Category: Heritage

Introduction

An economy that adheres to the gold standard accepts countries currencies value to be directly linked with the gold reserves that a country holds. Paper money or notes were converted into a certain fixed amount of gold, and therefore those countries that were using the gold standard had to set a fixed price through which they could sell and buy the gold. Therefore, this means that a person holding any currency at that time was able to change it into gold depending on the cost of the gold that was set at that particular time. This enables the gold to be imported and exported around the international markets without any country imposing restrictions to prevent its movement. Although the gold standard was stable owing to its universal usage, and therefore a good store of value, it was not a convenient medium of exchange because it could not be easily divided into smaller units in the same way money currency could.

Brief History of the Gold Standard

The United Kingdom established the use of gold in its monetary system in 1821 after realizing that gold was a precious metal that could be used to determine the value of the paper currency. Before the recognition of gold as the standard of measure, it was used together with other metals such as silver in making valuable coins in some countries. These silver and gold coins were by that time recognized as a medium of exchange that most countries could use to transact. It was later realized that gold was much preferred by many as compared to other metals since its supply was scarce and its value was high.

Before the preference of gold as a currency, silver was the principal monetary metal. In 1870 the monometallic gold standard was also adopted by other European countries such as Germany and France (Mitchell 42). In the same year the United State also followed the suit by adopting the gold standard monetary system, these prompted many countries around the world to do the same.

The United State was able to control and determine the price of gold at the time since there were great discoveries of gold in western North America which made gold abundantly available. The regime and the full dominancy of the Gold Standard survived in a short period until 1914 when the First World War started (Silber and Jacques 102). The war made many countries abandon the convertible paper money and they saw the need of shifting to inconvertible paper money or putting restrictions on the export of gold.

The return to paper money was occasioned by the scarcity of gold in the interwar years. Due to the export restrictions that were placed by many countries and the First World War, gold was scarce and therefore, many countries opted back to the gold exchange standard as of 1925 (Dunckenfield 72). Many countries reestablished these gold standards to supplement their central bank gold reserves with US dollars and the British pound which was by that time the currencies that were easily convertible into gold at a stable rate of exchange.

The Great Depression of the 1930s was another reason for countries abandoning the gold standard. As a result of the crisis, many countries were forced to abandon it and by 1937, it fully collapsed since no country was operating entirely only on the gold standard (Mitchell 102). After the Second World War, the United State determined the price at which gold was bought and sold by foreign countries. This prompted the brief return of the gold standard monetary system. Major European counties reestablished a type of gold standard where their currencies were freely convertible into gold and dollars for international payments as from 1958 (Dunckenfield 127). However, by this time gold had lost its place in the world market as a medium of exchange due to the growing popularity of national currencies.

Another factor that led to the collapse of the gold standard was the floatation of good reserves in the market. To prevent the risk of goods losing their value, the United States president Richard Nixon in 1972 suspended the free convertibility of dollars into gold at fixed exchange rates in the international payments (Mitchell 74). This led to most countries monetary systems being based on the US dollar and other stable currencies. These brought about an end of the gold standard in international trade (Duckenfield 107). These developments marked the exit of goods from the international market as a universal medium of exchange.

The Bretton Wood System

The creation of the Bretton Woods system ushered in a new era far as international commerce was concerned. After the end of World War Second, a conference held by the allied nations was held in New Hampshire, and the Bretton Wood agreement was formed in 1944 (Ghixon 1). In this agreement, countries promised to maintain a fixed exchange rate between their currencies and the US dollar. This agreement brought in a new monetary system that replaced the gold standard system that enable the recognition of the US dollar as the world currency that could determine the price of other currencies in the international market. The dominancy of America in the world economy strived since they were now given the power as the only country which was allowed to print the dollars. Bretton Agreement is what facilitated the establishment of the World Bank and the international monetary fund (IMF) which was given the mandate to monitor the world monetary system.

Components of Bretton Wood Agreement

According to the Bretton Wood agreement, in a situation where a countrys currency value declines can be compared to the dollar. These countries are allowed to purchase their currency in the foreign exchange market to reduce the circulation of that currency in the economy and this enables the price of their currency to increase (Cesarano 17). It also advocated that in a situation where a country feels that their currency value is too high, they were allowed to print more of that currency in order to increase its circulation in the world economy, therefore reducing its price as compared to the US dollar. Countries also agreed to avoid the international trade wars, but they were given an option that if they felt that the international monetary system was leading to the deterioration of their economy then they could take action to stabilize their economy.

Replacing Gold Standard with Bretton Wood Monetary System

After the Bretton Wood agreement, many countries started shifting from the gold standard to the Bretton wood monetary system which allowed them to easily convert their currency for US dollars instead of gold. Therefore, with time Bretton Wood replaced the gold standard since most countries did not have enough gold to replace what the US had, and the Bretton wood agreement allowed the slow transition from the gold standard system to the US dollar system. This made the price of the US dollar start increasing as compared to other currencies since its demand increases in the international market.

Reason Why Bretton Wood Monetary System Was Preferred Over Gold Standard

Many countries opted for the US dollar monetary system rather than the gold standard because it gave the countries the flexibility to manage their foreign currency than the gold standard which followed strict rules. Countries that were using the Bretton wood system could easily alter their currency value in case it was needed to correct the disequilibrium in the current account balance of the country. This, was a more flexible alternative compared to the gold standard, for example, when the central banks wanted to regulate the amount of currency in circulation.

The Collapse of the Bretton Wood system

Considering the high demand for the US dollar by other countries increases the price of the US dollars as compared to the value it had in the actual US gold reserve. These value discrepancies were the start of the collapse of the Bretton wood system. In 1971 United State started experiencing inflation and recession due to the increased supply of the US dollar circulating in the economy. President Nixon deflated the value dollar to gold which brought about an increase in the price of gold in the free market. This devaluation strategy backfired and many countries redeemed the US dollar to the actual gold bring an end to the Bretton wood monetary system.

Economic Performance of the Gold Standard

The Good Standard enabled price stability in the long run. Thus, when it was used the rate of inflation was at an average of 0.1% between 1880 to 1914 and 4.0% from 1946 to 2003 (Andolfaltto 1). When the gold standard was used, it was realized that the prices were unstable. This is because the gold standard was vulnerable to real and monetary shocks in the short term. Gold also gave the government minimum liberty to use monetary policies to address inflation.

Is Full Gold Standard System a Better Monetary System?

For years, there has been a discussion between politicians and economists. Most politicians suggest the return to the gold standard regime terming the argument by the economists on the adverse effect of it just a mere perception rather than a reality. The people who advocated for the return of the gold standard considered some of the following advantages.

For years, gold has retained the value that has made it to be recognized worldwide and therefore it can easily self-regulate to match the money supply in the economy. It has been observed that gold has a real value due to its beauty, usefulness, and scarcity as compared to the American paper money that does not have the real value but is only maintained on the basis of faith and credit.

The real value of gold is what made it possible for it to be used as a medium of exchange during the early centuries when it was molded in the coin form. Proponents also argued that since gold was able to maintain its value, it could therefore be used as a store of value, where people can use it to keep wealth in the form of gold. This is because owners can have confidence that their value will not decrease as compared to paper money, whose value is affected by inflation (Bordo 2). In this regard, good was preferred because of the stability of its values, making it the ideal medium in which to store wealth.

The gold standard can also be used to reduce the risk of economic crisis and recession thereby increasing the real income and reducing the unemployment rate. When America was using the gold standard, the rate of unemployment was lower as compared to the period where the Federal Reserve was printing fiat money that was not supported by the real gold value but by faith and credit. After the abandoning of the gold standard, it was realized that printing of more fiat money brought about the American economy to stumble and therefore leading to a great recession of the world economy. Therefore, considering the challenges of unemployment and inflation that are being faced across the globe some suggest that in order to solve this problem the economy should therefore go back to the gold standard.

During the time when the gold standard was being used the governments ability to print money and create national debt anytime, it feels like was limited, since the gold standard system allowed money to be only printed if there was enough gold to back that currency. This restriction assisted in monitoring the government powers, therefore, reducing the rate of inflation which could be caused by the government printing more money in order to buy treasury bonds. This restriction also enabled people to have confidence in money as a medium of exchange and the store of value, since the money based on the value of real gold cannot be affected by inflation to a big extend.

Currently, most of the countries including America are affected by the balance of payment deficits and therefore the people advocating for the gold standard feel that it can be used to correct this problem. They realize that these deficits have been brought about by the Federal Reserve printing more money in order to finance the US deficits (Lewis 1). This will therefore reduce the value of the US dollar if other countries will start to be uncertain about the stability of the dollar in the future. In order to prevent unnecessary wars around the world, especially the ones that have been facilitated by the US government, some feel that the world economy should go back to the gold standard system. This system will help since the US government will have to reduce its spending in the military as compared to the fiat monetary system where the government can easily print money in order to keep its war policy going.

Reasons against Gold Standard Monetary System

Although some people support the return of gold standards, economists warn against it because of various reasons. Considering the scarce nature of gold, its real value can fluctuate, therefore it cannot maintain stable price stability that can be necessary for a sound economy. Therefore, if more gold is discovered, the printing of paper money may increase, therefore increasing the rate of inflation in the economy (Mitchell 102). At a time when there is a scarcity of gold, it may lead to deflation which is also not necessary for a healthy economy as witnessed in California. It is also predicted that most of the gold ore will be depleted by 2040 thereby forcing the economy to shift to another monetary system.

Economists also feel that the gold standard economy will limit government mandate in preventing and resolving economic depressions, recessions, and unemployment. In the Fiat system, the government can change the exchange rates in order to solve these economic problems. Therefore, reintroducing the gold standard will limit the governments ability in solving these problems. Some economists also warned of the continued trend of deflation that would be brought about by the reintroduction of the gold standard. This is because more money cannot be created unless gold is obtained to back it up. Therefore, the government will not be able to print more money in order to manage the effect of deflation at the right time.

Conclusion

In summation, considering the above discussions for and against the gold standard shows that while it is stable, it is not as convenient or flexible as paper currency.

It is, therefore, necessary for governments to explore the possibility of establishing a hybrid system that uses both the gold standard and paper money. This gold system will offer extra safety against currency inflation and act as a safe store of value. On its part, the Bretton Woods System will provide a flexible means of regulating the economy through monetary policies.

Works Cited

Andolfaltto, David. The Gold Standard and Price Inflation. Stlouisfed, 2014. Web.

Bordo, Michael. Gold Standard. Econlib, 2019. Web.

Cesarano, Filippo. Monetary Theory and Bretton Woods: The Construction of an International Monetary Order. Cambridge UP, 2006.

Dunckenfield, Mark. The Monetary History of Gold: A Documentary History, 1660-1999. Routledge, 2016.

Ghizon, Sandra K. Creation of the Bretton Woods System. Federal Reserve History, 1994. Web.

Lewis, Nathan. The World Gold System Will Rise Again. Forbes, 2019. Web.

Mitchell, Kelly. Gold Wars: The Battle for the Global Economy. SCB Distributors, 2013.

Silber, William L., and Jacques Silber. When Washington shut down Wall Street: the great financial crisis of 1914 and the origins of Americas monetary supremacy. Princeton UPA, 2007.

Visiting museums may be very beneficial for enlivening a lot of important things related to historical matters in ones mind. From time to time, when I have a chance to visit this or that museum, I find it very interesting and even inspiring. It helps me to put together the things I learned before. In the following paper, I have my goal to discuss what I have learned during my trip experience to the Museum of Western Heritage, also known as the Autrey Museum. Overall, evaluating the things seen in the museum, I may say that I acquired more knowledge of our countrys history and came to a better understanding of some of the important historical events.

First of all, discussing my experience, I would begin with the fact that I was always interested in the history of Indian tribes, their art, and lifestyle, along with the development of their culture over the duration of time. I also had a measure of interest in the culture of cowboys inhabiting the west. Thus, this trip became a great adventure and also an option to expand my knowledge. I also had the joy of being in a happy mood during this day which also added to my pleasure in this trip.

While observing the exhibit items on display in the museum, I thought about Indian people inhabiting the lands of the west in the earlier periods of American history. I came to the conclusion that their culture was rich and diverse. These people knew how to approach nature with due respect and honor, which shows a great example for the other people living now and me and in the future. Indians knew how to make full use of their land but not to exhaust it. This is a practical lesson to be learned from them. As I studied the objects of their culture and daily life, I saw that they were eco-friendly and natural and still possessed a measure of taste and interesting designer concepts. Thus, I came to a conclusion that eco-friendly things may be good-looking, creative, and make the eye rejoice, so to say.

