Page 121 - World Heritage and Tourism Innovation

Urška Starc Peceny, Tomi Ilijaš Matevž Straus Digital Innovation of Cultural Heritage

Since the 1970s, these institutions have experi- out of tourism would leave tourism of theme parks,
enced new challenges that demand changes in their casinos, spas and SSS (sea, sand, sun).
functioning. They are operating in a highly compet- Despite this natural connection, a Eurobarometer
itive leisure market, trying to meet the expectations survey reports that almost half of Europeans (48%) say
of increasingly discerning visitors (Komarac, 2014; they are not involved with cultural heritage in any way.
Conway & Leighton, 2012). Although these changes Moreover, cultural heritage is not often seen as a source
do not only affect heritage institutions, this sector of new tourist products and the development of new
was also – and continues to be – less able to adapt tourist destinations. Contemporary trends in tourism
and consequently most affected, due in part to their (outdoor activities, focus on experiences, gastronomy
long tradition of object-oriented modus operandi. and wellbeing, personalisation, business-leisure blur)
The shift from object-based (dealing with objects and are often driving tourist destination developers even
collections) to people-based approaches (UNESCO, further away from cultural heritage, which is primar-
2015; Chhabra, 2009) has become more and more ac- ily due to the image of cultural heritage as rather an
cepted (Mencarelli & Pulh, 2012) as in people-based inhibitor of development than a resource, and under-
approaches, the intangible benefits for the visitor are standing of cultural heritage as static, rigid and non-at-
favoured (Alcaraz et al., 2009) over more custodial tractive. However, from a tourism development point
approaches based on conservation and objects. of view, cultural heritage presents an opportunity and
This shift has a significant effect on the organisa- a potential source of tested and pivoting stories, uni-
tion of work, programming, professional skills (e.g., versal values, and emotions that can be translated into
‘hybrid profiles’ (Burning Glass and General Assembly, new products. As a starting point of sustainable tour-
2015)), marketing (Kotler, 2005) and budgeting, which ism development, cultural heritage is characterised by
also changes the role and positioning of heritage insti- deep roots in local culture and the life of local commu-
tutions in their wider communities – locally, national- nities. It reflects local, regional, national, and cross-bor-
ly, or internationally. Heritage institutions are expect- der identity and symbolic DNA - the ‘authenticity’ and
ed to collect, preserve, and conduct research and drive ‘uniqueness’ a modern tourist seeks. Moreover, in Slo-
economic growth. The ‘eco-museum’ presents heritage venia, cultural heritage is relatively evenly dispersed.
institutions as ‘agent(s) for managing change that links Cultural heritage has been identified in all regions,
education, culture, and power. It extends the mission both in rural and urban areas, the only exception be-
of a museum to include responsibility for human dig- ing larger forested areas, such as Trnovo Forest and
nity’ (Fuller, 1992). Furthermore, the challenge of ato- Kočevje Forest, that humans have not inhabited. Due
misation of customers, the so-called segment of one’ to even dispersion, developing tourism around local
(Rogers & Peppers, 1993; Peppers & Rogers, 1999), cultural heritage can avoid the agglomeration effects of
requires heritage institutions to customise activities mass tourism, where tourism providers tend to cluster
based on individual requirements and expectations, around existing tourism destinations, often leading to
resulting in the need to collect, analyse and operation- over-tourism, iconisation and over-commercialisation/
alise data using advanced technology. Disneyfication and at the same time harming the life
of the local community (Juvan et al., 2021; Urbančič et
Heritage and/in Tourism al., 2020).
Cultural heritage and tourism seem to be natural
companions – several of the main tourist attractions Digital Technologies for Tourism and Cultural Heritage
are also cultural heritage sites (nationally, in Slovenia The tourism and heritage sector face new challenges
- Bled, Postojna Cave, Piran, Ljubljana Castle … - and due to the quick adoption of information technology
globally – Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Great Wall of China, tools and advanced technologies in the science indus-
Colosseum, Machu Pichu …), or otherwise places of try (Industry 4.0.) and daily use. The true essence of
significant cultural heritage values. Scraping heritage this paradigm shift is not only to use technology to

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