Cities as Creative Spaces for Cultural Tourism: A Plea for the Consideration of History

Cultural tourism around the world is big business. Tourism stakeholders within tourism destinations understandably work hard to develop brands and images that entice cultural tourists to visit. However, when tourism stakeholders involved in this process do not prioritise host community self knowledge, cultural integrity is compromised and cultural distortion inevitably arises. The purpose of this paper is to raise the issue of congruity between tourism brand and tourist experience, and to make a plea for the consideration of history in the imaging, branding and interpretation processes. The conclusion is that the effective use of local history can illuminate host community self-knowledge for the benefit of both cultural tourist and host community.