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Intangibles: Enhancing access to cities' cultural heritage through interpretation

Cooper, I.; Mitsche, Nicole; Vogt, Franziska; Knox, Dan; Lombardi, Patrizia; Cooper, Ian; Ciaffi, Daniela

Authors

I. Cooper

Nicole Mitsche

Franziska Vogt

Dan Knox Dan.Knox@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Patrizia Lombardi

Ian Cooper

Daniela Ciaffi



Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to utilise commodification for the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage in cities by developing interpretative strategies, specifically enabling access to intangible cultural heritage through its tangible parts. Design/methodology/approach: In total, three case studies were conducted in the cities of Amsterdam, Genoa and Leipzig, through a workshop cycle with destination and local tourism stakeholders and citizen representatives, to develop interpretative strategies for the cities. Findings: The paper identifies tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the three cities, and integrates them into stories and outlines the development of an interpretative strategy for destinations independent from, but aligned with, the current marketing and positioning strategy development level. Research limitations/implications: Future research should examine the integration process of interpretative strategies and heritage interpretation of cultural heritage in marketing strategies, and in particular focus on the intangible aspects. Originality/value: The article integrates and highlights the value of intangible cultural heritage and interpretation of cultural heritage in general for marketing purposes through the development of an interpretative strategy improving access to destinations' cultural heritage supporting destination management. The article adds to the research discussion of the commodification of cultural heritage. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Citation

Cooper, I., Mitsche, N., Vogt, F., Knox, D., Lombardi, P., Cooper, I., & Ciaffi, D. (2013). Intangibles: Enhancing access to cities' cultural heritage through interpretation. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(1), 68-77. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181311301381

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 5, 2012
Publication Date Mar 1, 2013
Deposit Date Nov 18, 2015
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research
Print ISSN 1750-6182
Publisher Emerald
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 7
Issue 1
Pages 68-77
DOI https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181311301381
Keywords The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, cities, heritage, culture, intangible cultural heritage, heritage interpretation, destination marketing, commodification
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/931216
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181311301381
Related Public URLs http://impact.ref.ac.uk/CaseStudies/CaseStudy.aspx?Id=44155