TOURiBOOST REORIENTING TOURISM EDUCATION WITH DIGITAL, SOCIAL AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCES TO SUPPORT LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS TACKLE STRATEGIC INNOVATION IN HERITAGE TOURISM KA2 - COOPERATION FOR INNOVATION AND THE EXCHANGE OF GOOD PRACTICES KA203 - STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION M03: CULTURAL COMMUNICATION PART 1: COMMUNICATION-INTERPRETER-MESSAGE TOURiBOOST Reorienting tourism education with digital, social and intercultural competences to support local stakeholders tackle strategic innovation in heritage tourism 2018-1-TR01-KA203-058344 https://www.touriboostproject.org/ CONTENTS CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................. 2 1 CULTURAL COMMUNICATION ......................................................................................... 3 1.1 Definitions .....................................................................................................................15 1.2 Historical Overview .....................................................................................................18 1.3 Interpretive Strategy ...................................................................................................21 1.4 Origins of Interpretation .............................................................................................24 1.5 The Audience ..............................................................................................................28 1.6 The Stakeholders .........................................................................................................33 2 THE HERITAGE INTERPRETER ............................................................................................ 41 3 THE INTERPRETIVE MESSAGE .......................................................................................... 45 3.1 The Communication Process ....................................................................................45 3.2 Structuring the Interpretive Message ......................................................................48 3.3 Critical issues ................................................................................................................51 TOURiBOOST Reorienting tourism education with digital, social and intercultural competences to support local stakeholders tackle strategic innovation in heritage tourism 2018-1-TR01-KA203-058344 https://www.touriboostproject.org/ 1 CULTURAL COMMUNICATION There are many forms of cultural basic skills in several fields such as communication; one of the most cognitive science, human and natural prominent is the widely known in the sciences, guaranteeing this way that Anglo-Saxon Interpretation of heritage. audiences understand interpreted It is a multidisciplinary process of messages. Key issues in the interpretive message transmission aiming to process are the planner’s ability to effectively communicate to audiences master human cognitive mechanisms a place’s natural and cultural wealth. of acquiring and retaining information Meanings and relationships of a given and adapt scientific context and culture approached through guidance terminology through hermeneutical and personal participation whether in information processing to a situ or in virtual environments is the goal recreational learning environment in of any interpretation. Interpretation is favour of the audience in given definitely not information, although the heritage tourism contexts: sites, latter constitutes the back bone of the collections, trails etc. first one. Interpretation translates an expert’s technical account into a Interpretation enables the audience to communication message in the receive, understand and remember language of the audience, relating the messages encouraging them to use context to his everyday life and and evaluate the information in certain experiences. An interactive framework ways. It bonds sustainable between resources, interpreters and development with an upgrading of audiences renders learning into a tourism areas, public awareness-raising, pleasure generating process: through environmental education and first hand experiences interpretation communication. Interpretation involves audiences in the explorative benefits the audience and benefits the learning and entertainment process). place by producing the product of the product: a heritage site is marketed to In order to adapt natural and cultural an audience for both its tangible and phenomena of given (heritage) intangible nature. The audience learns contexts to the needs of specific target to understand, appreciate, value and groups’, interpretation interlinks several care for the cultural and natural disciplines from natural and human heritage resources interpreted to them. sciences. Professional Heritage The benefits of interpretation are Interpretation combines practical and multiple for the economy, ecology and theoretical expert knowledge and society: TOURiBOOST Reorienting tourism education with digital, social and intercultural competences to support local stakeholders tackle strategic innovation in heritage tourism 2018-1-TR01-KA203-058344 https://www.touriboostproject.org/ • Interpretation meets the increasing between web-navigators and demand for educational audience cultural operators experiences • provides audiences with relevance • Creates qualitative experiences and makes them a part of the which guarantee audience experience: “A historic site without satisfaction, positive word-of- interpretation is just an "old site” mouth, high revenue, visit elongation, repeat visitation Interpretation regards all things that help people to appreciate an • educates audiences to care about “heritage place” that may be referred the places they visit, enhancing to an historical building, an area of civic pride, environmental countryside, an aspect of cultural life conscience, respect for local (i.e. traditional celebrations), traditional communities cultivations, traditional buildings, • reduces through public awareness traditional local products, etc.), a town, environmental and cultural an object or a collection of objects, an damage by explaining the impacts historical event or period. Interpretation of various behaviours and can take various forms as it may involve suggesting appropriate alternatives walks or tours with a guide, • substitutes experience for places publications, or panels at features of that are very fragile and/or difficult interest, events, signs, audio, video, to visit (e.g. caves, sacred temples), activities etc... But to be really effective, or topics that are impossible to “interpretation” needs to be planned experience directly (e.g. disease, with both sensitivity and creativity. In prehistoric conditions) detail, it’s important to be sure that the • Web-Interpretation exports globally “interpretive plan” is appropriate for the a resource’s image bridging the site, for the people who are coming spatial and temporal distance there, and for the organisations and individuals involved. 1.1 Definitions “Interpretation is an educational “Heritage interpretation is a means of activity, which aims to reveal communicating ideas and feelings meanings and relationships through which help people understand more the use of original objects, by firsthand about themselves and their experience, and by illustrative media, environment.” (Interpretation rather than simply to communicate Australia Association, 2003) factual information” (Tilden, 1957). "Interpretation is a communication “Interpretation is the art of explaining process that forges emotional and the significance of a place to the intellectual connections between the public who visit it in order to point out interests of the audience and the a conservation message.” inherent meanings in the resource." (Aldridge, 1975). (National Association for Interpretation Board of Directors, 2000) TOURiBOOST Reorienting tourism education with digital, social and intercultural competences to support local stakeholders tackle strategic innovation in heritage tourism 2018-1-TR01-KA203-058344 https://www.touriboostproject.org/ (1992) later popularized the term All these definitions entail a “environmental interpretation” for communication process that helps interpretation put to explicit people connect emotionally and environmental and conservation intellectually with resources, whether purposes. natural, cultural, or historical. Ham Heritage Interpretation is not an end in itself but a strategic means for sustainable development: • Concerning economic development: professional interpretation enhances competitiveness of sustainable heritage based tourism and related indirect economic influxes into the local / regional economy through higher consumption of local/ regional products. • Concerning ecological sustainability: Heritage Interpretation has proved to be a strong tool to manage audience flows and thus generating necessary income. New Tourism has a relatively low negative impact on the environment compared to e.g. mass tourism. • Concerning social sustainability: Interpretation raises the audiences’ appreciation of the values of the natural environment and the tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The regional identity of the inhabitants is enhanced as their appreciation of their natural environment and their will to protect it from further decline. Fig. 1-5: Tactile Interpretive Provisions in the Harz National Park Visitor Center Source: Author, 2014 TOURiBOOST Reorienting tourism education with digital, social