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Neglected use of creative… 105
These sentiments were in turn given substance in the Convention on the Protection
and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions 9 , where the cultural industries
are specifically identified as essential to the achievement of the benefits of
cultural diversity. The creative industries depend upon diversity for their success.
There is a complex and critical relationship between creativity and diversity, whose
centrality to the creative process cannot be underestimated 10 .
A noteworthy aspect of cultural industries is cultural tourism. There is no
doubt that culture is an important tourism resource in every country.
2. Cultural tourism, policy planning and Riga’s tourism offer
A growing trend within the tourism industry has been to focus regionally on
an area’s cultural appeal. The term ‘cultural tourism’ has been used to describe the
consumption of art, heritage, folklore, and a whole range of other cultural manifestations
by tourists. As cultural tourism gains in popularity, the demand for highquality
authentic experiences is on the rise. A growing number of cities are basing
their tourism development strategies on the promotion of cultural heritage, and the
number of cultural attractions is growing rapidly 11 .
Starting from the early 1990s, spatial economic sciences shifted focus towards
the role of culture in urban and regional development. This cultural turn is embedded
in societal changes like increasing welfare levels, the increasing opportunities
for interaction due to information and communication technologies (ICT), and the
increasing networking of people, information, goods and services concerning agglomeration
and urban development 12 . One aspect is associated with the potential
role of culture to differentiate competing cities with respect to inward investment or
tourism. The other aspect concerns city development; here cultural activity is an
agent for improved urban life. In addition to its economic impact, tourism and culture
can improve quality of life and build community. If arts and tourism communities
work together to highlight the unique character of a city, they can harness market
forces to educate and entertain visitors, preserve cultural assets, and create
community pride in its heritage and way of life.
9
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions,
2005, http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=31038&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_-
SECTION=201.html, 15.01.2010.
10
The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Team, Schools and
Societies, S. Page (ed.), Princeton University Press, 2007.
11
R. Greg, Cultural Tourism in Europe, CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 1996.
12
Creative Cities, Cultural Clusters and Local Economic Development, Ph. Cooke, L. Lazzeretti
(eds), http://www.springerlink.com/content/y400v28709246857/fulltext.pdf, 15.01.2010.