the present and the future generation (Leask & Fyall, 2006). In relation to the recent changes in the pace of globalisation, an effective management of the WHS includes a strong cyclic process with long-term and day-to-day activities with the aim of protecting and conserving wellness of the nominated heritage related properties. The management systems of the WHS in this context significantly depend on their own distinctive types and characteristics to meet the expectations of the visitors. Additionally, the managing system of the WHS institutions also rests on the cultural and legal aspects of the nominated properties that can further help the management processes to carry out a systematic way of promoting WHS and meeting the desires and needs of the global visitors. Correspondingly, the management process in visitation and conservation also obtained a major development due to the increasing number of global visitors, to taste the cultural attributes in the WHSs. Cultural heritage and identity often portrays as a set of major drivers towards contributing crucial support to the nations’ economic performance. The cultural heritage sites ranging from different locations accustomed by the palaces and monuments have long been recognised to play a pervasive role towards reenergising the overall potentials of the WHSs along with tourism industry as a whole (Bramwell & Lane, 2000). Process of Managing Visitors The heritage list in the global tourism industry designates exclusive cultural sites that can be measured in both cultural and the economic context. In this regard, the heritage sites have been widely witnessed generating more values due to the increasing flow of global visitors. In this regard, the management bodies or the responsible groups assigned across different world heritage sites have been performing a crucial role towards meeting the needs of the visitors and increasing their numbers in different cultural heritage sites within the nation. In the current management practice of the responsible departments or agencies, the activities are intended with the aim of guiding appropriate actions as well as decision-making processes of on-site management departments as well as external organisations that have a major influence on managing visitation. Management Principles The management practices of the responsible groups state the heritage sites and accustom strong principles that help to build an effective set of activities and offer exceptional experience to the visitors. In relation to the recent phenomenon, the visitation management activities are designed with the principle of maintaining appropriate setting as well as sound place for the heritage sites to gain wider attention of the global visitors. In addition, emphasising adequate focus on delivering and maintaining world-class as well as offering sustainable visitor experience of the heritage sites can also be regarded as a major set of principles for the managing bodies to develop visitation relating activities. The management principles of the responsible groups or organisations to formulate appropriate set of practices not only intend to meet the expectations of the visitors, but also increase the number of annual visitation in the heritage sites (Hunt & Arnett, 2004). Visitation Management Objectives in the Heritage Sites Setting valid objectives regarding the goal of offering exclusive experience to the visitors is one of the pivotal activities of a visitor management. According to the recent practices of the management group across different heritage sites, organisations or responsible managing agencies are likely to conserve few major and common set of objectives regarding the visitor management activities. Few of the major management objectives of the organisations have been illustrated hereunder. Implementing, monitoring and reviewing appropriate heritage site management plan by considering information revealed by the partners associated with the management group Integrating visitor management centres along with associated facilities and then key responsible groups of the heritage site Involving or emphasising equal participation of the local communities and align their interests in the strategic visitor management objectives Ensuring that sufficient information is accessible to each manager of the heritage sites Establishing relations with different other site management activities to offer exceptional visitation experiences Source: (Prideaux & et. al., 2012) Visitor Management Activities in the Recent Heritage Sites In the recent phenomenon, the management activities designed for visitation and conservation is the two key aspects for the organisation to boost the number of annual visitors in a particular heritage site. The organisations accountable to manage visitors and offer new experience of the heritage sites have been witnessed adopting wide range of practices that fundamentally enable the sites to gain attention of the global visitors. According to the recent changing trends in the conservation and visitation strategies, organisations were more likely to draw the attention of the visitors by different set of managing activities (Dinerstein, 2013). Activities Regarding Conservation Values of the Site In order to perform an efficient visitor management operation, the organisations responsible for visitation in the heritage sites have been highly observed to gain adequate knowledge as well as understanding about the conservation values of the particular site. In this regard, accepting management consequences regarding the dynamic features and locations of the site along with supporting geological research programs of the heritage sites are few of the common activities for the visitor management organisations (Ringbeck, 2008). Moreover, the organisations intended to manage visitors and ensure that the exclusive character or aesthetic quality and distinctiveness of the heritage sites are critically represented to the visitors. The management team tends to ensure that the natural landscape of the heritage sites is conserved and enhanced and adorned to attract retain existing and new visitors from different geographical locations. In addition, the organisations as well as each member associated with the visitation management activities also focus on acquiring valuable historical and/or cultural information and delivering detail evidence about the site setting to the visitors be regarded as a major set of activities (Leask & Garrod, 2009). Balancing Management Requirements of the Visitors Corresponding to the acquisition of adequate knowledge about the site, maintaining a critical focus on balancing management requirements of the visitors especially in the context of ecological system of the heritage