CUSTODES - Central Europe Programme

Custodes Model for attracting

tourism in the cultural sites

Introduction: Innovation and transformation in the tourist industry

• innovation in the “contents” and ways of enjoying the tourist offer• innovation in technology and methods for the commercialization and selling of the tourist product• innovation in vectors, logistics and transport policies• innovation in the technique of representation and “Stories” of the territory and the organizing of the “tourist scene”• innovation in the instruments for the governance of territory and the overall definition of a territorial brand• innovation in the competitive horizons and competition/collaboration policies between businesses and territories• innovation in “production spinnerets”• innovation in the concepts of accessibility and sustainability of the tourist offer• innovation in methods of communication and consumer relations• innovation in financial instruments directed at businesses and consumers• the re-structuring and expansion in competence of the professional figures involved• innovation in training models and the technology for transmitting the know-how

The tourist industry today > a combination of extremely transformative processes – from the qualitative and the quantitative point of view – to determine a rapid, profound and evident modification

Talking about innovation in the field of tourism means talking about:

The transformation of the paradigm of consumption arises from the progressive convergence between

two models which until now have determined what we call:

> experiential tourism

> holiday tourism

What we define today as an “active holiday” (cultural or sports, naturalistic or religious) and represents

the present-future of the tourist industry is nothing other than the result of this convergence and the

expression of a new kind of consumer who acting his role as a tourist demands to get not only rest or

amusement, but the expression of his vocation, and with it new forms of self-expression and new

universal relations.

A new type of consumer who in excercising his own passions detects the centre of his own individual and

social identity and in the realization of the tourist experience (but not only) the possibility to satisfy them.

In this context the terms “vocation” and “experience” become similar in that they express on one hand

the needs of the consumer who through being a tourist reveals his own identity profile and on the other,

the “form of expression” adopted by tourist systems to meet with this demand.

Consequently each new experiential tourist product will be formed by:

> a CONTENT (expression of the “values” it intends to represent through tourism)

> a FORMAT (expression of the functional models through which the content is represented and

the experiential devices activated.

> a WELCOMING SYSTEM and CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP SYSTEM ( a combination of

instruments through which the consumer comes into contact with the experience on offer, before, during

and after his enjoyment.)

The possibility for a territory to remain on the contemporary tourist market comes from its

capacity to assert its own distinctive characteristics through a combined system of these three elements.

Fundamental features of the experience

EXPERIENCE in ANTHROPOLOGY

“Transformative” activity of a liminal character (separate from ordinary activity which to be performed needs an “entrance” and an “exit”)

Relational Activity . The defining quality, as such, of individual and collective identity.

EXPERIENCE in SOCIOLOGY

Three basic types: : Conative, Cognitive, Affective

The current model of experience : Linear experience > random experience /fragmentary/“artificial” (based on consumption action) = experience as a “cipher” of post industrial consuming.

EXPERIENCE in PSYCHOLOGY

> Immersive

> Interactive

> Emotional

* It originates when the individual is faced with tasks he/she is capable of carrying out.

* To ensure that the activity is enjoyable it’s opportune that the grade of difficulty and the capacity are counterbalanced.

* the individual must be able to concentrate on the activity so as to be completely involved and cut off from the rest of the world

* the concentration is triggered off by “objectives” clearly identified and certified by an immediate feedback.

* The individual has control over the situation but not enough to preclude the possibility of appreciating the “increase in ability” which comes from the experience itself, during which the sense of self disappears and reappears soon after in an increased measure.

The Matrix of Tourist Experience

VOCATIONS

MODELS(challenges, moods, tales, etc.)

HISTORICAL VOCATIONS

ETHNO-ANTHROPOLOGICAL VOC

NATURALISTIC VOC.

HEART SCIENCES VOC.

BIO-MEDICAL VOC.

GEOGRAPHICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL VOC..

CONTEXTUAL VOC.

THEORETICAL VOC.

PSEUDO-ARCHAEOLOGICAL VOC.

DEVICES(semantics, narratives, proxemics , emotionalsi, ecc)

TOOLS

Tools of Communication

Tools di Conversation

Visual and Verbal Identities

Program

Set

Tools of preparation and souvenir of the experience

Welcoming System

Context

Transports

Horizontal Chains

Vertical Chains

Historical & Culturalist Vocations

PREHISTORIC

& PROTOHISTORICAL A.

Altamira, Neocueva

NEAR-EASTERN A.

Assyriology

Phoeniciology

Egyptology

Papyrology, Nubiology,, Coptologia

Biblical A.

Iranian

Hittitologists

Museo Egizio,

Torino

CLASSICAL A.

Greeks

Etruscans

Romans

Expo mondiale di archeologia vvirtuale, Roma 2005

Luxor Hotel,

Las Vegas

Museo narrante di Hera Argiva, Salerno

EUROPEAN & SCANDINAVIAN A.