Evaluating the exhibits, I must confess that not every piece on display was interesting to me. Some of them appeared to be the objects one can easily access in daily life, but I came to a conclusion that maybe these things are interesting for foreigners. Overall, the things I saw became rather engaging for me. I saw that they were organized in a great chronological order which helped me to see the main tendencies in the development of western culture during the centuries. Observing the pictures, sculptures, and weapons, I saw the interests of our ancestors. It involved seeing some of the common scenes of the daily life depicted by the painters.

In the Museum of Western Heritage, everything is done for people to enjoy being here. All the collections are organized with the due investment of creative thought and a great understanding of the history of the country. Due to such great exhibition organization, it was easy for me to connect the things I saw with the things I learned in class. Thus, I was able to deepen my knowledge. At times, I even felt like the one participating in different events of western history. Concentrating on a number of objects of clothing and daily items along with a variety of arms, I felt myself a part of the past.

In closing, I would like to add that I have really enjoyed my visit to the Museum of Western Heritage, and I will long remember this wonderful time as the experience to understand how important it is to preserve our history along with the useful lessons it teaches. This trip enriched me both mentally and spiritually. I absolutely enjoyed my time while studying the objects of culture and art. They appeared to be very interesting to me from the designers point of view as well. From the exhibitions related to Indian culture, I learned that the objects of art can be both eco-friendly and still possess a measure of taste and nice designer concepts. The culture and art of cowboy people, along with their simplicity and minimalism, helped me understand that sophistication is not always an option. In the objects related to the themes of cowboy people life, I saw the reflection of the main developments in the history of the country beginning from the time of European intervention to North America and establishing the colonies of stock-breeders to our modern times, when these people continue to preserve their values and culture being the part of the country and developing its history.

Introduction

Heritage tourism is the aspect of experiencing destinations and activities that represent a group of people’s culture, history, and the present (Paolo, 2002). Megalithic temple of Gigantija Gozo Malta is an example of a heritage site. Primary data was obtained through interviews and interactive discussions with the head curator of Megalithic temples of Gigantija in Gozo and Malta, Mr. Kenneth Gambin. Further discussion was also held with another official, Mr. James Aquilina.

Data was also obtained from secondary sources that included websites, books, and literature from the libraries and other academic publications (Heritage Malta, 2008). This report identifies the resources and visitor attractions that are present in this site. The report analyses the management of the sites and explores various ways in which sites can be improved to attract more visitors.

Megalithic temple of Gigantija Gozo

Megalithic temple of Heritage Malta

The temples are regarded as the oldest structures standing freely and have been innovated as the culture of the residents evolves. These monuments have been in existence for approximately 7,000 years and form a wealth of artefacts that reflect the island’s history. These natural resources are as a result of man’s discovery and innovation, which have been articulated in the modern art for continuity.

They consist of museums, temples and underground chambers that are very fascinating to the visitors. They portray the creativity and rich culture of the people who inhabited the place before Phoenicians arrived (Heritage Malta, 2008).

Megalithic temple of Gigantija Gozo

This tourist destination consists of two megathilic complex of temples that have a massive wall separating them. The monument has been preserved over the years by a series of restoration works in the 20th century. The name Gigantija originates from the belief that the walls were built by giants who existed in the 16th century. Some of the striking features of this temple are the remains of bones from animals.

This suggests that there were rituals that were carried out in the temples. They make visitors explore and learn historical and cultural aspects of the people who inhabited this destination. Excavations on the surface suggest that liquid offerings were also performed in these temples. Soft limestone was used for the altars and doors and in other decorative slabs. This facilitates creativity in the way the architectural styles are used to bring out beauty and elegance (Heritage Malta, 2008).

Core resources and products in Megalithic temple of Gigantija Gozo and Heritage Malta

The temples are the greatest form of attraction. Visitors want to see the architecture used in the construction of temples and appreciate the beauty depicted by this creativity. The decorations used and some of the remains form a good source of archaeological materials that are preserved to serve the needs of tourists. Paintings and sculptures, most of which have been prepared in the studio, are a common source of attraction.

They are painted on stones, wood and canvas or even on copper plates. They make a bulk of the attractions. Most people from different cultures across the world communicated their emotions through the use of paintings. The temples have immovable objects that form the bulk of artefacts. They include ceramics, glass objects and even moulded metals and carved stone. Textiles are also represented in these temples including veils, flags and costumes.

The way of dressing represents a community’s way of life and culture. It is a form of identification, and this has often been used as a symbol for most communities. Architecture is preserved through the establishment of a conservation studio for reference by future generations (Edgell, 2006; Heritage Malta 2008).

Products

Tangible products in this tourist destination include temples, their compositions and the archaeological objects. The staffs in this site also offer guided tours in which visitors are provided with a lot of information about the destination. They also offer photography filming and visitors are offered these films at a cost for every image.

Visitors also have a chance to rent sites for their functions and events. This promotes awareness and generates funds for the preservation of the site. Augmented products are also available in this tourist site. They include services such as group visits that are normally organized by agents. Gift shops in which visitors can purchase souvenirs paintings and other products are also available. Visitors are also offered transport services that enable them to move within the temples and various sites (Jones, 1999; Heritage Malta, 2008).

Events are also organized to ensure that the visitors experience adventure with memorable moments. These include open days for people who love art and design to explore and learn more about this subject. Artists also visit the museums and get inspiration from the paintings and other well known artists who paint during these events. Frequent visitors are provided with membership schemes where they can attend these events at a discounted rate.

They get an opportunity to experience the heritage trail evening tour and cultural tour facilitated by MCCA. These events are used to make every visit a new experience. They ensure that visitors keep coming back to enjoy the experience. They also provide a variety in the products and services offered every year.

This makes individuals anticipate visits to the temples. These tourist destinations provide interactive sessions with visitors and give them an opportunity to explore and learn more about art and design. Education is provided through libraries in which teachers avail downloadable learning resources used in the sites’ museums.

Higher education is also promoted to willing students. This includes masonry heritage skills that offer learners skills on building and construction. Other short term courses that nurture professionalism in individuals are offered to ensure that learners upgrade their skills and use them to maintain and preserve cultural heritage resources (Gentile, Spiller & Noci, 2007; Timothy & Nyaupane, 2009).

Stakeholders

One of the major stakeholders to this tourist destination is the Heritage Malta that is greatly involved in managing the museums and sites. They also provide up to date collections and facilitate the events and activities run in the tourist site. This is meant to provide the best experience for visitors. Conservation and continuation for this site is maintained to ensure that the future generation will enjoy this tourism experience too (Edgell, 2006).

The Malta tourism authority is also another stakeholder who holds regular meetings with Heritage Malta to plan on how to improve and promote this tourist destination. They organize for ways in which the culture can be maintained while issuing exciting packages to attract many visitors.

Those who have direct contact with visitors include the tour operators, MICE section, and language schools. They work according to the stipulated parliamentary law to come up with ticketing prices. Other packages offered are decided by stakeholders who work with the marketing and advertising sections (Leighton, 2006; Heritage Malta, 2008).

Visitors make up the most significant group of stakeholders. This destination attracts both the local and foreign markets that come to learn the culture of the Ggantija. They are attracted by packages, events offered, and the tourism experience that they get. Students also love this destination because it offers them a wide range of reading resources and skills. The libraries and the museums offer a good learning experience in Ggantija.

The minority groups and disabled representatives form part of the stakeholders. They are great beneficiaries to this tourism site. The surrounding environment to the temples consists of the local councils and neighbours. The research studies are done through the neighbouring communities.

Matters such as drainage or electricity are addressed through the local councils. Therefore, they form a fundamental part of the stakeholders who promote the continuity of Ggantija. When open days and other annual events are organized, there is support from these communities. This helps in building good relationships that promote heritage tourism. The local council, Xaghra, supports the annual events organized by Ggantija (Garrod & Fyall, 2000; Sethi, 1999; Heritage Malta, 2008; Fyall, Garrod, Leask & Wanhill, 2008).

The media channels are critical in publishing reports on the organization and in the promotion of awareness among the public. Media also comprises of the websites, the information kiosks and panels in the museums, info guides, and interactive Ds available in the sites. Social media have also been utilized to ensure that this destination attracts a wider range of markets.

Other people apart from employees working there include the outsourced cleaning contractors, the security companies, and the maintenance contractors. They form part of the Ggantija community. The community also includes experts who are centralized from heritage Malta or outsourced as dictated by the needs. The European Union funds are also part of the stake holders to Heritage Malta and Ggantija.

Other bodies like advisory boards are also recognized as stakeholders. Some organizations that are interested in partnership to promote the tourist destinations as they promote their products are also valuable stakeholders to the Ggantija and Heritage Malta. For instance, “I love food” is interested in combining the Maltese cuisine with the story of culture and history as a way of promoting their products and the tourist destination (McKercher & Cros, 2002).

Key Management issues at Ggantija

Cultural heritage has become very significant in Maltese in terms of culture preservation, society and the economy. Generating revenue is one of the management functions that aim at ensuring the continuity of these tourist destinations. Revenue is generated from admission fees and donations.

Other sources also include the money raised through partnerships like “I Love Food” organization that pays a fee to operate its business in the tourist areas. Open days organized to promote historical and cultural aspects of the people in Ggantija also serve as a major source of revenue (Fyall, Garrod, & Leask, 2002; Heritage Malta, 2008; Hall & McArthur, 1996).

Revenue

Ggantija obtains most of its revenue from visitor admissions fees. In the period between 2004 and 2011, the public, cultural heritage sector had a progressive rise in the revenue generated. In the period between 2004 and 2011, out of the total revenue generated, about 2.8 million Euros were allocated for the purpose of upgrading the tourist sites.

Source: Heritage Malta sources

Expenses are shared between all the sites of heritage Malta. Such expenses include marketing expenses, the amount spent on publicity and media, the experts invited to facilitate open days and annual days and the maintenance costs. The tourist sites often require upgrading and maintenance to ensure that they remain attractive to the visitors. This is a strategy for raising revenue and promoting the continuity of the sites for the future generation (Heritage Malta, 2008).

Conservation of Sites

The tourist sites have been receiving popularity, and the number of visitors has increased tremendously. However, the more the number of visitors, the higher the likelihood of destroying the heritage value of the sites (Cochrane & Tapper, 2006; Leask & Yeoman, 1999). The paintings and sculptures are conserved in the studio rooms, and attention is given to the past restoration techniques to ensure that the original state of the sculptures is maintained.

Treatments are carried out through relining of the paintings, consolidating the pictorial layers, removing the worn out layers and retouching them. The treatments are done by the modern conservation standards that are more superior and long lasting than the traditional ones.

A lot of emphasis has been put on preventive conservation to ensure that chances of deterioration are minimised. This is done through extensive studies on the artefacts and materials used on the archaeological sites to establish how they can be conserved. Proper use and storage of artefacts and other collections is encouraged to give them long life. Attention is also given to the textiles, books, paper and the buildings to ensure that they are preserved for the future (Heritage Malta, 2008).

Security Issues

Ggantija is experiencing a challenge when it comes to the issue of security. Controlling the big multitude of visitors has proved to be very difficult and often visitors go beyond the barriers that can be a threat to their safety. The schools premises are not secure either. This is because they can be easily accessed by people mostly the youths and students. This can result into thefts or even destruction of property if not well monitored.

Walls are vandalized during visits, and tracking this vice is quite difficult because there are no cameras available. The only means of monitoring activities in the tourist areas is by physical checks done by the security people. This is quite a challenge because they cannot be present in all areas at once (Drummond & Yeoman, 2001; Heritage Malta, 2008).

Health and Safety

The movement of the people in the tourist areas is not fully guided, and there is a risk of falling and hurting their bodies. There is no bank in Malta that is willing to insure the archaeological site thus the health and safety of visitors is not guaranteed. This situation can be resolved through a study instigated to establish the number of visitors who can be accommodated in each temple at a time.

This will ensure that visitors’ safety is improved, and they can be controlled while in the temples. This will promote safety and minimise the chances of destruction and misuse of the available facilities (Heritage Malta 2008; Drummond, et al, 2000).

Effectiveness of Management Tools

To ensure that the management of heritage tourism sites is effective, a number of factors have been emphasized in Ggantija. First, customer focus has been used to gain a competitive advantage. The product, people, pricing and marketing have been utilized through the use of multi media technology. People interested in visiting the site can find out information from the website and other social sites like Facebook.

