16 April 2013

Industrial Cultural Tourism, the fourth workshop of CreativeCH

A view of mNACTEC, which will host the fourth CreativeCH workshop

How to strike the right balance between tourism development and heritage conservation and promote responsible and sustainable cultural tourism? How to attract more interest in less know and/or relax the pressure on overcrowded cultural tourism areas? These challenging questions will be discussed in “Industrial Cultural Tourism”, the fourth workshop of the CreativeCH project, that will be hosted by Museu de la Ciència i de la Tècnica de Catalunya (mNACTEC) on the 10th of May 2013 in Terrassa.

According to the organisers, the workshop is a way to encourage reflection on key aspects of cultural tourism, with an emphasis on industrial tourism. The agenda is designed to share experiences and to engage the attendees and expert speakers in lively discussions. Gathering local and international experts, the workshop aims to address both Internationalization and Localization aspects of cultural tourism. Thus, the agenda is divided in two sessions. Each session consists of a series of three short expert presentations followed by a moderated discussion to facilitate a dialogue among government officials, professors, professionals and other attendees.

The first session will highlight the internationalization aspects of cultural and industrial tourism. Prof. Wolfgang Ebert, Board Member of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), will give the first presentation on Industrial Heritage Tourism in Europe. He will be followed by Prof. Henryk Handszuh (Museum of Coal Mining in Zabrze, Poland), presenting A cultural city coal park in the making in Zabrze (Poland) – should it attempt to apply for the World Heritage status to attract attention? Prof. Ion Imbrescu (University of West Timisoara, Romania) will focus on Reviving rural industrial heritage - towards an economic valorization of art-craft traditions. The discussion round, moderated by Prof. Franco Niccolucci (VAST-Lab, Italy) will address the question How to strike the right balance between tourism development and heritage conservation and promote responsible and sustainable cultural tourism?

The second session will go deep into regional and local perspectives of cultural and industrial tourism. It will involve experts from the public and private sectors, Mr. Jordi Garreta (Terrassa City Council), Mrs. Marga Gassó (Government of Catalonia) and Mr. Josep Maria Pey (El Generador, touristic and cultural projects). Jaume Jornet (Tourism Promotion Office, Barcelona Provincial Council) will moderate the discussion round which will focus on the question How to develop new cultural tourism values and attract more interest in less know and/or relax the pressure on overcrowded cultural tourism areas? 

Discussion on the internationalizations and localization perspectives of cultural and industrial tourism is already taking place online on the CHIEF, a web based platform for young researchers, artists and practitioners. Participants are also invited to submit a project idea to the CHIEF Award competition. Submitters should describe an innovative way to foster cultural tourism in a specific city or region of their choice, taking account of the interplay of local and international dimensions.

The workshop will take place during the Fira Modernista (Nouveau Fair), the annual festival in Terrassa that celebrates the cultural history of the area. It includes historic re-enactments, street markets, a parade, etc. where participants have the opportunity to make a trip back in time and relive the city 100 years ago