Cultural experiences are among the key reasons many of us travel, and they are manifold, from performances to exhibitions to festivals. Here the topic is consumer-oriented cultural travel & tourism in all its forms.


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Kenyan culture: a look at its traditional arts and crafts

For many, the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Kenya is wildlife and safaris. But visitors should also keep in mind this country´s rich artistic and cultural heritage - thanks to its more than 70 ethnic groups such as the Kikuyu, Kamba, Luhya, Maasai, and Kalenjin  - both to witness (such as tribal dances) and to buy as mementos of their trip here (esecially masks, figurines, and other forms of sculpture). This beautiful country keeps the spirit of its ancestors alive through…

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Exploring Afro-Brazilian culture in Rio de Janeiro

Sarah BrownThough most famous for Carnival, golden beaches, and world-famous landmarks, the real heart of Rio de Janeiro, for those in the know, lies in its downtown, most notably in Saúde, Gamboa, and the surrounding neighbourhoods hard by the port. For it’s this area that’s steeped in a complex history that dates back half a millennium to the Portuguese colonisers’ founding of Rio and the centuries of brutal slavery which followed.A good place to start is Praça Mauá, a once rundown square…

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Culture in 'Capitals, Castles, and More on a Danube River Cruise'

  Grand Circle Travel “Now we’re heading toward Dürnstein, one of the loveliest towns in Austria,” the voice over loudspeaker of the M/V Adagio intoned. “Its buildings represent a number of architectural styles and so many artists have gathered at one spot to portray the magnificent surrounding landscape that it became known as the Painters’ Corner.” The fact is, though, that on the way to Dürnstein we sailed past lovely town after lovely town. As the vessel continued its journey on the…

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Cultural moments - some unexpected - on a tour of Sicily

Victor Block   It happens all the time with the tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel. I start out expecting to write about the trip itself – in this case, Sicily's Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions"-- and I end up writing about all the things that aren't on the itinerary – what OAT refers to as "learning and discovery." Sure, I wanted to focus on the extensive ruins of the Greeks and Romans from the 8th century BCE; the city market initiated by the Arabs in 900 CE still operates…

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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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. :-)
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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!
  • 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.
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