This gives the site popularity and increases the chances of increasing the number of visitors (Poria, Butler & Airey, 2004). Offering guided tours has also been a good strategy of engaging the visitors and promoting their learning and enjoyment experience in the tourist destination. This increases the chances of future visits or even attracting many people who would love to get a similar experience. There is plenty of information through the libraries and information boards.

This promotes a self guided learning in which visitors can choose their subject of interest and explore further. Brochures were initially used on the information stands. However, this has been changed; today, they are only available on the website. This has ensured waste is limited, and visitors can access the brochures at their convenience.

The films that are produced at the site are sold to the visitors. This is a good way of promoting publicity. When visitors leave the site, they are likely to influence their friends and relatives to visit the site. This is a good strategy for marketing products and service offered (Poria, Butler & Airey, 2003; Whitfield, 2009).

Megalithic temples of Gigantija Gozo and Heritage Malta have gained a lot of publicity through their publications including the Heritage Malta magazine. The news letters published inform readers and visitors on the activities that are in progress and offer them the new developments that would attract them. It has also established exhibition spaces that give artists an opportunity to promote public awareness, educate the public, and allow visitors to explore the culture and heritage depicted.

In addition, participating in European Union programs promotes heritage culture and conservation. This is a good strategy that ensures public recognition through participating in activities. These strategies promote good international relations, and this serves to attract visitors who in turn increase the revenue generated (Schwer, Gazel & Daneshvary, 2000; Sigala & Leslie, 2012).

The Malta heritage site management has established a good relationship with the stakeholders, and this has attracted organizations and individuals to make donations. This promotes the continuity of the site because such donations are used to upgrade and maintain the collections and the buildings. Transfers and gifts from other entities have increased the organization’s collection, and this has resulted in a wide variety of attractions for visitors.

The staffs at Ggantija offer quality services through the friendly guided walks. This gives visitors a sense of appreciation, and they have the will to visit the site once more. Education offered to professionals and youths is a good strategy of maintaining good relationships with the communities and improving the quality of their lives. It is a good way to give back to the society.

This is especially because the organisation derives its resources from the surrounding community’s culture and heritage. Partnering with other organisations also promotes good relations (McCain & Nina 2003; Whitfield, 2009).

Recommendation for Management Improvement

The management can coordinate the various activities in the sites to increase visitor numbers. It is recommended that an all inclusive source of information be availed (Buckley, 2004). The brochure can include information on the restaurants, the bookshops and libraries, and updates on the present heritage trails. This offers visitors more than they expect and attracts them to explore the wide variety of services and products offered.

The trends experienced over the recent past suggest that visitors want to experience more than they anticipate. The temples have been there since the 1890s, and previous visitors may not be willing to return to experience the same products and services (Smith, 2003).

To ensure that visitors anticipate new experiences, features and collections can be modified to mimic the currents forms of visitor attraction. For instance, the state of the art site can be transformed into an archaeological park. This way, the originality of its collections remains while the product becomes new. This is a good strategy to stay ahead of the competitors in the competitive tourism environment (Austin, 2002; Boniface, 2003; Leask & Fyall, 2006b).

A visitor orientation centre is also another strategy that can be introduced to make the visitors experience memorable. They can be aided through the introduction of touchscreens spread across the whole site through gazebos, and audio visuals. This way, visitors can easily get information from these tools without having to enquire from the staff. The available education system only focuses on the youths and professionals who want to advance their skills (Timothy & Boyd, 2003).

Children have been overlooked, and they could be targeted to expand the revenue base through admissions and education programs. Integrating children ensures that the available resources are well utilised maximally. Security measures can be improved by ensuring that cameras are installed around the sites to monitor the activities in the tourist areas (Leask, 2010; Shackley, 1998).

The environment in which these heritage sites are built provides a chance for communities to offer their cultural and historical resources (Andereck & Vogt, 2000; Leask & Fyall, 2006a). To ensure that these communities cooperate to promote heritage tourism, it is advisable to reduce negative social impacts. This comes as a result of foreign influence and increased populations of visitors. To ensure that this does not affect the communities, the site can introduce a code of conduct that matches the community’s way of living.

This reduces the social impact and promotes the cultural experience (Alonso, O’neill & Kim, 2010; Timothy, 2011; Timothy, 2009). Meeting and exceeding visitor expectations has been turned into a competitive advantage. Innovation and customer focus are two principle aspects to maintaining good visitor relationships and positive feedback (Hannam & Knox, 2009; Ritchie & Crouch, 2003).

Conclusion

Heritage tourism is based on the historical, cultural and natural resources that a tourist site possesses. The Megalithic temples are rich in history and culture of the past communities that developed these temples. It provides visitors with an opportunity to experience heritage tourism.

The management has employed tools and strategies that have seen the site increase its revenue generation capability and upgrade to meet the current needs of the visitors. However, continued innovation to make the products and services diverse and different from the ordinary is necessary.

Modifying the available collections to fit the current needs of visitors will attract visitors and promote the continuation of the site to meet the needs of the future generation. Focusing on visitor needs improves the chances of attaining a place in the inscription as a World Heritage Site.

Reference list

Alonso, A, O’neill, M & Kim, K 2010, ‘In Search Of Authenticity’, Journal Of Heritage Tourism, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 61-72.

Andereck, K & Vogt, C 2000, ‘The Relationship between Residents’ Attitudes toward Tourism and Tourism Development Options’, Journal of Travel Research, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 27-36.

Austin, N 2002, ‘Managing Heritage Attractions – Marketing Challenges at sensitive historical sites International’, Journal of Tourism Research, vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 447- 457.

Boniface, P 2003, Heritage and Tourism: In the Global Village, Taylor & Francis, New York.

Buckley, R 2004, ‘The Effects of World Heritage Listing on Tourism to Australian National Parks’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 70-84.

Cochrane, J & Tapper, R 2006, Tourism’s contribution to World Heritage Site management, in A Leask and A Fyall (Eds.) Managing World Heritage Sites, Elsevier, Oxford, pp. 97-109.

Drummond, S, et al. 2000, Quality Issues in Heritage Visitor Attractions, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Drummond, S & Yeoman, I 2001, Quality issues in heritage visitor attractions, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Edgell, DL 2006, Managing Sustainable Tourism: A legacy for the Future, The Haworth Press, Inc., New York.

Fyall, A, Garrod, B & Leask, A 2002, ‘Scottish Visitor Attractions: Managing Visitor Impacts’, Tourism Management, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 265-279.

Fyall, A, Garrod, B Leask, A & Wanhill, S 2008, Managing Visitor Attractions: New Directions, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

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Introduction

Heritage tourism focuses on information and how the management contributes to the promotion of that particular tourism site. To this end, it assesses the strategic locations of the site and the importance of achieving the intended goal, which aims towards the revenue generation and culture preservation.

The employed methodology included personal interviews of the site administrators. Mr. Ivan Mercieca, the maintenance manager of three heritage sites in Rabat was the first one to be interviewed. The second interview was directed to Mr. David Cardona, the curator of three heritage sites. Moreover, the study employed different reports and journals to ascertain issues on the management of various heritage sites.

St. Paul’s Catacombs (SPC)

About Heritage Malta

Heritage Malta was established in 2002 under the Cultural Heritage Act. This agency is concerned with the sites preservation and direct management to preserve the Malta people’s culture. The management of this site is focused on four broad categories. These categories are conservation, management, marketing and interpretation.

In 2005, after the amendment of the law creating a heritage agency, all the activities related to culture and heritage preservation were given to this organisation (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p. 76). As a result, 64, 000 and 100, 000 tourists were realized in 2008 and 2009 respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.6).

About St. Paul’s Catacombs

St. Paul Catacombs are found in Rabat, Malta. They a significant part of a large cemetery field that is located in Malta. The cemeteries have graves of different religious backgrounds such as the Pagans, the Jews and even Christians. It was estimated that more than 25 of these people were dug in this site (Goh 2010, p.1).

According to archaeological evidence, St. Paul has diverse religious background, because people from different faiths buried there. Some of the unique features include the circular tables, which are set in a specific manner that seems to show a couch. These are believed to have been used for meals during the old times.

Core resources

The core resources include catacombs, collection, information panels in the reception area, human/financial resources to offer transport facility/services, media, and small displays. Heritage visitor attraction (HVA) was developed into a museum by constituting information panels in 2004, especially after clearing the debris from the site. The historical value of SPC is evident from the St Paul’s shipwreck. In addition, there are glass paintings of St John.

Under the ERDF 032 framework, two sites were to be upgraded and conserved at a cost of 9,151,333 pounds (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.7). These included SPC Malta-catacombs (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.7).

The project incorporated the construction of the Tarxien temples, Ggantija Heritage Park and St. Paul’s Catacombs (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.8). The work involved topographical survey, archaeological investigations, mapping, hydrological survey, environmental assessment, and structural survey (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.9).

Products

Tangible products

St Paul’s Catacombs are a big complex with different attractions. There is only one guided tour scheduled for 1 p.m. The guided tour involves several groups. In addition, there are audio guided tours. These are usually six in number. In this regard, Kotler’s diagram/theory can be used in analysing SPC situation, as shown below (Kotler 1997, p.112).

Product

Through improved information technology, SPC has provided a means of delivering new and unique products, which are intended to match many other available products.

Place

SPC can create a new interaction place for their tourists/clients so that the communication between them could be cordial, easy and with maximum efficiency (Kotler 1997, p.114).

Price

Pricing of products that SPC intends to supply is very significant in determining the overall sales volume.

Promotion

Carrying out promotion is one of the means through which SPC can create consumer awareness (Kotler 1997, p.113).

Augmented products

Group visits are arranged to tour St Paul Catacombs, and they are accompanied by a licensed tour guide. There are gift shops selling some products. Moreover, the transport systems at St Paul’s Catacombs have walkways for both the normal people and the physically handicapped. A Heritage trail evening tour involves visits, which are organised under different themes. Under the same concept, the following can also be studied.

People

In this scenario, tourists are the most important aspect of the marketing mix, an issue that the SPC needs to recognise. For instance, the use of online tourism is capable of changing the dynamics on product/service delivery of the site.

Process

The issues relating to the process involve the channel through which SPC follows in delivering its products to customers. It also outlines the various ways through which the customer should follow to receive the products (Kotler 1997, p.114).

Stakeholders

Heritage Malta (HM)

Heritage Malta plays important roles such as management, conservation, interpretation and marketing (Garrold, Fyall, Leask & Reid 2012, p. 1162). Besides, it maintains the cultural heritage of the sites.

Malta Tourism Authority (MTA)

The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is a coordinator between itself and the population. It is responsible for conducting meetings regarding the sites’ promotion and to implement the culture preservation activities. They also have informative journals, which add crucial knowledge/ value to the sites (Visit Britain 2010, p.1). To this end, MICE scheme is held after the ERDF is finalised, and then the former is made available in SPC.

Tour Operators, MICE Section, Language

Proper coordination between tourist operators and the Tourism Authority is also important, because it increases the number of visitors expected (Timothy & Nyaupane 2009, p. 39).The tourist operators also act as advertisers for the attraction (Visit Scotland 2010, p.1).

Visitors

St. Paul’s Catacombs are visited by tourists that belong to different countries and cultures. These normally range from local to international visitors. Tourists who visited St Paul’s Catacombs were 71,380 and 71,461 in 2009 and 2008 respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.86). For instance, sometimes school students visit the sites for educational purposes. The number of visitors stood at 1,043,643 and 1,068,420 in 2009 and 2008, respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.86).

Local Council and Neighbours

The local council and neighbours were consulted to voice their opinions on services such as electricity and drainage. As a result, an annual event took place, Rabat Arts Festival. Focusing on the ERDF programme, the local council was meant to issue permits for holding events and work. The ERDF programme would analyse the effects on the community concerned. As part of the ERDF programme’s goal of increasing accessibility systems, St. Agatha School’s environmental censor/football ground would be used to access the catacombs.

Media

As part of the marketing and advertising programme, Heritage Malta uses its website for sales and promotional campaigns. Social media such as facebook, you tube and twitters are used as links for attracting tourists. These links also facilitate online shopping (Leask & Yeomann 1999, p. 63). The website incorporates various information kiosks, panels in the museum, information guides, audio guides, and interactive CD, which are important media for online sales/marketing.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is used to make sure that the services are delivered in a prompt and timely manner (Koetler 1997, p. 34). One of the areas where Heritage Malta has engaged outsourcing is cleaning. There is an outsource contract whereby cleaning is done for two and a half hours every day (Garrold et al. 2012, p. 1162).