INDIAN A. CHINESE A. AFRICAN A.

Lofotr Viking Museum

PRECOLUMBIANS A.

Aztechi, Maya, Olmechi, Toltechi

Native Americans

AUSTRALIAN & ABORIGINAL A.

Buddha di Bamiyan byHiro Yamagata

MEDIEVAL A. POST-MEDIEVAL A.

Industrial A.

Railway A.

Contemporary A.

Parco Archeologico dell’Inconmpiuto, Giarre

Museo Centrale Montemartini, Roma

Ethno-anthropological Vocations

PALETHNOLOGY COGNITIVE A.

Archaeoastronomy

Archaeogastronomy

Musical A.

PALEOANTHROPOLOGY EXPERIMENTAL A. RITUAL A.

Ar. Of theCult

Funerary A.

Ar.of Textiles & Clothing

Ar. of Consumption, Commerce,Production

Lightning A.

Numismatics

Epigraphy

Calceology

Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto

Archeopercorso del Bostel di Rotzo (VI)

Geographical & Environmental Vocations

LANDSCAPE A.ARCHAEGEODESY ENVIRONMENTAL A. TOPOGRAPHIC A.

Regione Liguria, Mostra “Paesaggi nascosti” 2009

Historical Ecology

Depositi carboniferi, Parco dell’Antola

Earth Sciences Vocations

ARCHAEOMETRY

Paleomagnetism

GEOARCHAEOLOGY ARCHAEOSEISMOLOGY

Geoarchaeometry

Taphonomy

Archaeoacoustic

PALEOCLIMATOLOGY

Picchio Verde, TO specializzato in geo-archeologia metropolitana

Geoarchaeology Maritime

Speleoarcheology

Naturalistic Vocations

ARCHAEOZOOLOGY

Archaeopalimology

PALEOETHNOBOTANY PALEONTOLOGY

Micropaleontology

Paleo-entomology

Museo Paleobotanica annesso all’Orto Botanico di Napoli

Bio-medical Vocations

ARCHEOGENETICS

Paleodontology

BIOARCHAELOGY PALEOPATHOLOGY

Mummyology

Osteoarchaeology

FORENSIC A.PALEO-NEUROLOGY

Francesco I° dè Medici

Contextual Vocations

MINING A.

Archaeometallurgy

AERIAL A. RECCEOLOGY MARITIME A.

Battlefiled A.

Conflict A.

URBAN A.

Underwater A.

Rescue A.

Ar. navale

•IAS Istituto Attività Subacque PalermoCampo di battaglia di Wisby, 1361

Theoretical Vocations

COMMUNITY A.

Quantitative A.

HISTORICAL A.

GENDER A. COMPUTATIONAL A.

Feminist A.

VIRTUAL A.

Archeomatica

NEW ARCHAEOLOGY

INTERPRETATIVE A.

Public Archaeology

Seneca Village Project, NY

Pseudo-archaelogical Vocations

FANTARCHEOLOGYMISTERIOUS A. ASTROARCHAEOLOGY

FORBIDDEN A. ALTERNATIVE A. XENOARCHAEOLOGY

Tourism in castles: general outlines

In an imaginary geography of passion the castle – as a building and as a symbolic form is a sort of junction between three current ideals that (especially during the last few years) have fully demonstrated their own relevance and vitality:

* the passion for history ( and for medieval history in particular)

* the passion for fantasy, or rather for a kind of literature that has been fully consecrated in the last few years, thanks also to its versatility and its trasferability to other not literary media ( from the cinema to comics, from television to video games)

the passion for two sections of tourism – different but overlapping like heritage tourism

( tourism finalised at the re-discovery of historical, architectural and natural heritage) and the so-called tourisme de terroir ( tourism concerned with natural and atropic scenery)

* The passion for history springs from a need for roots and a search for our origins which becomes even more important when the contemporary world appears uncertain and difficult for us to define.

* The passion for medieval history in particular from the search for “plausible answers” in a type of society which in many ways seems very similar to a pre-modern society.

* The passion for fantasy, on the contrary, corresponds to a “need for answers” that in some ways go beyond the exclusively rational level typical of modern society. Complex answers thus, in their genesis (a genesis in which the level of rational thinking and fantasy interweave without interruption) but at the same time are simple in their formulation: a formulation in which the concepts of good and evil are clearly distinct and opposing, in which social systems and politicians are “orderly” and in which the individual is able to overcome obstacles and complexes by virtue of natural and supernatural “help” that he/she is able to secure in the course of events.

F1 : CASTLES AND TERROIR

Fantasy : general outlines

Fantasy stems from the interlacing between Gothic novels, mythological stories and fairy tales and from the quantitative point of view, its dimensions are even more relevant than its “historical” aspect.

