The conceptualization of development beyond economic growth has increasingly led urban theorists and policymakers to recognize the importance of integrating culture into urban development models. In 2015, culture and cultural heritage were situated at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and central to transformative development. Culture in urban development strategies may enhance the quality of a place. The key to such quality is uniqueness and authenticity, a distinctive local history, built heritage and natural landscapes, as well as lively and diverse arts and cultural facilities. In their quest for global status, cities across the world, particularly in developing countries, are strategically considering cultural approaches to development, mainly in tourism, to build their reputation as international economic and cultural capitals. In such cases, culture-oriented development includes iconographic grandeur, massive innovation, and super-modernism while endorsing cultural distinctiveness and marketable “local culture”.
City images and urban competitiveness are enhanced by the growth of cultural products and the development of urban cultural tourism. The recent growth in urban cultural products is related to improved quality of life for residents and economic success and development. However, tourism is indistinguishably tied up with the modernization process, having an all-pervading effect on cultures and local societies.
This Research Topic aims to discuss the cultural implications of tourism development on local societies in developing cities. It is a significant topic of inquiry, chiefly, in an era of rapid social change. The cultural decease of emergent destinations and the problematic role of non-indigenous forms of tourism development are major concerns that should be addressed. Furthermore, recent literature has explicated the complexity of tourism-related decisions in light of a paradigm shift from advocacy to a sustainability platform, with increased attention to socio-cultural, environmental, and political considerations.
Therefore, this Research Topic accepts original analytical contributions to the role of the tourism industry in sustainable economic and urban development, economic diversification and growth, job creation, and wages. It also encourages contributions to the issues of destination branding, marketing, and management, as well as tourism market analysis such as the demand for tourism products, segmentation, and pricing, expenditure patterns, destination loyalty, and efficiency. Within the aforementioned research queries, contributions that shed light on the interrelationships between economic dimensions and cultural aspects at emerging destinations are particularly welcomed.
Authors are encouraged to contribute to this Research Topic in the form of original research articles or conceptual reviews addressing, but not limited to, the following broadly defined areas:
• Critical assessment of the approach of emerging urban destinations to tourism development, focusing on its cultural and economic implications.
• Cultural-based concerns and challenges that emerging urban destinations face in their emphases on a Westernized approach to tourism development.
• How identity (collective and individual), heritage, cultural sites, and cultural expressions function as enablers in economic development strategies both locally and globally.
• How culturally focused tourism agendas could help to socially sustain and ground local societies (and identities) threatened by rapid urbanization and Westernization.
• The ways in which tourism can have a productive role in encouraging cultural competence within a society and nurturing cultural, regional, and national identities.
• Potential interconnections between destination branding, marketing, and cultural heritage.
• Perceptions and attitudes of indigenous populations toward tourists’ consumption behaviors and preferences.
• Approaches to maintain the balance between cultural identities and revenue optimization at emerging urban destinations.
The conceptualization of development beyond economic growth has increasingly led urban theorists and policymakers to recognize the importance of integrating culture into urban development models. In 2015, culture and cultural heritage were situated at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and central to transformative development. Culture in urban development strategies may enhance the quality of a place. The key to such quality is uniqueness and authenticity, a distinctive local history, built heritage and natural landscapes, as well as lively and diverse arts and cultural facilities. In their quest for global status, cities across the world, particularly in developing countries, are strategically considering cultural approaches to development, mainly in tourism, to build their reputation as international economic and cultural capitals. In such cases, culture-oriented development includes iconographic grandeur, massive innovation, and super-modernism while endorsing cultural distinctiveness and marketable “local culture”.
City images and urban competitiveness are enhanced by the growth of cultural products and the development of urban cultural tourism. The recent growth in urban cultural products is related to improved quality of life for residents and economic success and development. However, tourism is indistinguishably tied up with the modernization process, having an all-pervading effect on cultures and local societies.
This Research Topic aims to discuss the cultural implications of tourism development on local societies in developing cities. It is a significant topic of inquiry, chiefly, in an era of rapid social change. The cultural decease of emergent destinations and the problematic role of non-indigenous forms of tourism development are major concerns that should be addressed. Furthermore, recent literature has explicated the complexity of tourism-related decisions in light of a paradigm shift from advocacy to a sustainability platform, with increased attention to socio-cultural, environmental, and political considerations.
Therefore, this Research Topic accepts original analytical contributions to the role of the tourism industry in sustainable economic and urban development, economic diversification and growth, job creation, and wages. It also encourages contributions to the issues of destination branding, marketing, and management, as well as tourism market analysis such as the demand for tourism products, segmentation, and pricing, expenditure patterns, destination loyalty, and efficiency. Within the aforementioned research queries, contributions that shed light on the interrelationships between economic dimensions and cultural aspects at emerging destinations are particularly welcomed.
Authors are encouraged to contribute to this Research Topic in the form of original research articles or conceptual reviews addressing, but not limited to, the following broadly defined areas:
• Critical assessment of the approach of emerging urban destinations to tourism development, focusing on its cultural and economic implications.
• Cultural-based concerns and challenges that emerging urban destinations face in their emphases on a Westernized approach to tourism development.
• How identity (collective and individual), heritage, cultural sites, and cultural expressions function as enablers in economic development strategies both locally and globally.
• How culturally focused tourism agendas could help to socially sustain and ground local societies (and identities) threatened by rapid urbanization and Westernization.
• The ways in which tourism can have a productive role in encouraging cultural competence within a society and nurturing cultural, regional, and national identities.
• Potential interconnections between destination branding, marketing, and cultural heritage.
• Perceptions and attitudes of indigenous populations toward tourists’ consumption behaviors and preferences.
• Approaches to maintain the balance between cultural identities and revenue optimization at emerging urban destinations.