Heritage Malta has also engaged Keeron contractor to deal with security issues. The other advisory bodies are the Maltese Commission for UNESCO and the Scientific Committee for the Megalithic Temples (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.10). Indeed, it is important to increase enough surveillance for the sites (Hall & McArthur 1996, p. 103). This implies that the EU funds can be sought under the ERDF programme to finance such project management costs.

Key Management issues at SPC

Lack of revenue

Inadequate revenue is a challenge to the Heritage Malta attraction. Revenue is generated from admission fees, hiring, donations, and interactive CD. The collected revenue is apportioned among the marketing, media, experts, maintenance. Part of this amount is used for financing employee benefit expenses. For instance, 5,271,789 and 6,621,654 pounds for employee benefit expenses were incurred in 2009 and 2008, respectively (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.24).

Other expenses include bank interests amounting to €1,715 for 2009 and €6,819 for 2008 (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.25). Moreover, the director’s fees amounted €13,974 for 2009 and €37,645 for 2008 (Heritage Malta Annual Report 2009, p.25). Therefore, it is evident that more revenues are allocated to expenses, thus putting the Heritage Malta in a financial distress.

Conservation of Site

Even though there are different modes of preservation used by the Malta Heritage, more needs to be done. The site receives a lot of visitors annually. This means that the large number of visitors increases the pressure on the soil and consequently it is deteriorated.

Another issue that arises when it comes to conservation is the colliding values of the people who are involved. The best illustration of this is the fact that people of different religious backgrounds have been buried on that site; this includes the Christians, the Pagans as well as the Jews.

Security Issues

Security still remains a challenge, and partly the reason for this is the huge number of tourists that usually visit the place. The first security threat is posed due to the fact that some people normally go downstairs and even beyond the barriers. The next threat is derived from the fact that the wall that seeks to separate the school premises from being accessed by the tourists is not that effective.

The security threat is further heightened by the fact that there aren’t any security or surveillance cameras within the attraction (Che & Chen 2010, p. 33). This has opened doors to vandalism and other security issues. The number of security personnel mandated to do physical check does not match the perimeters and this makes some areas remain uncovered by these security personnel.

Health and Safety

The safety of the visitors at St. Paul Catacombs is not fully assured. This challenge is further heightened by the fact that the number of visitors has always been high (Falk & Dierking 1992, p. 102). Since the number of visitors is high, it means that tour guides are not enough.

Consequently, people have to guide themselves throughout the Catacombs. For first time visitors there is always a challenge of having proper mobility and balance while passing through the St. Paul Catacombs. This has the effect of putting people at risk (Fyall et al. 2008, p. 112).

Another challenge is posed by the poor drainage systems that are not properly installed and they pass from surfaces, from the roofs without any proper installation. The delay in fixing the drainage system is caused by more bureaucracies in the government (Leask 2010, p. 54).

Traffic Congestion

The narrow roads cannot accommodate the large number of visitors. As a result, there is a huge traffic on these roads. There are also some business premises which contribute to the narrowing of the road. A good example of such premises includes the grocery shops that are located just besides the road. These are normally supplied by vans. When these supply vans are transacting, they block the roads and cause traffic jams.

Effective Management Tools

Effective management as a process can be split up into three stages: the determining factors, measuring the effectiveness and finally establishing the effective management tools (Leask & Rhiova 2010, p. 123). In Heritage Malta some of the determining factors include the ownership category.

The type of ownership is inclined towards communal. The people of Malta tend to believe that through the site their culture is preserved. This leads to another determining factor which is the individual nature of the resource. In this case, the community members take an individual approach of ownership and equal levels are put in place to ensure that the culture is actually preserved (Leiper 1990, p. 380). In order to ensure proper and efficient management the following tools may be added:

The use of Multimedia Technology in communicating with the visitors as well as monitoring the same is one of the core surveillance methods that should be employed (Pearce 2005, p. 76). Employing the use of an interactive Multimedia Technology will be very helpful to the visitors.

This is because it will make it easier for them to gain access to some important features such as directions. This is important as it will also reduce the cost of hiring staff (MacCannell 1999, p. 45). Touch screens with info on them are also very attractive and will make many people use it.

Guided tours are also important to facilitate the management process (Moore 1994). This is because the tour guides know well the terrain of the site. With their help the safety of the visitors increases. Another element that is helpful when it comes to the use of guided tours is the fact that the visitors will have a chance to learn much more about the place.

This is because the tour guides are fully aware of the history and the heritage of the site. Guided tours are also interactive and can be a very efficient method of collecting feedback from the visitors. Through this method the management can easily learn how to improve on their management as well as their service delivery.

Groups with licensed guides from the MTA are also important when it comes to management in St. Paul’s Catacombs. Groups help in coordination while with the licensed tour guide; such groups make it easier to maneuver through the site. Printed word & storyboards as well as information boards are also an important way to convey messages to the visitors (Smith 2003, p. 88).

The importance of this mode of conveying the message is that they are normally placed at very open places and many visitors get the chance to read them (Shackley 1998, p. 134). Apart from that, such printings can be done in a different language in order to be read by people from different backgrounds. Pictures and illustrations can be read by different people from different languages.

Brochures are only kept on-site. Before brochures were presented on tourist information stands and other HM sites and museums, it was found that they were useless and this resulted in waste of money. Alternatively, such brochures can be availed to the interested customers at a fee. This fee shall be used to cover the cost of production.

Gastronomy is important in developing the cultural aspect of the Malta. Websites such as ilovefood.com is dedicated to developing the cuisine of the Maltese people. Other interpretation tools can also be employed to enhance management. These could take the form of video and audio guidance machine. They help in conveying the message easily and efficiently to the visitors. Audio recordings can be used to show historical information.

Recommendations for Management Tools

Increasing the Number of Visitors

There is a need to increase the number of people that visit the St. Paul’s Catacombs. The average number of visitors in years 2008 and 2009 was 71420. This comes to an average of two hundred people per day. The capacity of the St. Paul’s Catacombs is big enough to handle more people. In order to increase the number of visitors, a joint promotion should be undertaken.

The most convenient and productive means to use is a joint promotion between different sectors and stakeholders who are involved. The joint promotion is specifically targeting the Malta Tourism Authority and the attraction train (TRAM) that passes through the streets of Rabat. Such promotion will enlighten the potential visitors and thereby the increase the number of visitors is expected.

Use of Leaflets and Brochures to Promote Awareness

Another important element in promotion is the use of leaflets to increase awareness of the heritage. This is particularly important as it will offer an informative description of the attractions that St. Paul’s Catacombs have to offer. In the leaflets, pictures can be added to give the potential visitor a vivid image of what to expect. Proper coordination shall also serve as a very important tip on how to reach to St. Paul’s Catacombs.

Transport Services

Transport and mobility within St. Paul’s Catacombs is easy and convenient even to people with disabilities. This derives from the fact that the walkways are made in such a way that allows easy and free mobility for people with disabilities as well as normal people. Transport to the place is also not hard to get as there is a train that passes through.

Improvement of Security Measures

Improvement of security measures is also significant in order to enhance security within the Catacombs. Installation of surveillance cameras as well as hiring more security personnel is a proper way of improving the security status at St. Paul’s Catacombs. The modern technology should also be embraced in enhancing security.

Increased Involvement of the Local People

Another recommendation is the increased involvement of the local people. Since Heritage Malta is concerned with the preservation of culture and heritage, support from the local people is important. This calls for educating the locals about the importance of preserving culture. Once the locals feel that their culture is appreciated and is being preserved, they might become interested in volunteering and investing more efforts in preserving own history and culture. This will result in reducing costs to hire people.

Offering Ancillary Services

Creating other institutions and premises that will offer ancillary services to the clientele at St. Paul’s Catacombs is also recommended. For instance, hotels can be set up to offer accommodation for the visitors who have come from very distant locations. Such services as insurance are also important for the heritage attraction. This increases security and confidence in the stability of the heritage attraction.

Conclusions

The Heritage Malta plays a very important role in the preservation of the culture of the people of Malta. The St. Paul’s Catacombs are also important attractions, because they have the historical and religious attachments. The challenges include security matters and the increased number of visitors. Therefore, it is necessary to implement the stated recommendations to enhance the achievement of the site’s intended goals.

Effective tools of management are likely to yield fruits if the challenges mentioned in this report are solved. Effective management also includes creating harmonized goals between different stakeholders. This harmonization can be achieved if all the stakeholders communicate with each other and discuss the matters involved. The organization of these meetings and discussion on how to harmonize these goals is normally done by the Malta Tourism Authority.

References

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Introduction

Globalization increases the opportunities for heritage tourism across the globe and this comes with increasing economic growth across the globe as a result of its influence on trade and investment and hence a rise in world GDP.

According to Cooper, Dwyer, Edwards, Mistilis, Roman and Scott (2008, p. 1) heritage tourism has many other advantages which like promoting international understanding, diffusion of information technology, environmental awareness among many others.

However, its negative impacts on the regions and the local communities by far outweigh its economic and social benefits. The negative impacts include evicting people from their homes which is a violation of fundamental human rights and environmental degradation.

More money and human resources is used in supporting heritage tourism projects, including campaigns aimed at diluting the effects of criticisms labeled against it; despite their minimal returns. This implies that resources that could have been used to fund meaningful projects which could contribute to more sustainable environmental and social problems are channeled to ecotourism projects.

Besides, ecotourism projects often cause conflicts due to changes in land-use. These projects do not deliver community-level benefits that they promise at the beginning since the money is collected by the county councils or game parks management.

Ecotourism projects occasionally fail to live up to sustainability ideals. Issues of environmental conservation are usually overlooked in heritage tourism projects as it is generally assumed to be consumer-oriented. Those evicted from their original homes create extra pressure in the environments they migrate to leading to development of additional infrastructure and social amenities.

This implies that the already limited resources, including the non-renewable resources are used up. Natural land is converted to tourist infrastructure as forests and wildlife habitats are destroyed. Population pressure created by ecotourism also lead to pollution of the environment associated with western lifestyle since most of them do not understand the ecological consequences of their behaviors.

Heritage tourism in Australia

According to Moore and Tourism Tasmania (2008, p. 7) Tourism Research Australia considers Australia’s cultural and natural resources to be the major attractions for both domestic and international tourists.

Heritage tourists are usually attracted by historical sites, buildings and monuments; aboriginal communities and sites, arts and cultural displays; museums; cultural festivals and events, performing arts and theatres among others (Heritage Council and Tourism Western Australia 2006).

Statistics indicate that cultural and heritage visitors in Australia have increased since 2oo6 (Moore and Tourism Tasmania 2008, p. 7). Tourism Western Australia states that cultural and heritage tourism can help improve the economic vitality of Western Australian communities as well as to improve awareness and conservation and hence broaden the countries tourism base (Moore and Tourism Tasmania 2008, p. 9)

Global Factors Impacting on Sustainability of Heritage tourism in Australia

There are various global drivers and forces that have been identified by the Australia government as likely to shape heritage tourism in Australia (Cooper et al. 2008, p. 13). Global climatic change has a negative impact on the management and preservation of environmentally sensitive tourist resources and regions.

It causes rise in sea level and flooding risks which damage the country’s infrastructure and in particular tourist infrastructure and facilities hence disrupting tourist activities. It also affects the mid-summer tourism sports. Generally, global climatic change discourages tourists from visiting Australia due to health risks that it poses hence lowering the revenue collected from cultural and heritage tourism (Cooper et al. 2008, pp. 32-33).

Global political trends also affect the sustainability of heritage tourism. Conflicts in the Middle East occasionally lead to increases in fuel prices. This negatively impacts the demand for travel, especially travelling for tourism purposes.

Local Factors Impacting on Sustainability of Heritage tourism in Australia

Heritage degradation is affected by local factors such as local pollution, poverty, ideologies, tourism, war, religion, among others (Amo๊da, Lira and Pinheiro 2010, p. v). Although tourists involved in cultural and heritage tourism claim to help educate and create awareness, they do not understand their ecological influences in these areas.

They dump garbage all over the place and this leads to pollution caused by the tourists themselves. It is also affected by the criticisms from those who feel that the resources used in developing cultural and heritage tourism projects could be used in developing another sustainable sector of the economy.

The Phase of Human and Ecological Sustainability

The sustainability of heritage and cultural tourism is in the strategies proactive phase. According to the Australian Tourist Commission (nd, i) the Australian Heritage Commission, the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources have been involved in finding issues that affect the Australian heritage tourism for many years.