BooksBooksThe trilogy of Lord of the Rings by Tolkien = the ninth most sold book with over 150 million copies sold.The hobbit (by the same author) = with over 100 million copies sold currently occupies the 15th place.The first volume of the Harry Potter Saga by J.K. Rowling instead occupies the 11th place with 107 million copies sold, but if we consider the other six volumes of the saga, the copies at international level exceed 400 million copies overall, making Harry Potter the fourth best-seller of all times.Starting from the 1980’s fantasy has also established itself as an authentic popular genre.

MoviesThe trilogy of Lord of the Rings has generated three films: The fellowship of the ring (2001), The two towers (2002) and the Return of the king (2003) –which at the moment are in the 17th, 9th and 2nd place overall in box office takings of all times.Even happier is the case of Harry Potter: the six films released until now have made altogether more than 5.350 million dollars – they constitute in overall terms the “film series” of major success of all times.

But Fantasy is a kind of multimedia by definition and thus more than others is capable of generating epigones and “transversal products” which are transformed into successful television series and videogames.

In the videogame category of the most sold of all times we find:

� 6th – Final fantasy with 85 million (copies)

� 10th – The Legend of Zelda with 57 million

� 16th – Dragon Quest with 50 million

� 19th – Lineage with 43 million

Just as determining is the progressive diffusion of role games which in the “plot of fantasy” find an ideal content. Initially they were table games - of which the ancestor is Dungeons & Dragons, published for the first time in 1974 and today boasts a following of 20 million people - but it is with the development of the so-called MUD and MMORPG (that is computer role games, played contemporarily on internet by more people, permitting thousands of players to interact, interpreting characters that evolve together with the world that surrounds them and in which they live), that this type of activity establishes itself permanently.

Thanks once again to internet, numerous Community Fantasy have sprung up, thanks to collective writing experiences which contribute among other things to a continuous renewal of the genre.

Strategic Approach

Historically tourism in the Romagna hinterland and in Rimini in particular, is born from and develops as a consequence to tourist development on the coast. In a mass tourism fingerprinted on the “holiday” model ( a static model of tourist enjoyment based on medium/long periods of stay) the hinterland offers itself as a natural calling for day trips or evening excursions. It must be added that the Rimini hinterland has a particular predisposition in this direction if we consider the numerous inspirations and opportunities it can offer to a tourist/excursionist in terms of natural scenery, history, cultural charm, typical recipes and products, etc…

This model of “soft interaction” started to enter in crisis in the 80’s to 90’s in conjunction with the

development of some decisive structural factors, on one side, a reduction in the length of the stay of the average seaside tourist ( the arrival of short-break holidays), on the other the progressive “vocazionalization” of the demand for tourism and the enormous development at international level of the so-called tourisme de terroir, that is, a kind of tourism expressly concerning scenery, historical and cultural aspects and aspects of identity which the Rimini hinterland has at its disposition (likewise can be said of almost all hinterlands in Italy and perhaps in Europe) and that until then had been used only as a form of “diversion” by the coastal tourist.

The combination of these two factures induced the “territorial government” structures to reflect on the advisability/necessity for an autonomous development of tourism in the hinterland and this consideration led to the instituting of the brand “The Malatesta Seignory” in 2001.

The new territorial brand is born in answer to the need for the re-branding of a large proportion of

Rimini’s tourist system which in its kind, aggregates also to the need to support the establishing of new

regional “tourist amalgamations”, springing from the precise distinction between coast, hinterland, Spas and

cities of art. The proclaimed intention from the start is to determine an autonomous “capacity to attract” in

the hinterland of Rimini, and the chosen strategic direction (at least at the enunciative level) is that of

divarication of the Rimini brand.

A strategy in reality never completely perfected, we believe, for two reasons:

> Despite the the crisis in the traditional seaside tourism model, interdependence between the coast and the hinterland remains very high. It could be said that with the growth of - tourisme du terroir – the coast has discovered “the necessity” to use the “hinterland” as an instrument for the implementation of its own offers.

> The tourisme du terroir constitutes an extremely crowded and competitive tourist market which is privileged by some historical leaders at a national and international level (regions like Tuscany or Umbria, just to mention some), and a great number of new-comers are hardened to this, being the only option or the main option, they are able to concentrate on this type of offer a greater quantity of resources than is possible in the Rimini hinterland.

In the light of these considerations, the choice of the “divarication” risks turning out to be scarcely efficient and it would be better to reason in terms of functional “diversification” and images (from the coast and the hinterland) all under the same brand name and capable of sharing the positive effects of “Brand Rimini” in both contexts and encouraging the development of productive synergy and joint programmes between the two realities.

There are positive effects which don’t concern only the “notoriety” of Rimini as a destination but also determined assets that the public usually associates to it, such as clear thinking, a pre-disposition for relations, the culture of hospitality, the capacity to be innovative and to make new and interesting proposals which are not in contrast with a tourisme du terroir, but which suitably chosen can highlight unusual and original aspects.