Heritage Tourism

SALC60382 Heritage Tourism 30 Semester 2 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Catherine Roberts Unit coordinator Art History and Cultural Practices 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 15.0 Working within heritage tourism environments and processes requires the skills and knowledge to build, manage and sustain a complex spectrum of relationships, processes and stakeholding contexts. This unit will allow for critical exploration of this diverse spectrum and the cultural practices engaged and reflected within it.  Applying cultural heritage awareness to investigation of historic, current and developing tourism practice, students will consider heritage tourism institutions, communities, policymakers, mediators and resources to develop their knowledge of contemporary debates that inform and challenge practice at local, national and international levels. The unit supports exploration of different (often dissonant) cultural narratives and perspectives, and the alignment of heritage and tourism sectors in managing ethical concerns, diverse expectations and sociopolitical considerations. It also facilitates examination of evaluation and communication of heritage tourism practice in public, policy-orientated and research domains. The unit content is framed by contexts of a ‘mobilities’ paradigm, acknowledging the fluidity of actual and virtual places, identities and communities of practice and supporting discussion of dynamic issues including global inequalities, climate change, economic power and ethical concerns.Students develop and apply their theoretical knowledge of the history, practice and perception of heritage tourism through critical analysis of a case study. Opportunities to develop practical skills include the production of a start-up toolkit for heritage tourism providers, addressing specific contemporary challenges and referencing industry standards, key policy matters and participant/community engagement. Lectures, seminars, field trips and workshops will bring students into contact with organisations and practitioners responsible for developing and delivering heritage tourism activity. Unit content will address specific themes and ‘genres’ of practice including ‘dark’, taboo, experiential and educational tourism, festivals and ‘mega-events’, exploring case studies and practice in terms of authenticity, consumption and cultural power.  Working within heritage tourism environments and processes requires the skills and knowledge to build, manage and sustain a complex spectrum of relationships, processes and stakeholding contexts. This unit will allow for critical exploration of this diverse spectrum and the cultural practices engaged and reflected within it.  Applying cultural heritage awareness to investigation of historic, current and developing tourism practice, students will consider heritage tourism institutions, communities, policymakers, mediators and resources to develop their knowledge of contemporary debates that inform and challenge practice at local, national and international levels. The unit supports exploration of different (often dissonant) cultural narratives and perspectives, and the alignment of heritage and tourism sectors in managing ethical concerns, diverse expectations and sociopolitical considerations. It also facilitates examination of evaluation and communication of heritage tourism practice in public, policy-orientated and research domains. The unit content is framed by contexts of a ‘mobilities’ paradigm, acknowledging the fluidity of actual and virtual places, identities and communities of practice and supporting discussion of dynamic issues including global inequalities, climate change, economic power and ethical concerns.Students develop and apply their theoretical knowledge of the history, practice and perception of heritage tourism through critical analysis of a case study. Opportunities to develop practical skills include the production of a start-up toolkit for heritage tourism providers, addressing specific contemporary challenges and referencing industry standards, key policy matters and participant/community engagement. Lectures, seminars, field trips and workshops will bring students into contact with organisations and practitioners responsible for developing and delivering heritage tourism activity. Unit content will address specific themes and ‘genres’ of practice including ‘dark’, taboo, experiential and educational tourism, festivals and ‘mega-events’, exploring case studies and practice in terms of authenticity, consumption and cultural power.  The unit aims to:<ul><li>Offer a rigorous grounding in student knowledge of historic and contemporary contexts of national and global heritage tourism management, behaviour, stakeholders, communities and experiences using key texts, sector journals and case studies as sources.</li><li>Develop student skills in identifying, analysing and proposing strategies and tools for the effective development of heritage tourism management in global C21st contexts.</li><li>Enable students to effectively define, describe, document and analyse tourism management practice and align it with current social, political, cultural, environmental and ethical concerns.</li><li>Develop student skills in presentation and communication in physical, digital and other media/social environments  </li><li>Support students in developing relevant research approaches including netnographical methods and contemporary concerns as they relate to ethical considerations, GDPR and safeguarding in vulnerable and digital/online communities,</li><li>Offer students study and career directions underpinned by course resources and the individual or group assignment requirements, directed skills development and contact with sector professionals. </li></ul> <ul><li>Identify and describe tourism operators, agencies and processes historically and in contemporary contexts.</li><li>Identify sociopolitical, cultural, ethical and environmental contexts and concerns as they relate to 21st century tourism management and experience.</li><li>Address the concerns, impacts and challenges facing tourism management agencies and tourist experience as they relate to ethical and economic concerns.</li><li>Identify a range of communication and reflection modes, methods and practice across stakeholders and participants in touristic experience, management and scenarios</li></ul> <ul><li>Make valid and informed connections between commerce/capitalism and related global behaviours, SDGs and indigenous/local impact – the macro and micro scales on touristic practice, management and experience</li><li>Suggest existing and potential mitigations, resolutions and management strategies to address concerns</li><li>Identify and apply a useful range of academic and conceptual, management theory and sociopolitical discourse to an understanding of current and future tourism issues and concern, in global and local contexts</li><li>Individually and in group contexts, research and discuss theory and practice of tourism in a wide range of contexts. </li></ul> <ul><li>Devise and deliver effective presentations to apply their application of knowledge and understanding to real world cases, organisations, concerns and practice</li><li>Identify the relevant agencies and practitioners contributing to, engaged in or impacted by global, national and local discourses, legislation and guidelines.</li><li>Manage group work in disciplinary and multi-disciplinary contexts and work constructively within a team.</li><li>Consider and select appropriate tools to evidence, describe and document the practices relating to course content. </li></ul> <ul><li>Teamworking skills where time management, consideration of skillsets and project management/administration are recognised and reflected</li><li>Consideration of diverse perspectives, approaches and experiences of the topics and related matters, including fair working practice and adherence to equalities and shared values</li><li>Work with digital tools as appropriate within the VLE digital tools including Voicethread and other presentation resources to evidence a good grasp of such practice. </li></ul> Analytical skills Presentation of practical opportunities to predict, discuss and evaluate fast-moving issues and concerns in tourism management and experience. Leadership Developed knowledge and understanding of heritage tourism development and management approaches in contexts of sustainability, ethics, local and global economies and discourses. Oral communication Focus on digital presentation/communication and the digital domains in which tourist behaviours are enacted and documented. Research Investigation of digital/social media domains as rich sources of quantitative and qualitative data Synchronous weekly sessions = 1 hour lecture and 2 hour seminar, flexible to needs of fieldwork or presentation tasks. Lectures include guest speakers.Lecture captures and presentation visuals to be stored week-on-week in VLE.Weekly preparation materials to include readings, resources and tasks offered within a Spark page or pre-recorded guided study presentation. Students contribute to Padlets to share comments on weekly preparation, independent fieldwork and set topics.  3 Report 70% 6 Project output (not diss/n) 30% <figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:hsl(30, 75%, 60%);border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Assignment</td><td style="background-color:hsl(30, 75%, 60%);border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Formative or Summative</td><td style="background-color:hsl(30, 75%, 60%);border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Weighting</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Presentation on essay topic and structure</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Formative</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">0%</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Group Project statement</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Formative</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">0%</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Critical Analysis essay</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Summative</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">70%</td></tr><tr><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Group Task</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">Summative</td><td style="border-style:solid;border-width:0.1px;">30%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> Verbal feedback in class for formative assignments, written feedback for summative assessment.  N Mainstream Media ReportageKey journals/book series:Journal of Heritage TourismJournal of Tourism HistoryTourism GeographiesCurrent Issues in TourismJournal of International Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism ManagementRoutledge Book Series: Heritage, Tourism and Community Key texts:<ul><li>Bernadou, A. and Droumpocki, A-M. (Eds, 2023). Difficult Heritage and Immersive Experiences. London: Routledge.</li><li> </li><li>Carr, N. and Poria, Y. (Eds, 2010). Sex and the Sexual During People’s Leisure & Tourism Experiences. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.</li><li> </li><li>Convery I., Corsane G., Davis P. (Eds, 2014). Displaced Heritage: Responses to Disaster, Trauma, and Loss. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer.  </li><li> </li><li>Dallen, J. T. and Boyd, S. W. (Eds, 2002). Heritage Tourism.  London: Pearson.</li><li> </li><li>Frohlick, S. (2013). Sexuality, Women and Tourism: Cross-border desires through contemporary travel. London: Routledge.</li><li> </li><li>Gravari-Barbas, M (Ed, 2020) A Research Agenda for Heritage Tourism. (2020). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.</li><li> </li><li>Jafari, J. and Xiao, H. (Eds, 2002). Encyclopedia of Tourism. Switzerland: Springer Cham.</li><li> </li><li>Jorge Chica-Olmo, J. et al (Eds, 2024). Sustainable Tourism, Culture and Heritage Promotion. Switzerland: Springer Cham.</li><li> </li><li>Lemelin, Harvey & Dawson, Jackie (Eds, 2011). Last Chance Tourism: Adapting Tourism Opportunities in a Changing World. London: Routledge.  </li><li> </li><li>Lennon, J. and Hooper, G. (Eds, 2016). Dark Tourism: Practice and Interpretation. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.</li><li> </li><li>Mithen, S., Rabanni, M.A. and Rabanni, M. (Eds, 2025). Cultural Heritage, Community Engagement and Sustainable Tourism - Case Studies from Archaeological Sites in the Global South. London: Routledge.</li><li> </li><li>Mowfirth, Martin and Munt, Ian (2023). Tourism and Sustainability: New Tourism in the Third World. London: Routledge.</li><li> </li><li>Pritchard, A. et al. (Eds, 2007). Tourism and Gender: Embodiment, Sensuality and Experience. Oxfordshire: CABI.</li><li> </li><li> </li><li>Sharma (Ed, 2024). International Handbook of Skill, Education, Learning, and Research Development in Tourism and Hospitality. Singapore: Springer.</li><li> </li><li>Surabhi Srivastav, S and Kulshrestha, R. (Eds, 2025). Dynamics of Heritage Management and Tourism Development: Trends, Practices, and Approaches. Burlington, Canada: Apple Academic Press.</li><li> </li><li>Stone, Hartmann et al (Eds, 2018). The Palgrave Handbook of Dark Tourism Studies. London: Palgrave.</li><li> </li><li>Swart, P.T. etal al (Eds, 2024). The Routledge Handbook on Gender in Tourism. London: Routledge.</li><li> </li><li>Urry, J. (1990). The Tourist Gaze: leisure and travel in contemporary societies. London: SAGE Publications.</li><li> </li><li>Urry, J. (1995). Consuming Places. London: Routledge.</li><li> </li><li>Urry, J., & Larsen, J. (2011). The Tourist Gaze 3.0. London: SAGE Publications.</li><li>Zuelow, Eric G. E. and James, Kevin J. (Eds, 2005). The Oxford Handbook of Tourism History. New York: Oxford University Press.</li><li> </li><li>Zhu Y. (2021). Heritage Tourism: From Problems to Possibilities. Cambridge University Press. </li></ul> Lectures 12 Project supervision 4 Seminars 24 260