There are also heritage managers whose duties are to enable legislation and to protect and conserve heritage places that they manage (Australian tourism commission nd, p. 7). Sustainability efforts also involve indigenous custodians whose management responsibilities are to oversee places based in customary law.

More research is also being done by many other organizations which are also involved promoting heritage tourism activities.

One such corporate organization is the International Hotel Environment Initiative which is an educational charity working to help encourage improvements in environmental performance by raising environmental awareness aimed at encouraging good practices in the hotel industry (Commission on Sustainable Development Seventh Session 1999, p. 4)

Sustainability Plan for cultural Heritage tourism in Australia

The main objective for the sustainability plan for heritage tourism industry in Australia is to involve all stakeholders in the protection and enhancement of the aboriginal culture and heritage. Other objectives include developing and maintaining infrastructure that supports sustainable communities and tourism within the country.

The purpose of the plan is to involve the government and other stakeholders, including the corporate organizations to better understand and contribute in protection and conservation of the cultural and heritage assets within the country. It emphasizes on the need for commitment by stakeholders to help preserve cultural heritage and to assist the indigenous people to achieve their cultural heritage aspirations.

The Action Plan

All cultural heritage sites and conservation areas will be fenced to ensure that the area is undisturbed. Secondly, all the personnel working in the cultural heritage industry must have completed a heritage management course or an induction on cultural and heritage awareness.

Hazard analysis and environmental impact assessment will be carried out on all the existing cultural and heritage projects as well as new projects awaiting implementation so that any activity that poses environmental risk to the region or community to be relocated to the most suitable area.

Monitoring of the heritage sites will be done by both the environmental and the indigenous groups’ representatives. Management of heritage sites will be done by heritage experts who fully understand the logistics involved in cultural heritage management and conservation.

All heritage activities have to be authorized by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Department of Environment who must carry out an environmental impact assessment before allowing the activity.

Relocation of heritage sites must also follow recommendations from the Department of Indigenous Affairs Standards. Appropriate protection measures on any new heritage project to be located around already existing heritage site’s conservation zone will be taken in order to ensure that the older heritage sites remain undisturbed.

Involvement of corporate Organizations

The government agencies to be involved in the management and conservation project include the Australian Cultural Heritage Management, the Department of Environment and Conservation, the Department of Indigenous Affairs and the Environmental Protection Authority. It will also involve the Traditional Custodian groups across all the regions in the country (Canning, Draper and Molt 2007, p. 10).

Partnerships will also be established with other corporate and international organizations, mainly the International Hotel Environment Initiative, the US government, the UK government and the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism.

Project management

The management will involve all the stakeholders at different levels. There will be the national coordinating office in Sydney and other regional offices in each region as well as district coordinating offices in each district. All the government agencies and corporate organizations will perform specific duties and responsibilities and will also be involved in collaborative work (Heritage Council and Tourism Western Australia 2006, p. 21).

Decisions will be made by all the stakeholders or specific group whenever necessary.

Avoiding environment and Social Impacts during the period

During the period, there should a continued monitoring of all aboriginal heritage sites and consultations with the indigenous groups of each region in order to achieve sustainable development of the projects and to make them relevant to the indigenous communities. New benchmarks for every cultural heritage site should be set after phase of the project implementation so as to realize sustainability.

Heritage activities involving archaeological activities will involve archeological and ethnographic heritage surveys and also encompass all representative groups, including the Traditional Custodian groups (Government of Western Australia 2003).

This will enable the project managers and organizers receive constructive feedback on the heritage activity and review the requirements for the projects. All the heritage sites will be zoned to ensure effective monitoring and protection measures are implemented in each zone.

Phases of the Sustainability Plan for the project

The first phase planned to take one year will involve carrying an environmental impact assessment and situational analysis of the existing government heritage assets and others which are privately managed or are left carefree. It will involve a baseline analysis on the contributions of heritage tourist activities on the specific areas and communities.

The second phase will take the next two years and will involve sensitizing the general public as well institutions on the need to protect and conserve cultural and heritage materials and sites. This will be done by non-governmental organizations under the coordination of the Department of Indigenous Affairs. However, this is expected o be continuous throughout the ten year period.

This period also involves identification of each site’s or heritage material’s unique requirements and developing appropriate protection and conservation approach. It will also involve acquiring land and space for developing the identified projects and needs in each area.

The research would be done by the Department of Environment and Conservation in collaboration with the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism. This phase also involve developing strategies and policies for implementing and governing the project operations.

The third phase, which will also take the next three years will involve implementations of the recommendations from the first and the second phase. It will also involve monitoring of the progress of each heritage site and activity and evaluating the outcome.

At the end of the end of the first phase, auditing and evaluation is done on each project and the report is presented to all the stakeholders who then sit down to review the implementation process and the benchmarks for each project.

The project is then given another two-year term to monitor the progress and review the bench in accordance with the outcome and make appropriate adjustments.

The final two years will be to review the goals and strategies for protection and conservation and to try and implement long term goals.

Sectoral Changes

After the ten year plan, reviewing of the success of the project would require certain sectoral changes to make the projects in each region be more sustainable and beneficial to the people. It is therefore important to make decisions and planning which involve the local government.

According to Amery, Hiscox-Price, Leong and Thompson (2010, p. 7) inclusion of the council in heritage activities helps in creating favorable tourism condition and effective environmental management. This also helps in enabling the local communities to realize the multiplier effects of the projects within their communities (Canning, Draper and Molt 2007).

Summary

Heritage tourism has both negative and positive impacts on all sectors of the economy. This document studies the negative impacts of tourism and how best to counter its negative impacts on the ecological environment. It analyzes the possible negative impacts on the heritage industry in Australia and the possible management strategies to help combat the negative impacts of heritage tourism.

Conclusion

Effective heritage tourism management involves evaluating the impacts of the tourism activity the environment and the area which it occurs.

Heritage tourism management should not be left to Department of Indigenous Affairs and the Department of Tourism alone; it should involve all stakeholders, including communities. Better management and conservation strategy need to be developed and implemented to help protect the ecological environment.

Reference List

Amery, J., Hiscox-Price, N., Leong, C, & Thompson, K., 2010, Beverley Tourism Management, feasibility and sustainability plan: A Destination management strategic plan: 2005 – 2009. Web.

Amo๊da, R, Lira, S., & Pinheiro, C., 2010. Heritage 2010: Heritage and sustainable development. Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development. Web.

Australian Tourism Commission. Successful tourism at heritage places: A guide for tourism operators, heritage managers and communities. Web.

Canning, S., Draper, N. & Molt, D., 2007. Industrial site ‘A’: Retrieval and relocation of heritage sites and bulk earthworks phase. Australian Cultural Heritage Management. Web.

Commission on Sustainable Development Seventh Session., 1999, Tourism and Sustainable development: The global Importance of tourism. World Travel and Tourism Organization and International Hotel and Restaurant Association. New York: Routledge.

Cooper, C, Dwyer, L, Edwards, D., Mistilis, N, Roman, C., & Scott, N., 2008, Megatrends underpinning tourism to 2010: Analysis of key drivers for change. CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd. Queensland: Wiley.

Dioko, L. A.N & Gujadhur, T., n. d Packaging heritage for tourism: Modeling the effects on the practice and transmission of intangible heritage. Macao: Institute for Tourism Studies.

Heritage Council and Tourism Western Australia., 2006. A heritage tourism strategy for Western Australia. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Online.

Government of Western Australia., 2003, Hope for the future: The Western Australian State sustainability strategy. Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Perth: WA Government.

Moore, G., & Tourism Tasmania., 2008, Culture and heritage tourism: Understanding the issues and success factors. Queensland: CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd.

Introduction

Malta has been seen as a destination for “3 s” (sea, sand, sun) tourism for a long time. However, many researchers note that reliance on this type of tourism can lead to various negative outcomes (Bramwell 2007). More so, Malta has other touristic options which can help the republic develop. Thus, heritage or cultural tourism is a perspective area to develop. Valletta, the capital city of Malta, can be an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world. The city was founded in 1566 “by Grand Master Jean de la Valletta, of the Knights of St John” (Dillon 2010, p. 37). The city is associated with a variety of events which had certain impact on the history of Europe. It is necessary to note that the city is multinational and this also contributes to a potential interest of tourists coming from different European countries.

Admittedly, heritage tourism in Malta has become a topic of a heated debate. The stakeholders involved agree that this branch of tourism should be developed but there is no particular strategy (Pappas 2005; Dodds, 2007; Dillon 2010). The stakeholders involved have different views on how this sector should be developed. Remarkably, authorities are often blamed for their inability to cope with various problems associated with the development of heritage tourism in Valletta. There are problems with transportation, accommodations for tourists, dwelling for locals, insufficient services, environmental issues, etc. The present report covers major issues associated with heritage tourism in Valletta and provides some ideas on how these issues can be addressed. Of course, it is necessary to start with a short description of major products and resources available at the heritage attraction.

Products and resources available at the heritage attraction

One of the major characteristics of Valletta is its majestic architecture: Baroque style prevails in the city (Smith 2009). Therefore, one of the major services available is the walking tour. Walking tours are very popular, like in any other heritage European destinations. There are various routes offered to tourists. Local guides can even customize tours for a particular tourist or group of tourists. There are several ‘must-see’ sites in the city.

For instance, Auberge de Castile is one of the most magnificent sites (Dillon 2010). The facade of the marvellous building dominates the entire square. At present, this is the residence of the Prime Minister of the republic. Of course, it fascinates people with its magnificence and various stories.

According to Travelling Wizards (2011) St. John’s Co-Cathedral is also a must-see place. It was built in the sixteenth century and it also has various stories to share. Of course, it is also one of the most beautiful examples of high Baroque style as well as “an important shrine and a sacred place of worship” (Travelling Wizards 2011, p. 7).

Fort Saint Elmo is also a very important site as this fortification tells a story of the entire city. Along with this site National Museum in Malta can also attract those who want to know more about the history of the great city (Delia 2011). The museum has artefacts which can help recreate events which took place in the sixteenth century. It is necessary to note that the museum also covers events and historical figures which were important in terms of European history.

Upper Barracca Gardens can be regarded as one of the most popular touristic attractions in the city. However, it is also necessary to point out that almost every street makes any tour one of the most majestic adventures even for those who are accustomed to narrow streets of a medieval city. Thus, Fancesco Laparalli da Cortona, a famous Italian architect, created a very special “grid-layout for Valletta’s streets” (Marks 2008, p. 102).

As has been mentioned above, walking tours are major services provided to tourists. Notably, there are some routes available online so many tourists coming to Malta can design their own routes. Guided tours at various museums and historical sites are also offered. However, there is a very particular feature of heritage tourism in Valletta.

People living in Valletta often claim that the city is seen as a kind of “museum” by tourist who come for a couple of hours and go to the hotel on a beach (Theuma 2004, p. 299). Theuma (2004, p. 299) notes that the average amount of time spent in the city by tourists is only about 5 hours for touristic groups and 6 hours for “individual travellers”.

Thus, the city does not offer tourists anything but smart places to visit and nice restaurants to eat in. Many researchers agree that more services should be offered. Local authorities and people understand that development of additional products will lead to various changes in social and economic life of the city and its inhabitants.

The key stakeholders involved

One group of the key stakeholders is that of tourists. Tourists are interested in visiting nice and interesting place to obtain more positive emotions and have a very good time. Tourists are eager to come to Valletta which attracts them with its magnificent architecture and history. Of course, tourists tend to expect a variety of products available. A couple of walking tours or visiting museums and restaurants are far from being enough.

Local authorities are also stakeholders as tourism brings considerable funds to local budgets. At this point, it is necessary to note that tourism is one of the major industries in Malta. Tourism contributes about 30% of GDP of the republic. This trend can be transferred to the city as well. Admittedly, local authorities can benefit from development of heritage tourism in Valletta as money brought by tourists can be used to renovate the city, develop its infrastructure, improve well-being of its inhabitants.

Finally, locals are also stakeholders as they are affected by tourism in many respects. In the first place, development of heritage tourism can improve their well-being. Development of the industry will lead to creation of working places and increased salaries. Pappas (2005) also states that cultural exchange can also positively affect the development of the city and its inhabitants. On the other hand, researchers as well as locals note that development of heritage tourism in Valletta can lead to problems associated with uncontrolled urban growth (Pappas 2005).

