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Cultural heritage and tourism in Tunisia : Evolution, challenges, and perspectives

Dhaher, Najem ; Seyfi, Siamak and Michael Hall, C. LU (2020) p.87-101
Abstract

Since the nineteenth century, the notion of heritage in Tunisia has experienced a number of different identities and political and cultural reorientations which have gradually made it primarily an instrument of tourism-related economic development. The notion of heritage in the country has evolved from one that has been historically stigmatised to a vision of much more mature preservation movement, which suggests a dynamic co-construction in connection with the growth of place marketing and tourism. Indeed, when tourism was initially developed in Tunisia in the mid-1960s, heritage became a branch of industry and focus of development activity. In more recent decades, tourism has led to a more reflexive effort surrounding the notion of... (More)

Since the nineteenth century, the notion of heritage in Tunisia has experienced a number of different identities and political and cultural reorientations which have gradually made it primarily an instrument of tourism-related economic development. The notion of heritage in the country has evolved from one that has been historically stigmatised to a vision of much more mature preservation movement, which suggests a dynamic co-construction in connection with the growth of place marketing and tourism. Indeed, when tourism was initially developed in Tunisia in the mid-1960s, heritage became a branch of industry and focus of development activity. In more recent decades, tourism has led to a more reflexive effort surrounding the notion of heritage that has been intended to systematise the tourist offering and to promote local cultural development. However, the tourist valuation of the heritage has always been confronted with numerous constraints, including the amount of investment, the legal status of sites and monuments, and the logics of local actors. Framed by questions of social, political, ideological, and economic dynamics, the chapter questions the notion and the use of heritage in Tunisia and analyses the interactions with tourism since the colonial period.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Cultural and Heritage Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa : Complexities, Management and Practices - Complexities, Management and Practices
pages
15 pages
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:85091619739
ISBN
9781000177084
9780367232719
DOI
10.4324/9780429279065-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c63f1c51-211a-4399-b7fb-3c78007ed1ac
date added to LUP
2020-11-02 12:31:00
date last changed
2024-06-27 01:44:27
@inbook{c63f1c51-211a-4399-b7fb-3c78007ed1ac,
  abstract     = {{<p>Since the nineteenth century, the notion of heritage in Tunisia has experienced a number of different identities and political and cultural reorientations which have gradually made it primarily an instrument of tourism-related economic development. The notion of heritage in the country has evolved from one that has been historically stigmatised to a vision of much more mature preservation movement, which suggests a dynamic co-construction in connection with the growth of place marketing and tourism. Indeed, when tourism was initially developed in Tunisia in the mid-1960s, heritage became a branch of industry and focus of development activity. In more recent decades, tourism has led to a more reflexive effort surrounding the notion of heritage that has been intended to systematise the tourist offering and to promote local cultural development. However, the tourist valuation of the heritage has always been confronted with numerous constraints, including the amount of investment, the legal status of sites and monuments, and the logics of local actors. Framed by questions of social, political, ideological, and economic dynamics, the chapter questions the notion and the use of heritage in Tunisia and analyses the interactions with tourism since the colonial period.</p>}},
  author       = {{Dhaher, Najem and Seyfi, Siamak and Michael Hall, C.}},
  booktitle    = {{Cultural and Heritage Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa : Complexities, Management and Practices}},
  isbn         = {{9781000177084}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{87--101}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  title        = {{Cultural heritage and tourism in Tunisia : Evolution, challenges, and perspectives}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429279065-5}},
  doi          = {{10.4324/9780429279065-5}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}