2 Cultural Routes and Heritage Trails Introduction This chapter commences an examination of the component parts of the conceptual model introduced in Chapter 1. The focus of the chapter is the supply side of routes and trails, and in this case cultural routes and heritage trails, probably the most popular type of tourist trail. In short, these are organized ways for cycling, walking, driving or riding that draw on the cultural heritage of a region and provide learning experiences and visitor enjoyment. They are marked on the ground with signs or other interpretive media and on maps that help guide visitors along their course (MacLeod, 2004). Heritage routes and trails tend to be most prevalent in areas with already high levels of tourism and, while there are many heritage trails in the less-developed parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia (e.g. the Slave Route, the Inca Trail and the Silk Road), their preponderance tends to be in the developed parts of the world, particularly in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. As a result, and given the availability of information and data, the majority of trails mentioned in this chapter are from the developed world. Where available, information is also presented about examples from less-developed regions. This emphasis on more affluent countries does not imply that these types of routes and trails do not exist elsewhere, or that other places are less important. It simply reflects a greater abundance of information and empirical examples. There are literally thousands of cultural heritage-based routes in all parts of the world. Some are more famous and well-trodden than others, and they exist on many different scales. While this chapter cannot possibly examine all of them, or even mention them by name, it does highlight a multitude of Copyright © 2014. Channel View Publications. All rights reserved. Publications. All © 2014. Channel View Copyright major trends from the supply perspective and elucidates a number of heritage trails in considerable detail. Although both culture and nature trails are 17 Timothy, Dr. Dallen J., and Prof. Stephen W. Boyd. Tourism and Trails : Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues, Channel View Publications, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/natl-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1868422. Created from natl-ebooks on 2019-05-04 06:41:08. 18 Tourism and Trails important tourism resources, there are several different characteristics that separate them. The next chapter will examine nature trails in greater detail. This chapter is structured as follows. First is a discussion on the purposes of cultural heritage trails, including enjoyment, preservation, image enhance- ment of place, economic development and as instruments of power and per- suasion. Second, a typology and model of cultural heritage trails is introduced, which categorizes trails into two defined types: organically evolved and pur- posive routes. Organically evolved routes include trade routes, explorer- settler-migration routes, religious routes/pilgrim trails, and intentionally built linear resources such as historic railways, canals and relict boundaries. In contrast, purposive cultural trails are composed of short trails at historic sites or gardens, maritime routes, urban heritage ways, literary, film and music trails, industrial trails, agricultural trails, food and wine routes, and inorganic religious trails that are products of collaborative networks devel- oped between individual nodes. Purposes of Cultural Heritage Trails Cultural resource-based routes provide considerable public enjoyment and recreation, both for residents and tourists. In addition, they serve a vari- ety of important social, economic and political purposes. One of the leading roles of heritage trails is the preservation of historic values and conservation of cultural resources and historic routeways, includ- ing migration routes, explorer trails, railways and logging paths (Hayes & MacLeod, 2007; Ramsay & Truscott, 2003; Snowball & Courtney, 2010; Timothy, 2014). In common with cultural heritage-based tourism in general, these routes provide information about, and commemorate, past historical events, places and peoples. They are interpreted with a variety of tools, including signs, plaques, audio guides, maps and leaflets, or human guides. Interpretation is a well-recognized method of increasing public awareness and education, and according to interpretation specialists, knowledge begets respect, which has a tendency to translate into increased public appreciation for resources and boosted efforts to conserve (O’Brien & Curtis, 1979; Tilden, 1977; Timothy & Boyd, 2003). Part of the Council of Europe’s rationale for initiating the Cultural Routes Programme was to help protect Europe’s cultural heritage (Moulin & Boniface, 2001). Likewise, the 1968 National Trails System Act was imple- mented to protect cultural and natural resources in the United States (US). In Belize, the Punta Gorda Trail was set up for tourists in large part to help protect traditional Garifuna and Maya cultures, including houses, agricul- ture, food and language (Boucher, 1990). Copyright © 2014. Channel View Publications. All rights reserved. Publications. All © 2014. Channel View Copyright A second purpose of cultural routes is image enhancement and boosting a sense of place. There are many examples of cities that have utilized urban Timothy, Dr. Dallen J., and Prof. Stephen W. Boyd. Tourism and Trails : Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues, Channel View Publications, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/natl-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1868422. Created from natl-ebooks on 2019-05-04 06:41:08. Cultural Routes and Heritage Trails 19 trails as a way of improving their images. Mayfield, New South Wales, Australia, developed a heritage walk to convert its persistent negative stereo- type of an old, industrial suburb into a more visitor-friendly destination. This was enacted at the local level to achieve a more positive image and cultivate a sense of community pride (Markwell et al., 2004: 462). Such efforts have an ability to empower communities socially, psychologically and politically so that they are better able to determine their own future development options, including tourism (Timothy, 2007). Trail development also contributes to a deeper sense of place (Hayes & MacLeod, 2007) as important local events and cultures are highlighted for outside consumption. This leads to the third purpose of cultural trails: economic development (Garcés Feliú, 2011). In addition to strengthening a sense of place and enhanc- ing a regional image, trails can also serve in place promotional efforts. They often feature in tourism marketing campaigns and can be prominently showcased on destination websites and in books and brochures. In addition to their conservation ethos, heritage routes were recognized by the Council of Europe as being important in encouraging the growth of European heri- tage tourism (Hitrec, 1996; Moulin & Boniface, 2001). Much of the rationale for establishing trails is their economic potential for bringing income to the destination, providing jobs for locals and creating tax revenues. As stimula- tors of local economies, people are hired not only to manage the trails them- selves, but participating organizations, retailers, attractions and other service providers along the trails see important economic outcomes as well. This appears to be especially true in the case of purposive cultural trails, which are often linked assemblages of individual businesses and heritage sites along a planned corridor, such as wineries, vineyards or viticulture muse- ums along a wine route. Finally, like other cultural heritage attractions, trails are sometimes bred to become political pawns or other instruments to exercise power and per- suasion (Timothy & Boyd, 2003, 2006). Their very role of conserving and interpreting elements of the human past renders them political by default, for the people or organizations that establish a given route are the ones who dictate the content of the events it aims to commemorate. They emphasize the dominant culture or people in power and are selective in what they por- tray to users. In the words of Shaw and MacLeod (2000: 173), visitors are ‘set on a prescribed route designed to convey a particular story or place image’. According to Teather and Chow (2003), the Sun Yat-sen Heritage Trail in Hong Kong makes a loud political statement in commemorating the relin- quishment of colonial power in the former British colony. It intentionally ignores most references to the colonial past and connects sites in Hong Kong that were critical to the Sun Yat-sen revolution. Several trails focus on telling a more holistic truth about heritage by Copyright © 2014. Channel View Publications. All rights reserved. Publications. All © 2014. Channel View Copyright emphasizing the peoples, places and events that have been, through the gen- erations, written out of official history. For instance, the Clerkenwell Historic Timothy, Dr. Dallen J., and Prof. Stephen W. Boyd. Tourism and Trails : Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues, Channel View Publications, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/natl-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1868422. Created from natl-ebooks on 2019-05-04 06:41:08. 20 Tourism and Trails Trail in London emphasizes the heritages that have been largely ignored or written out of the official narrative of the city.