Cultural Tourism in Developed Island Tourist Destinations: The Development of an Alternative Tourism Model in Corfu

  • Georgios KONTOGEORGIS Ionian University, Corfu, Greece
  • Nikolaos VAROTSIS Ionian University, Corfu, Greece

Abstract

The tourism model of 4s prevails as the dominant development model for tourist island destinations. Corfu following the 4s model of tourism development records negative effects which combined with increased environmental sensitivity result in the search for alternative forms of tourism. Cultural tourism based can emerge as an alternative tourism carrying capacity model.


The development of the conditions of cultural tourism has not been sufficiently studied for its island destinations. The development of cultural tourism can have the effect of increasing tourism revenues and improving the standard of living in mature tourist destinations such as Corfu. Tourism policy and destination marketing should be devoted into an alternative model of cultural tourism.


This article examines a possible correlation between cultural tourism and accessibility, the sun - sea, attractions and sights. Key findings of the present study are that cultural tourism is strongly related with attractions and sights. In addition, there is a relatively small correlation between cultural tourism and accessibility. These research findings can help decision makers, the regional authority, the municipal authority, entrepreneurs involved, and any interested party related to tourism policies and destination marketing understand some of the conditions required for the development of cultural tourism.

References

[1] Adam, D., Kuhn, R. and Fu, S. 2018. Cultural Tourism in a Global Economy: The Search for Local Authenticity. Βοp Consulting.
[2] Ben-Dalia, S., Collins-Kreiner, N. and Churchman, A. 2012. Evaluation of an Urban Tourism Destination. Tourism Geographies, 15(2): 233-249. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2011.647329
[3] Benson, A. 2005. Research Tourism-Professional travel for useful discoveries. In M. Novelli, Niche Tourism (pp. 133-144). Oxford: Elsevier.
[4] Brohman, J. 1996. New directions in tourism for Third World development. Annals of Tourism Research, 23(1): 48–70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(95)00043-7
[5] Buhalis, D. 1999. Tourism on the Greek Islands: Issues of peripherality, competitiveness and development. Int. J. Tourism Res., 1(5): 341-358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1522-1970(199909/10)1:5<341::AID-JTR201>3.0.CO;2-0
[6] Campa, J. L., et al. 2019. Impact of High-Speed Rail on Cultural Tourism Development: The Experience of the Spanish Museums and Monuments. Sustainability, 11(20): 5845. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205845
[7] Cohen, E. 1987. “Alternative tourism” — a critique. Tourism Recreation Research, 12(2): 13–18. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.1987.11014508
[8] Croes, R., and Semrad, K. J. 2015. The Relevance of Cultural Tourism as the Next Frontier for Small Island Destinations. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 39(4): 469–491. DOI: 10.1177/1096348013491599
[9] Cuccia, T. and Rizzo, I. 2011. Tourism seasonality in cultural destinations: Empirical evidence from Sicily. Tourism Management, 32(3): 589-595. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2010.05.008
[10] De Ascaniis, S., Gravari-Barbas, M. and Cantoni, L. 2018. Tourism Management at UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Available at: https://www.fun-mooc.fr/courses/course-v1:Paris1+16008+session01/about
[11] Farmaki, A. 2012. A Supply-Side Evaluation of Coastal Tourism Diversification: The Case of Cyprus. Tourism Planning & Development, 9(2): 183-203. DOI: 10.1080/21568316.2011.634431
[12] Hobson, J. S. P. and Dietrich, U. C. 1995. Tourism, Health and Quality of Life: Challenging the Responsibility of Using the Traditional Tenets of Sun, Sea, Sand, and Sex in Tourism Marketing. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 3(4): 21-38. DOI: 10.1300/J073v03n04_02
[13] Kanten, P. and Ulker, F. 2013. The Macrotheme Review. Multidisciplinary. Journal of Global Macro Trends, 2(4): 144–160.
[14] Kastanis, I. and Kastanis, N. 2006. The Transmission of Mathematics into Greek Education, 1800–1840: From Individual initiatives to Institutionalization. Paedagogica Historica, 42(4-5): 515–534. DOI:10.1080/00309230600806799
[15] Kruger, S., Rootenberg, C. and Ellis, S. 2013. Examining the influence of the wine festival experience on tourists` quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 111(2): 435-452. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0013-0
[16] Le-Klahn, D-T. and Hall, M. C. 2015. Tourist use of public transport at destinations – a review. Current Issues in Tourism, 18(8): 785-803. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2014.948812
[17] Martha, L. and Kotsaki, A. 2014. Ancient Greek Drama and its Architecture as a Means to Reinforce Tourism in Greece. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 148(25): 573-578. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.082
[18] McCool, S. F. and Lime, E. W. 2001. Tourism Carrying Capacity: Tempting Fantasy or Useful Reality? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9(5): 372-388. DOI: 10.1080/09669580108667409