The key management and visitor management issues

Admittedly, development of heritage tourism in Valletta will help the city develop. However, it is associated with a number of issues which should be addressed. First, of all it is necessary to encourage tourists to remain in the city for a longer period. Of course, in summer people prefer remaining on beach and in summer visits to Valletta can be quite short. However, tourists should be eager to come to Valletta in other seasons. Of course, longer stays can become reality if the city will be ready to accommodate visitors. Therefore, it is necessary to improve infrastructure of the city (Brezovec & Bruce 2009; Bramwell 2007). Building hotels and other facilities can be the necessary solution.

Thus, Marks (2008, p. 102) states that “[s]ave guesthouses and small hotels in the two and three star range, hotels are scarce inside Valletta”. The researcher notes that two five star hotels are in the suburbs of the city. These hotels are predominantly hosting business guests and conferences. This cannot be enough to develop heritage tourism in the area.

Dodds (2007) also notes that there is certain lack of low cost hotels in the city. According to Pappas (2005), present tourism is becoming ‘younger’. Young people who prefer backpacking and living in hostels explore various parts of different countries. At present, there is a need in low cost facilities for travellers. Instead, business people tend to build luxurious hotels and golf courses. This can become a huge problem. Maltese should take into account scarce resources of the country. Therefore, local authorities of Valletta have to develop this area as well.

It is also important to note that Valletta has been seen as a place with no nightlife for a long time. Even now many people think that the life in the city stops when the sun goes down (Marks 2008). This makes the city less popular among young travellers. Therefore, local authorities as well as private sector have to address this issue, too.

Admittedly, these improvements require considerable funding. However, local authorities as well as the republic have scarce resources to fund tourism (Bramwell 2007). This can be a significant problem as local authorities will need to find the way. It is necessary to note that political situation in the country can also negatively affect the development of the heritage tourism (Pappas 2005).

Bramwell (2007) also notes that dependence of Malta on foreign travel agencies is also a problem. These agencies offer only 3s holiday to travellers coming to Malta. However, to develop heritage tourism, it is necessary to make tourists aware of the new products provided in Valletta.

The effectiveness of the management tools

To address one of the major problems, i.e. issues associated with accommodation, local authorities have been developing incentives to build several luxury boutique hotels within the city walls (Marks 2008). However, this cannot be enough. As has been mentioned above, contemporary touristic destinations have to remain highly competitive. Low cost hotels can help the city remain competitive.

The decision to build five star range hotels is quite inefficient as several luxurious hotels can host a limited number of tourists who can afford this kind of accommodation. However, now many young people are eager to explore new places. However, the vast majority of young travellers will not be able to afford living within Valletta. This category of travellers (which is now the broadest) will be discouraged to spend more time in the city.

Local authorities also renovate the parts of the city which are potentially attractive for tourists (Smith 2009). Thus, historic sites are being renovated while other parts are declining. On one hand, this incentive is quite good as renovation of the historic sites will encourage travellers to come to the city. On the other hand, a lot of local people are against such an incentive as they claim that local authorities seem to focus on tourists’ comfort instead of thinking of local people’s well-being. This creates certain tension which can negatively affect development of heritage tourism in Valletta.

As for other issues concerning infrastructure, transportation should also be reconsidered. Many researchers agree that the major problem of the city is lack of coordination among authorities and private sector. Dodds (2007) mentions the case when authorities were trying to provide a shuttle bus to bring travellers from the port to the gates of the city. However, this incentive was blocked by local drivers who did not want to lose their own business. Therefore, tourists have to use taxis to get to the city. Again, going by taxi is not the most economical way to travel and many travellers can be discouraged by the fees (as the journey can cost about 20€). There are buses from the airport, but they are quite old. Therefore, transportation needs a great deal of renovation.

As far as the nightlife in Valletta is concerned, it is necessary to note that many restaurants, nightclubs, bars and cafes are being opened within the city walls (Marks 2008). Therefore, now Valletta is a city for those who seek for a good nightlife. This trend is quite positive for all stakeholders involved. On one hand, nightlife attracts travellers. On the other hand, local people will not oppose to development of evening entertainment. Local authorities will also benefit as the new entrepreneurs will pay taxes which will enrich the local budget. This can become one of the solutions to financial issues associated with development of heritage tourism in Valletta. Of course, local authorities will need to come up with incentives to raise funds for development of this area.

Finally, Maltese people have understood that they should stop relying on foreign travel agencies. Maltese government as well as authorities of Valletta have started promoting heritage tourism in Valletta (Smith 2009). However, there are advantages and downsides in this incentive.

Of course, it is beneficial for the industry that the government pays special attention to development of heritage tourism in the capital city. Coordination of efforts is also beneficial. Thus, the government, local authorities and private sector are trying to come up with certain solutions (Smith 2009). At the same time, focusing on heritage tourism can negatively affect the so-called 3s tourism. Degradation of this area is believed to be a significant hazard for the Maltese economy (Smith 2009). Besides, many people express concerns that the city may lose its “liveability” (Smith 2009, p. 136). Many people believe that “museumification” of Valletta can devastate the city, which will lead to its destruction or even disappearance (Smith 2009, p. 138).

Recommendations

Obviously, a lot has already been done to develop heritage tourism in Valletta. However, some incentives are quite ineffective. More so, there are quite many effective solutions to the issues mentioned above. In the first place, new low cost hotels should be built. Of course, scarce resources of the city make it impossible to build many hotels of this kind. However, several small low cost hotels can be a good start. Marks (2008) notes that residential ‘capacity’ of the city is underestimated. The researcher claims:

Although residential property in Valletta may host up to around 18,000 only about 8,000 live there – many of whom in social housing built on war-stricken land, government requisitioned property or even squatting. (Marks 2008, p. 103)

Therefore, low cost hotels can be built without detriment to local people. Nevertheless, local authorities should make sure the community is not against the construction. Local authorities should persuade people of the necessity to develop heritage tourism in Valletta. Local authorities may consider the incentive which will cover several issues simultaneously. Thus, it is possible to build several low cost hotels along with housing for young local people, encouraging young people to remain in the city and develop its industries. The community will eagerly support this kind of incentive as all stakeholders will benefit. It is necessary to note that local authorities should make sure historical and residential areas are being developed equally. This will make locals think that ‘museumification’ of the city has stopped and the city will not lose its liveability.

Another possible option concerning accommodation can be provided by the private sector. For instance, some communities can arrange guest houses where tourists will be able to see real life of Maltese people. This will lead to cultural exchange, which positively affects development of any nation. Certain communities can be involved into creation of such guest houses. Of course, the prices should not be high as this type of product will be interesting predominantly for young people who seek for new experiences.

Transportation is another problem which has not been solved yet. Of course, introduction of buses in some areas may be opposed by the private sector and it is too early to start such kind of incentives. However, it is necessary to renovate the sector of public transport. New buses should be available for tourists coming from airport or port to Valletta’s gate. It can be a good idea to equip these buses (at least some of them) with audio guides that will provide tourists with some facts concerning the island or the area near Valletta. This audio guide can also mention the most interesting sites to visit. Decoration of buses is also very important. Various photos of the most marvellous places in the city should be on both sides of the buses.

As has been mentioned above, the city’s nightlife is being developed. Restaurants, cafes and bars are now available. However, the local authorities should think of night shows at historic places. Thus, in many European cities tourists can visit some marvellous night shows. Likewise, Valletta’s guests can be invited for some medieval night performances. These performances can be medieval tournaments or guided tours along the most mysterious streets at night. Admittedly, the city has many legends which should be told under the moonshine only.

As far as promotion of heritage tourism is concerned, Valletta should have its own travel agencies. In the first place, these travel agencies will be interested in promoting heritage tourism in the city. Secondly, these agencies will have the most comprehensive information about products available. These agencies should be accountable to the local authorities.

It is also possible to use technology extensively to attract travellers. The Internet is a very potent tool which can be used. It is possible to find some tourist routes online. Of course, a variety of routes available online will positively affect the development of heritage tourism. It is also important to start a massive online campaign promoting heritage tourism in Valletta. Major historic sites should be mentioned. It is possible to mention some facts from the history of the city which are associated with the history of other European countries.

In fact, one of the major problems of the city is the lack of cooperation between local authorities and the private sector. However, this cooperation is the key to the city’s success. Therefore, local authorities (political forces within the authorities) should work out particular strategy to address the problems existing in the city. Private sector should also be involved in the process. Thus, one of the projects which can bring the two stakeholders together can be concerned with development of nightlife. People can be involved in creation of the night performances.

Conclusion

It is necessary to note that heritage tourism in Valletta is only starting to develop. There are many issues to be solved. Thus, local authorities should improve infrastructure of the city and diversify the range of products available for travellers. However, some steps have already been undertaken. For instance, the city’s nightlife is being developed. New hotels are being erected. However, there is the lack of coordination between local authorities and the private sector. There is still scarcity of products available. Thus, it is important to develop low cost range of hotels and develop new touristic routes. Guided night tours and night performances should be introduced. Own travel agencies should also be created to promote the city. Technology can help Maltese people develop heritage tourism in their capital city.

Reference List

Bramwell, B 2007, ‘Complexity, interdisciplinarity and growth management: the case of Maltese resort tourism’, in S Agarwal & G Shaw (eds.), Managing coastal tourism resorts: a global perspective, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon.

Brezovec, T & Bruce, D 2009, ‘Tourism development: issues for historic walled towns’, Management 4.2, pp. 101-114.

Delia, R 2011, ‘National Museums in Malta’, conference proceedings from EuNaMus, European National Museums: identity politics, the uses of the past and the European citizen, Bologna, 28-30 April 2011, Linköping University Electronic Press, Bologna.

Dillon, P 2010, Walking Malta: 33 routes on Malta, Gozo and Comino, Cicerone Press Limited, Milnthorpe.

Dodds, R 2007, ‘Malta’s tourism policy: standing still or advancing towards sustainability?’, Island Studies Journal 2.1, pp. 47-66.

Marks, D 2008, Executive Malta, EPH Ltd., Dubai.

Pappas, N 2005, ‘Mediterranean tourism: comparative study of urban island host destinations’, in International conference on tourism development and planning, Patras, 11-12 June 2005, A.T.E.I., Patras.

Smith, A 2009, ‘The relationship between capital city monumentality and tourism in Valletta’, in R Maitland & BW Ritchie (eds.), City tourism: national capital perspectives, CABI, Oxforshire.

Theuma, N 2004, ‘Tourism, culture and cultural tourism in Malta: the revival of Valletta’, in B Bramwell (ed.), Coastal mass tourism: diversification and sustainable development in Southern Europe, Channel View Publications, Clevedon.

Travelling Wizards 2011, Malta – the mythical island, Travelling Wizards, London.

Introduction

The scholarly article about tourism is basically explaining the scope of tourism and the tourism industry in relation to the role played by national parks that act as markers for tourist attraction. The first part of this paper emphasizes nature and its importance to the tourism sector. It explains the use of different terms and the different places in the attraction of the tourists. The National parks are credited for being major tourist attraction sites as compared to national heritage and promotion of the tourism industry as they have what the tourist wants to see, that is, the beauty of nature and the which has over the years proved to be a major attraction in most places in the world. The article argues that the branding of the natural environment with the marker name, or label which forms a nucleus that is the major point of attraction for visitors visiting any given place, is an important aspect in promoting tourism.

The article also talks of research conducted in Sweden in three different National sites to prove the argument of the article. In the research, the findings were analyzed with reference to the number of people who often visit the National Parks and National Heritage sites in Sweden.

Critical Review of the Article

The article on tourists is well introduced by the author to give the reader a summary of the main argument of the article. The author also uses different terms and definitions referring to the National parks and National heritage sites as well as the natural biosphere. The article also is systematic as it tries to bring out the argument on nature as a tourist attraction in the National parks. (Boyd, 2004) The research survey was conducted in Sweden at a National park, a heritage site, and a Biosphere reserve in order to show the response of people influencing their visiting to such sites. Any scholarly article should have supporting or tangible evidence of its argument. The survey carried out shows that the author of the article had a reason to write on the specific topic and support its argument.

The article has weaknesses in its argument. It emphasizes the influence of the natural sites as the only determining factor to the tourist’s decision to visit a place. The research that was conducted was only conducted in only three places in Sweden; this is not enough to draw conclusions. Good research that could have brought about reliable and valid conclusions would have been carried out in several countries on different continents. The research again was not conducted using the right method. The use of questionnaires send to mail is not reliable as people may not respond well to it; hence the information cannot be relied on. The information collected from the various tourists who had toured the different places in Sweden from Germany and other countries may have different reasons for visiting these sites. However, this article does not put into consideration the other factors that may influence the visiting of the National parks, heritage sites, and the biosphere reserves. The most effective factor influencing the tourist’s decision to visit a particular place anywhere in the world is the marketing of the tourist destination to the rest of the world. The role of media and especially the use of the internet in the marketing tourism industry in the world is the most effective way to promote tourism.

