Arts and Culture

OVERVIEW

This seminar was attended by 55 participants (anthropologists, social scientists, experts in cultural heritage, public administrators, and organisations such as UNESCO) from 17 ASEM countries. It introduced a sociological and anthropological approach to the current debates surrounding cultural heritage and tourism with the following question: "How can the understanding of man as a cultural vector, with its natural inclinations towards tourism, contribute to a better management of the cultural heritage and the tourism industry?"

Six workshops were held to discuss the question. The topics were:

- Solidarity tourism: An idea and its reality

- Images of tourism

- Urban tourism and urbanism

- Influence of tourism on local lifestyle

- From traditional handicraft to industrialised souvenirs

- Cultural heritage and its representation