Ski – resort and regional development: profile of visitors ... - E-Journal

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Yao-Yi Fu, Amanda K. Cecil, Suosheng Wang, Sotiris H. Avgoustis
Jansen-Verbeke (1988) and Buckley & Witt (1989) suggest that urban regeneration for tourism
purposes is an appropriate approach not only for the great cities, but also for smaller urban
centers that offer unique tourist attractions quite different from traditional mass tourism
destinations.
According to the World Tourism Organization (1999), cities will continue to be in high
demand by tourists of all sorts, and the problems associated with the handling of these tourists
will have to be more systematically tackled by all parties concerned. Therefore, city officials
and marketing professionals face two important challenges. First, they have to be able to
respond to the expectations and needs of the growing number of tourists who are attracted
to their rich and varied array of cultural, business, entertainment, shopping, sports and other
attractions. Secondly, the city’s leaders have to ensure that tourism is developed and managed
in such a way that it benefits the resident population, does not contribute to the deterioration
of the urban environment but rather to its enhancement, and does not become a financial
burden to the local authority. Meeting these challenges requires a steady collaboration between
all parties concerned including the urban governments, the private sector, and non-governmental
groups.
Many cities increasingly see cultural tourism as a driver of future economic growth. In 2002,
Indianapolis embarked on a cultural tourism initiative. The city-wide cultural tourism initiative
sets sights on positioning Indianapolis as a cultural tourism destination.
Cultural tourism defined by the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission is “experiencing
the diverse mosaic of places, traditions, arts, celebrations and experiences that the Indianapolis
area offers to residents and visitors. It is an important component of an overall tourism plan
that emphasizes the total Indianapolis experience” ((Indianapolis Cultural Development
Commission, 2007, p. 1). Furthermore, the commission states, “In addition to all the growth
and expansion Indy is experiencing and will continue to experience, there is even more to
celebrate. A powerful sports schedule, exciting national conventions, landmark anniversaries,
and new summer celebrations will together tell the Indianapolis story. It’s a chance for the
city to be recognized for the cultural destination that it is” (Indianapolis Cultural Development
Commission, 2007, p. 1).
One of the first projects of the Commission was the creation of the Cultural Districts Program
to facilitate the cultural development of six distinct neighborhoods or districts that offered a
critical mass and unique mix of arts, cultural and hospitality activities. The development of
these six neighborhoods was designed to share the unique, authentic and diverse character
of Indianapolis and its people with residents and visitors alike. The idea of the cultural districts
has been popular in many other urban areas (Bell & Jayne, 2004). Judd and Fainstein (1999)
offered city leaders and other public officials a recipe for prioritizing the needs of suburban
tourists over the needs of urban residents. Specifically, the authors recommended the
construction of ‘tourist bubbles,’ which could be promoted to the point of displacing the actual
city as the ‘principle signifier of a locality,’ an area shield from urban ills (p. 36).
Tourism Today - Fall 2007 - Full Paper