There are other factors that also make a national park a must-go place, the presence of other supportive facilities apart from the natural protection of the biodiversity and the cultural heritage as emphasized by the article. The presence of good infrastructure in the tourist destination, communication lines, security, shopping malls, beaches, and sporting activities can be a determining factor for tourists to visit a place. (Dupuis, 2002) This article does not include the marine ecosystem and the biodiversity in nature as a factor that is supposed to be included under the natural attraction. Labeling of the different sites with natural heritage cannot be the only factor and is not applicable in all parts of the world.

Conclusion

The article is standard in the way the author is bringing out his argument as it is well introduced with a very strong conclusion. It should be noted that the issues put forward by the author in this article is not the overall determinant of tourism. There are other factors that need to be addressed in tourism management. The article has only one perspective on the issue of tourism and tends to make the reader believe that the biosphere and nature, in general, are the key elements in a tourist attraction.

References

Boyd, S. (2004). National Parks: Wilderness and Culture. In A Companion to Tourism, (Malden: Blackwell).

Buckley, R. (2004). The Effects of World Heritage Listing on Tourism to Australian National Parks, Journal of Sustainable Tourism,

Ceballos-Lascurain, H. (1996). Tourism, Ecotourism and Protected Areas, (New York: Wesley).

Dupuis, L. and D. Muller, (2002), Time-Space Use among Cross-country Skiers in Abisko, (London: Macmillan).

Fredman, P. and Heberlein, T. (2003).Changes in Skiing and Snowmobiling in Swedish Mountains. Annals of Tourism Research, (New York: McGraw-Hill).

What is Digital Preservation of Heritage?

Heritage preservation has been an essential phenomenon since the eighteenth century when Europe started paying attention to different national identities and cultural diversity. However, the past methods of preserving heritage have proven unreliable due to climate change effects, globalization, modernization, and rapid urbanization (Gao et al., 2018). Additionally, no well-laid-out policies protect and preserve the cultural heritage. For instance, ancient Chinese architectural designs are more prone to natural disasters such as fire and earthquakes. Most heritage cities are under threat, and there is a consensus that they need protection and safeguarding for future generations.

For the past two decades, digital preservation of heritage has been a wide area of research, although the technology has faced many challenges. In resolving these problems, scientists have innovated modern methods of preserving heritage using digital means (Singh, 2012). The main aims of digital preservations are; to enable the supply of heritage through digital outlets to large audiences, to guarantee that initial measurements and forms of natural heritage are not lost in case of natural disasters, to pick out art forgery, to develop replicas and enable the collection of particular texture and geometrical information from the natural objects (Gomes et al., 2014). Therefore, digital preservation is a revolution against the traditional method of preserving natural and cultural heritage.

In the past, 2D models were used to capture heritage. The model first used the geographic information system, which helped link a heritage with its semantics. In other instances, they connected the cultural heritage with the spatial information system, especially for single buildings (Pepe et al., 2021). However, this method was insufficient because it was only limited to 2D, and therefore there was a need for more digitalization of heritage preservations that saw the development of 3D (Evens & Hauttekeete, 2011). The 3D systems are more focused on using volumetric picture images. Although it is challenging to construct 3D images due to the nature of the environment, scientists have used complex shapes such as Non-Uniform Rational Basis-Splines (NURBS) to have a digital recording of natural heritage. The other digital method for collecting cultural heritage uses a laser scan Building Information Modelling (BIM) software (Valetutti, 2015). This type of reverse engineering uses the help of a laser to construct a map of photogrammetric data. However, this method cannot be used for ancient Chinese architecture because the lasers may damage the painting and materials used by ancient Chinese, and the architecture is structurally complicated, requiring close-range scanning.

Nowadays, more communities are adopting new digital methods of storing their cultural heritage for future generations by highlighting the values of different cultural terms. Therefore, digital heritage preservation relies heavily on 3D imaging (Peters et al., 2017). It uses computer-based systems such as NURBS and BIM to create, share, and store natural and cultural heritage information. The more the development of digital preservation methods, the more different cultures will be able to store their natural and cultural heritage and share it with a large audience of people. For instance, the internet can be used to share a cultural heritage across many people, indicating that it is a digital heritage product.

Reasons for Digital Preservations for Architectural Heritage

One of the main reasons for adopting digital preservations for architectural heritage is a detailed and comprehensive portrayal of heritage. A study conducted by Aburamadan et al. (2021) showed that more reliance on digital technologies in Jordan had been adopted to provide a more accurate and holistic representation of their culture. Digital technology can document and eliminate various barriers found in previous versions. For instance, a laser scan can record a building within one day and share it with experts situated miles away using the internet, significantly improving the previous versions of preserving natural and cultural heritage (Aburamadan et al., 2021). Some of the technologies which enable the more accurate recording include AutoCad, a 2D tool, and Laser scanning for 3D. Therefore, these tools can capture historical buildings using computerized 2D and 3D images. However, these technologies have been found to sometimes produce inconsistent results due to the effects of lasers on the historic buildings, which can lead to a detrimental impact on the value and significance of these buildings (Gao et al., 2018). Therefore, the processes are integrated with BIM to provide accurate and consistent results while preserving the heritage sites’ functional physical, and cultural components.

Digital preservations have been adopted because they help to achieve resilient conservation. Innovative technologies have been used to move design communities and buildings to resilience. One of the innovative technology is the Internet of Things (IoT) and Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) (Elabd et al., 2021). Designers often use these tools to help them overcome the complexities which lead to conflicting objectives. Using 3D heritage models, researchers can rely on photogrammetry and laser scanners to tape cultural and natural heritage sites. HBIM helps map parametric objects to image survey data and cloud through reverse engineering (Khalid, 2021). Mapping historical buildings using HBIM produces complete 3D images and orthographic images, which help restore heritage. The HBIM enables collective decision-making by visualizing and enhancing system thinking by weighing up against other designs. On the other hand, IoT helps communicate information technologies that connect researchers with other designs to compare their data (Elabd et al., 2021). It provides real-time communication capability between people in different geographical locations, making digital preservations more reliable and fast. Therefore, digital preservation can achieve resilience through IoT and HBIM.

Digital preservation helps in saving the original architectural heritage. This method is mostly used for documents or other architectural heritage features available in singular forms, and their demand is high (Boamah, 2018). In some instances, some architectural heritage features can only be available in one copy, which makes them not assessable enough for all the people who want to use them. Additionally, the exposure to too many people would also destroy the original architectural heritage. Therefore, the best solution to avoid the destruction of the authentic architectural heritage, such as a manuscript, buildings, or structures, would be through digitalization, where the original copy is well kept or guarded (Boussaa, 2014). Then a replica of that is available for public viewing. Digital preservation also improves access to the architectural heritage because multiple people can use digital replicas simultaneously. For instance, if people come to a specific architectural heritage site to read a manuscript, the manuscript can be digitalized. People pay to view it online, reducing the number of visitors to the architectural heritage site, saving it from deterioration.

The use of digital preservation enhances the strengthening of policy regarding architectural heritage. The traditional methods did not have any policies or formal methods of allocating resources to the architectural heritage (Boamah, 2018). The oldest people in the society were heavily relied on for information regarding the cultural and architectural heritage, and sometimes information would be lost as it was passed down generations (Boamah, 2018). This is because the information and knowledge were delivered through word of mouth, and sometimes the death of such individuals would lead to a loss of knowledge regarding architectural and cultural heritage. Therefore, the use of digital preservation methods helped bring out good policies on effective information management for architectural heritage sites. The local societies and those with the most knowledge are significantly consulted during digitalization, making information passing seamless and accurate.

How Digital Technologies Preserve the Architectural Heritage

Digital technologies use 2D and 3D segmentation and classification techniques to preserve architectural heritage. In 3D images, they look for gradient, surface normal, and other geometric characteristics, while 2D images look for color, shape, scale, and shape patterns (Deligiorgi et al., 2021). They use both cloud and image segmentation to conduct medical analyses, detect objects, classify microorganisms, and vehicle recognition. Segmentation is used to identify point clouds, images, or meshes of a homogenous nature while factoring in the different unique properties.

One of the methods used in recording architectural heritage is edge-based segmentation. This method has two main parts: the first part detects edges, and the other combines points inside the segment to develop the final details. Edges are mainly identified through principal curvatures, gradients, and high-order derivatives, and they are recorded in places of a given threshold (Grilli & Remondino, 2019). This method is fast in segmentation, but it may sometimes produce inaccurate results because of uneven density clouds and noise. Additionally, when using this method in 3D framing, segmentation filling can be used to make identification simpler.

The other commonly used segmentation method is the model-fitting approach. This method relies on observing artificial objects, figuring out primitive shapes, such as cubes, cylinders, and spheres, and restoring them into their original state based on their mathematical representations (Grilli & Remondino, 2019). The commonly used methods to restore these shapes are Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) and Hough Transformation (HT). This is a fast method of restoring architectural heritage; however, sometimes, it may present complex shapes that are not easy to figure out.

Surveying measures the characteristic angles and distances in a moment to identify its original position by transforming it into an orthogonal coordinate system. This method depends on a 3D orthogonal coordinate system using high complex accuracy measurement tools such as total station (El Araby & Okeil, 2004). In the digitization of monuments, the surveying method can restore architectural heritage. This method has high accuracy and reliability and is easy to identify the original monument. However, the method is so demanding that one must be physically available at the site, and it is commonly used in complex situations.

Laser scanning techniques can as well be used to restore architectural heritage. They enable the researchers to measure the topographic quantities and use the optical line, which connects the characteristic point and merges them with the reference point of the device (Pavlidis et al., 2007). They also use the triangulation principle to automatically estimate the distance and plot it in a Cartesian plane. This method is reliable, fast, accurate, and allows the collection of a large volume of data within a short period.

The last method of preserving architectural heritage is through photogrammetry. It uses topographical methods to take accurate measurements from digital photographs. Using the CAD software, photogrammetry can transform photos to get the exact coordinates measurements (Pavlidis et al., 2007). However, this method is relatively slow and must be integrated with other methods to produce accurate results. It can also be used for architectural heritages which cannot be accessed or have prohibited entry.

Examples of Worldwide Digital Preservations of Architectural Heritage

There have been various urban and architectural conservations worldwide, mostly in Arabic countries. One of the cities that have undergone digital conservations is As-Salt, a city in Jordan. The city had historic houses built of two or three stories in the local yellow stone. It was the capital city in 1922, but the town was left to decay (Trillo et al., 2020). The city’s increasing population focused more on modern houses than on restoring the older ones, and therefore the Salt Development Corporation chose to develop one iconic house called the Qaqish House. This house was restored in three phases in 1989, 1993, and 2000 and now acts as the As-Salt City Development Office (Trillo et al., 2020). The team used BIM objects to find the relevant architectural elements in the house, and using various software such as Auto-desk Revit and AutoCAD, they were able to restore it. 3D laser scanning was used to identify assets in the house. This transformation is iconic in the city, and every step was well documented for future reference.

Another example is the Hazzazi House in Old Jeddah, restored using the HBIM model and ArchiCAD software. King Abdulaziz University and volunteers did the preservation because restoration was not common in the city. Hazzazi is a house located in the Al Mazloum neighborhood and was named after the family that lived in it (Baik et al., 2021). It was a four-story building that was initially built in 1875 and was chosen by the local administration to preserve the historical significance of Jeddah. The restoration of this house was done in five phases; the first was collecting relevant information from King Abdelaziz University using the available online sources. The second step was organizing the data collected and verifying its validity (Baik et al., 2021). The third step involved laser scanning of the Hazzizi house, the fourth stage was to use the information from the laser to re-draw the plan for the house, and the final step was to come up with a redesigned house. After the completion of the house, it became a major architectural heritage in the city of Jeddah, and the UNESCO declaration was made in 2014, naming the city a major cultural and architectural heritage center.

The last example is the Al Bastakia district, formed in the early 1900s. Most of the houses in the district were created between 1890-and 1950, making it the largest historic area of architectural heritage in Dubai (Hadjri & Boussaa, 2007). The district was deserted in the 1970s due to the migration of people to modern cities that were being created in Dubai. In 1994 after the government noticed how people had deserted the district, it appointed Llewellyn Davies to develop a conservation plan to conserve the district’s heritage (Hadjri & Boussaa, 2007). The government set aside funds for conserving the area after many old buildings had been demolished. The recreation was based on rebuilding the old houses with the same old format using the locally available products. However, due to the lack of policies and legislation, there is little evidence on whether the material used to rebuild the district had the same composition as those used in those ancient times (Abdelmonem, 2017). This implies that although the district was reconstructed, UNESCO has not yet declared it a cultural or architectural heritage.