site can also provide a major support to the management team. The process in the present conservation and visitation strategy of the organisation includes providing detail information about the environmental condition of the site or heritage location in helping the management team to meet the expectation of the visitors. The process provides a major support to the management team to increase the annual number of visitors from different geographical locations (Gupta, 2009). Promoting Values of the Heritage Site In relation to the recent visitation strategy for the heritage sites, organisations are often observed to maintain clear interpretation as well as promotion of the intangible values associated with the site. In this regard, the strategy of interpreting and promoting intangible values of the site to people helps to draw interest of the visitors and meet their level of expectations regarding historical or cultural aesthetic values of the heritage site. The adequate promotion as well detail interpretation of the intangible values and different cultural characteristics of the heritage sites provide a major benefit to the organisations for retaining major number of repeated visitors. In addition, the strategy also helps the modern visitation management organisations or agencies to draw interest of the new visitors, which further improves the financial performance of the tourism industry (Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS, 2005). Recommendations Managing any particular heritage involves a lot of system approaches and planning that needs to be executed in an efficient and effective manner. Correspondingly, visitor management is one of the most prominent aspects of any heritage sites as a considerable number of people visit such sites on a day-to-day basis. The first activity that needs to be considered while managing visitors in heritage sites includes the formation of a visitor management plan that must involve all the steps as well as the activities to be conducted in the process of managing the public who visit the site for experiencing historical grandeur and magnificence. According to the aforesaid discussion, it can be stated that the visitor management practices in the recent phenomenon have been enabling wider scope and opportunities to the heritage sites to acquire interest of the global visitors. However, the organisations accountable to design and perform visitation management activities should also need to focus severely on other concerning areas to obtain long-term sustainability in offering exceptional experience to each groups or individual visitor to a particular heritage site. In this context, enhancing experience of the visitors without compromising the valuable information about the heritage place should be considered as a most essential practice for the organisations while managing visitation activities. In addition, intending effective strategy to increase the flow of visitors to the heritage site, using local community can provide visitors a unique experience about the particular site (Ringbeck, 2008). Developing signage as well as promoting cultural and historical information of the site on transport links can also help the visitors to gain their interests. Therefore, promotion of heritage sites across different online media would also be a major practice for the heritage site to accumulate large number of valuable visitors. Conclusion From the analysis, several key facts relevant to the subject matter can be compiled together that can be used towards the accomplishment of the objectives of the research. It has been comprehended that hospitality and tourism has become one of the most vital sector owing to its contribution towards the social and economic development of a particular region. Contextually, heritage and historical sites also has a significant contribution towards the growth and development of the tourism sector at large. Throughout the study, it has been clearly highlighted that heritage sites has become extensively important in the recent years owing to the interest of visitors or tourists towards such structures. Cultural heritage in this regard has become extremely important for the development of the tourism sector. Cultural heritage sites usually include the structures or places, which acts as living example of human creativity and innovation. It usually depicts human emotions, values and beliefs for the culture of a particular era. There is large number of cultural heritage sites that prevails in different parts of the world. People in large numbers owing to which proper management is required from the concerned authorities visit these sites. Hence, it can be concluded that cultural heritage sites are indeed quite crucial in the present day tourism sector. References Bramwell, B. & Lane, B., 2000. Tourism Collaboration and Partnerships: Politics, Practice and Sustainability. Channel View Publications. Dinerstein, E., 2013. Return of the Unicorns: Natural History and Conservation of The Greater-One Horned Rhinoceros. Columbia University Press. Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast WHS, 2005. Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site. Management Plan Summary. [Online] Available at: http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fec.europa.eu%2Fourcoast%2Fdownload.cfm%3FfileID%3D1469&ei=Ir3YVJOWHoKpuQTxu4A4&usg=AFQjCNFERVxOsgZ3u7ld33DKSXynfz03ww&sig2=Z9Rl6fqkevNTF1itcBh_xw&bvm=bv.85464276,d.c2E [Accessed February, 09, 2015]. Gupta, S. L., 2009. Sales and Distribution Management. Excel Books India. Hunt, S. D. & Arnett, D. B., 2004. Market Segmentation Strategy, Competitive Advantage, And Public Policy: Grounding Segmentation Strategy In Resource-Advantage Theory. Australasian Marketing Journal, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 7-25. Leask, A. & Garrod, B., 2009. Visitor Management At A World Heritage Site Skara Brae Prehistoric Village, Orkney, Scotland Case study and Student Material. Goodfellow Publishers Ltd. [Online] Available at: http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodfellowpublishers.com%2Ffree_files%2FPages%2520from%2520Visitor%2520management%2520at%2520a%2520World%2520Heritage%2520Site%2520-%2520Skara%2520Brae%2520Prehistoric%2520Village-02c1b4c8c750db0976d3e99bedb3b343.pdf&ei=KjrYVKycL5WmuQTex4HACw&usg=AFQjCNHMhrSn1LOTRO_Q8HtIIL4p-XOkaQ&sig2=yIQjfgpZecf5OWUr8AjBNA&bvm=bv.85464276,d.c2E&cad=rja [Accessed February, 09, 2015]. Leask, A. & Fyall, A., 2006. Managing World Heritage Sites. Routledge. Prideaux, B. & et. al., 2012. Managing Visitor Attractions: New Directions. Routledge. Ringbeck, B., 2008. Management Plans for World Heritage Sites. UNESCO, pp. 4-111. Shackley, M., 2009. Visitor Management. Taylor & Francis. Read More