[19] McIntosh, A. J. and Zahra, A. 2007. A Cultural Encounter through Volunteer Tourism: Towards the Ideals of Sustainable Tourism? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 15(5): 541-556. DOI: 10.2167/jost701.0
[20] Melewar, T. C. and Skinner H. 2020. Why would anyone come to Corfu to have a Heineken? Qualitative Market Research, 23(4): 891-906. DOI 10.1108/QMR-05-2018-0044
[21] Middleton, V., Fyall, A., Morgan, M. and Ranchhod, W. 2008. Μarketing in Travel and Tourism. Routledge.
[22] Pagliara, F., Mauriello, F. and Russo, L. 2020. A Regression Tree Approach for Investigating the Impact of High-Speed Rail on Tourists` Choices. Sustainability, 12(3): 910. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030910
[23] Papatheodorou, A. 2011. Tourism, Transport Geography and Industrial Economics: A Synthesis in the Context of Mediterranean Islands. An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 12(1): 23-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2001.9686996
[24] Pappas, N. 2021. COVID19: Holiday intentions during a pandemic. Tourism Management, 84: 104287. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104287
[25] Paraschi, E. 2020. Accessibility, Tourism and Social Welfare: COVID19 and a new Quality-of-Life Tourism Model for the Greek islands, International Journal of Cultural and Digital Tourism, 6: 10-21.
[26] Patsouratis, V., Frangouli, Z. and Anastasopoulos, G. 2005. Competition in tourism among the Mediterranean countries. Applied Economics, 37(16): 1865-1870. DOI: 10.1080/00036840500217226
[27] Ramkissoon H., Uysal, M. and Brown, K. 2011. Relationship between Destination Image and Behavioural Intentions of Tourists to Consume Cultural Attractions. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 20(5): 575-595. DOI: 10.1080/19368623.2011.570648
[28] Rios-Jara, E., et al. 2013. The Tourism Carrying Capacity of Underwater Trails in Isabel Island National Park, Mexico. Environmental Management, 52: 335-347. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-013-0047-3
[29] Russo, A. P. and van der Borg, J. 2002. Planning considerations for cultural tourism: a case study of four European cities. Tourism Management, 23(6): 631–637.
[30] Rutty, M. and Scott, D. 2015. Bioclimatic comfort and the thermal perceptions and preferences of beach tourists. Int J Biometeorol, 59: 37-45. DOI: 10.1007/s00484-014-0820-x
[31] Spilanis, I. and H. Vayanni, N 2004. “Sustainable Tourism: Utopia or Necessity? The Role of New Forms of Tourism in the Aegean Islands.” In B. Bramwell, ed., Coastal Mass Tourism: Diversification and Sustainable Development in Southern Europe. Clevedon, UK: Channel View Publications.
[32] Thompson, K. and Schofield, P. 2007. An investigation of the relationship between public transport performance and destination satisfaction. Journal of Transport Geography, 15(2): 136–144. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2006.11.004
[33] Triarchi, Ε. and Karamanis, Κ. 2017. The evolution of alternative forms of Tourism: a theoretical background. Business & Entrepreneurship Journal, 6(1): 1–4.
[34] Tsartas, P. 2003. Tourism Development in Greek Insular and Coastal Areas: Sociocultural Changes and Crucial Policy Issues. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 11(2-3): 116–132. DOI: 10.1080/09669580308667199
[35] Varotsis, N. 2019. Quality standards in hospitality industry: Ionian region. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 8(5): 417. DOI: http://doi.org/10.35248/2167-0269.19.8.417
[36] Vitouladiti, O. 2010. Tourism marketing and tourist destination image: Survey of the British customer market in Corfu (trans.), Doctoral dissertation, Department of Economic and Regional Development, Panteion University.
[37] Wang, S., Yamada, N., and Brothers, L. 2011. A Case Study: Discussion of Factors and Challenges for Urban Cultural Tourism Development. Int. J. Tourism Res, 13: 553–569. DOI: 10.1002/jtr.826
[38] Whittaker, H. 1999. The status of arete in the Phaeacian episode of the Odyssey. Symbolae Osloensess, 74(1): 140-150. DOI: 10.1080/00397679908590959
[39] Yazdi, S. K. and Khanalizadeh, B. 2017. Tourism demand: a panel data approach. Current Issues in Tourism, 20(8): 787-800. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2016.1170772
[40] Zeldes, N. 2013. Jewish settlement in Corfu in the aftermath of the expulsions from Spain and southern Italy, 1492–1541. Mediterranean Historical Review, 27(2): 175-188. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/09518967.2012.735060
[41] European Union 2012. Sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2863/69472
[42] INSETE 2021. Region of Ionian Islands: Annual Report on competitiveness and structural adjustment of tourism for the year 2020 (Τrans).
[43] OECD. 2020. OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2020.
[44] Statista 2021. Travel & tourism report 2021.
[45] Statista 2022. Travel and tourism in Greece.
[46] World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 2017. Economic Impact of Tourism. Available at: https://www.wttc.org/research/economic-research/economicimpact-analysis/
Published
2022-03-31
How to Cite
KONTOGEORGIS, Georgios; VAROTSIS, Nikolaos. Cultural Tourism in Developed Island Tourist Destinations: The Development of an Alternative Tourism Model in Corfu. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 2, p. 456-465, mar. 2022. ISSN 2068-7729. Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/6902>. Date accessed: 29 mar. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v13.2(58).15.