References

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Baik, A., Almaimani, A., Al-Amodi, M., & Rahaman, K. R. (2021). Applying digital methods for documenting heritage building in Old Jeddah: A case study of Hazzazi House. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 21, e00189.

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The 1960’s are characterized by the a social movement which was called Counterculture and had a great influence on the historical, political and social events in the USA, as well as in the whole world, “the 1960’s brought revolution to American society – in the arts, technology and human understanding” (Welcome to the ’60s 1).

In this paper, we are going to discuss how the Countercultural movement of the 60’s influenced on the people’s lifestyle and provide an argument that in had a positive influence on the development of modern society and youth culture.

In the 1960’s young people of America began reappraising old values, materialistic and cultural norms. They created an alternative lifestyle named counterculture. A new movement faced new issues and ideas, such as civil rights, nuclear threat, Vietnam War, environmental protection, drug use and woman rights, “the years were marked by gay rights, and civil rights and women’s rights and outcry and disillusionment” (Welcome to the ’60s 1).

The main moving forces of the Counterculture movement were the pursuit of peace, love and freedom. People felt freely, there were new visions on religion, child care family relations, etc. People felt more free and independent. As Joelle Fraser writers in her memoirs From the Territory of Men when speaking about her parents, “They made jokes about their lifestyle, how it was like the title from Hemingway’s book A Movable Feast.

Almost every night they drank, and in the morning woke to friends passed out on their floor” (203). She also says that both of her parents were dreamers, as all the young people of America in 1960’s. Many individuals tried to “find peace” using drugs, others referred to meditation practice and mysticism. The perception of the world has changed. This era and its principles promoted providing new legacies in the social structure. These legacies had a long lasting positive effect on Americans’ lives and its traces can be seen in modern society.

A new culture contributed to considerable changes in the modern American culture and lifestyle, as well as had great influence on the word outside America. As it has already mentioned, the attitude to the family and gender relations changed. A legacy of on the American family can be seen in the modern society, “American society is more open now and could be described as being more flexible because, for example, there are now many more definitions of family” (Carter n. p.).

The two-parent nuclear family is not the “axis of society”, one-parent families and extended families are normal for the word society. Moreover, the adoption of children became a norm and they are “treated the same as biological children in today’s society” (Carter n. p.). The attitude to women’s rights was also changed. Many women began working and today women are parts of the “work force”. Moreover, the feminist movement of the 1960’s promoted the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

As Carted mentions, woman gained the right to control their bodies. Today, the commercials of the birth control pills are common in the modern society and sex education in schools is part of the educational program. The countercultural movement promoted the creation of Health Care programs. Such program as Medicare and Medicaid created in 60’s “helped many Americans gain access to necessary healthcare” (Carter n. p.). The program is still function and addressing the educational and nutrition need of people.

However, despite of all positive outcomes of the legacy of the 1960’s, there is certain negative impact on the society can be observed. For example, the development of the drug culture and the problem of alcoholism in the modern society take its roots in the 60’s. There are still problems of the racial and class differences in the modern society.

The Counterculture movement had also a great impact on the development of contemporary youth culture. As a matter of fact, young people were the axis of the movement. Fraser describes her parents as the participants of the social changes: they contributed to changes and who were influenced by them:

“And there was this sense of promise that was inspired partly by their youth, but also by something beyond them, a fiery optimism that surrounded them in California in the sixties…” (204).

Many modern youth cultures were adopted from the 60’s, such as emo, rock and pop cultures. The cultural ideologies of the past, has “travelled” into lives of modern young people. Among them are experiments with drugs, various music festival that are extremely popular nowadays, travelling and anti-war movements. This can be considered as a positive influence as well, as it gives to young Americans the opportunity to explore the world and expand their intellectual horizons.

Thus, we can come to a conclusion that the Counterculture movement had provoked great changes in the American society. The way people saw the better world changed that led to considerable social and cultural changes. Moreover, we can still see the “traces of the past” in our modern life. Generally, the influence of the counterculture was positive as it promoted freedom and peace. However, there was a negative impact as well, such as alcohol abuse and drug consumption.

Works Cited

Carter, Tracey. “The Legacy of the 1960s in America”. 2010. Web.

Fraser, Joelle. “The Territory of Men: A Memoir” from The counterculture reader. Ed. Elizabeth A. Swingrover. Pearson/Longman, 2004.

“Welcome to the ’60s.” Read 53 6.2. (2003). Web.

Introduction

The Lascaux caves are the most popular in the world. The Lascaux Caves in France were discovered in 1940. The paintings were created around 17,000 years ago, which makes them some of the oldest and iconic expressions of art that remain to date. The Lascaux caves are located in France’s Dordogne, in the Vézère Valley, 30 kilometers north of Sarlat in South West France. They are tourist attraction sites known for their Paleolithic age cave paintings. The original caves are close to Montignac (Lacanette 2009).

There are seven sections of the Lascaux caves namely: “the Great Hall of the Bulls, the Painted Gallery, the Lateral Passage, the Chamber of Engravings, the Main Gallery, the Chamber of Felines, and the Shaft of the Dead Man” (Lacanette 2009: 2538). Based on the multiple cover paintings on the Lascaux caves, researchers believe that for many centuries those caves have been populated by different tribes.

The most appealing of these chambers is the Hall of the Bulls, which presents the pictures of horses, bulls, and stags. The painting in the Shaft of the Dead Man also presents a particular interest due to the unusual proportion of the human figures (Lacanette 2009: 2544).

Background

Most archeologists and scholars agree that paintings found in the cave can be dated around 15,000 BC, based on radiocarbon analysis of various artifacts and charcoal discovered in the cave. The scholars and archeologists also propose that the paintings came into being within a period of several centuries.

The Lascaux cave was discovered in 1940 by a group of boys who were looking for their lost dog. In December of the same year, the caves received statutory historic memento protection. Authorities opened the caves to the public in 1948 disregarding conservation and preservation issues. The caves received over 100,000 visitors yearly (Muriel 2011:8).

The huge number of visitors and artificial lighting caused considerable destruction to the historical site. Consequently, significant archeological data disappeared as the lackluster of the paintings decreased. Worse still, devastating algae layers of bacteria and dark calcite crystals appeared on the walls of the cave. Ultimately, the authorities banned further public visits to the caves and initiated revival efforts. This arrested the development of crystals and reversed the development of algae and bacteria (Muriel 2011:10).

The authorities carried out constant monitoring as the caves remained closed to the public. In 1979, UNESCO included Lascaux cave and various other decorated caves in the Vézère Valley into the list of World Heritages Sites. In 1983, cautiously completed replica referred to as Lascaux II began receiving visitors. Replication took ten years as Monique Peytral, a local artist, reproduced the paintings with incredible attention to detail (Sacred Destinations 2010).

Presentation of the Lascaux cave

Lascaux I is made up of a main cave, which is 66 feet in width and 16 feet in height. This is the original cave, which has 600 paintings decorated on its wall and close to 1,500 engravings. Most of the paintings depict both live and extinct animals. Some of the animals etched on the walls are horses with minute heads, and cloven with round stomachs, which are representative of the Przewalski horses from Asia as well as horses common in Chinese paintings (Huppatz 2010), as well as deer, which are graceful beasts with excellent groups of antlersThere are also six cats in the paintings, two bison of male species and some unclear two-horned beasts.

There is a rare explanatory scene pointing to a hunting outing or a shamanistic ritual, crowned by exciting geometrical designs, which include rectangles and ragged lines. Lascaux II is 200 meters away from Lascaux I. It is found in a cement bunker, and copies the two major chambers of the original Lascaux Caves. There are two hundred replica paintings occupying over 128 feet in length (Huppatz 2010: 137).

Inspiration of the Cave Paintings

One of the interesting questions that are raised by scientists revolves around the need for humans to paint images or etch figures of either humans or animals on the walls of the caves. For instance, studies suggest that the Dead Man scene in Lascaux, was aimed at preventing the image from taking the soul of its creator.

The absence of recorded information makes it hard to determine the primary objective of the cave paintings. The quality of the cave paintings is high and the concerted efforts applied to such work, including the extent of applying scaffolding to get to the apex of the walls, may be an indication that the caves were holy sites fit for rituals. According to Mauriac, there are three primary theories revolving around the pre-historic paintings on the walls of the caves (Muriel, 2011: 14).

First, the prehistoric man may have created the paintings and etchings on the walls as decorations, with preference of figures of animals that were vital to human survival. Second, man may have made the paintings with the belief that they would create a sense of magic to help the hunters. Third, humans may have used the paintings of animals to document their hunting expeditions (Muriel 2011).

Features of the cave works and its artists

The area of the cave depicts a variety of mineralogical features including different variations of the surface with regard to the grain size, reflectance and hardness that are distributed between the Hall of the Bulls and the Axial Gallery (Huppatz 2010). These variations are also evident on the Passageway, the Apse, the Nave and the Shaft (Huppatz 2010).

The figures found in the first sector are on calcited limestone, which is both irregular and hard for engraving. As such, this sector collects numerous paintings on the walls, achieved by either pigment application or spray technique. The soft nature of the second area permitted the creation of engraved figures and paintings by spray technique.

The variation of the two surfaces was a determining factor in conservation of the Lascaux. The beautiful display of works in the cave indicates a superior adaptation of the artists to the physical characteristics of the walls, allowing them to provide multiple works based on the minerals found on the surface. For instance, engravings were created on soft limestone, while paintings were projected on calcite surfaces (Huppatz 2010).

The people of Lascaux were culturally homogenous owing to the existence of a general perception of similar designs and demonstrations regarding styles used, such as the single archeological layer on the floor of the cave. According to Holden, the wall paintings and etchings were made using natural objects. Sharp tools, such as spears, were used to etch into the rock, while the paint colors came from berries, clay, soot and charcoal. “The tools used to apply the paint could have been made by attaching straw, leaves, moss, or hair to sticks.

They might have used hollow bones or reeds to spray the color on, similar to an airbrush technique” (Holden 2003: 234). The people of Lascaux also used mineral dyes for paintings. The mineral dyes were composed of iron in its sub elements like hematite, gore, turgite, limonite, geothite, as well as, manganese in its sub elements like manganite, braunite and black ocher (Holden 2003) .

The people of Lascaux were gifted with an artistic solid pathway as seen in the clarity and quality of completed paitings and etchiings (Holden 2003). An analysis of the composition reveals multiple irregularities sorrrounding the cave, such as the evident disparity of signs used by the Lascaux people for either male or female related signs.

Parietal signs related to the male species include “the arrows, the harpoons, the sticks and the features” while the “oval claviformes, points and forms” were related to the female species. This affirms that, contrary to misinformed views, parietal art is borne out of very complex thought. (Holden 2003: 248)

Conclusion

Much as the Lascaux caves are classified as World Heritage sites, they face multiple threats to their continued existence. As such, there must be concerted efforts by all stakeholders to preserve these historical sites for viewing by future generations. Such measures include constant monitoring by the relevant authorities to make sure that issues like growth of algae and bacteria do not occur again and if they do, they are cleared as quickly as possible.

Proper research must also be carried out to determine how best to keep the environment in its natural setting, even with the use of modern inventions. The installation of air conditioners in 2001 was a right step but due to lack of proper research, the air conditioners resulted in white molds which were bad for the caves. Maintenance of the caves must be a regular exercise so as to make the project more sustainable and appreciated (McCully 2010:n.p).

References

Holden, Constance 2003 Wanted: Solution for Cave Mold. Science 300(5617): 245- 249.

Huppatz, DJ 2010 The Cave: Writing Design History. Journal of Writing in Creative Practice 3(2): 135-148.

Lacanettea, Delphine, Stéphane Vincenta, Arthur Sarthoua, Philippe Malaurentb and Jean-Paul Caltagironea. 2009 An Eulerian/Lagrangian method for the numerical simulation of incompressible convection flows interacting with complex obstacles: Application to the natural convection in the Lascaux cave. International Journal of Heat and Mass ransfert 52(12): 2528-2542.

Mauriac, Muriel 2012 Lascaux: The history of the discovery of an outstanding decorated cave.

Adoranten 2011, 5-24. electronic documet. Web.

McCully, Emily Arnold 2010 The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR).