EVoCH Expert Seminar. Vienna, February 16 – 17th, 2012.

Content:

Economic Dimension of Culture Tourism

EVoCH - Economic Value of Cultural Heritage: next seminar in Vienna 16 - 17. 2.2012: "Culture Tourism - macro-economic effects for cities and regions" (working title).
 
The seminar will be jointly organised by:

• Association Culture & Work, Bad Mergentheim, Germany
• Vienna University of Technology - Department of Real Estate Developmentearly; 

Partners:

• Austrian Ministry of Economy – Department for tourism and historical objects (t.b.c.)
• Burghauptmannschaft (t.b.c.)
• Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft – Federal Society of Real Estates

Please send your registration by e-mail to: Franziska Hauck, Kultur-und-Arbeit e.V.: hauck@evoch.eu
Registration deadline: February 8th, 2012

Seminar development

Culture tourism is considered as one of the “mega trends” in tourism, as one of the few growing markets in tourism at all, although it covers a comparably small segment of European tourism with estimated 7,8% overall. In the European tourism industry there are currently about 12 to 14 million people employed which is up to 6,2% of European population of working age 1. Following the last European tourism survey 1  27% of the respondents named cultural heritage as a key consideration in regard to factors that influenced a choice of destination. Actually, culture tourism allows addressing much more and economically attractive target groups than e.g. sport tourism or recreational tourism. This makes culture tourism independent of fashion, economic cycles and demographic developments.

In terms of economic relations and promotion of employment this is an outstanding initial situation, though limited by missing data of culture tourism and its macro economic effects. Specifically, scenarios are lacking which clearly show the economic dimension for growth, employment and innovation. Additionally, culture tourism is often seen as synonym for city tourism although rural areas can offer adequately attractive preconditions.

The 4th EVoCH seminar brings European experts in the fields of culture tourism and economy together in order to exchange information and experiences in data collection and analysis. In a moderated process existing data will be shown in an overview and evaluated. Targeted is the identification of a possible cost-benefit model for culture tourism which could serve politics and administration in town and regional planning as an evaluation and steering instrument. Aspects like maintenance costs of cultural heritage buildings, employment, economic effects by overnight stays, catering and shopping should be considered in an integrative way in order to identify value-added chains.

 1 Flash Eurobarometer No 328 – Survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards tourism, conducted by The Gallup Organization, Hungary upon the request of Directorate General Enterprise and Industry, Brussels 2011