Cultural tourism has become a powerful force for good. The numbers are clear: by 2028, cultural tourism is expected to generate a global economic impact of $7 billion. What’s more, cultural travelers spend more money, stay more nights, and increasingly seek more immersive, more authentic experiences. They are good for local economies because they understand the importance of supporting local economies. While cultural tourism’s potential as an economic driver is undeniable, a larger question remains. Is selling culture selling out?
The Value of Cultural Heritage in Tourism
There’s an inherent threat in the idea of “selling out.” Is the authenticity of any culture in danger if it is commercialized?
In many ways, culture has always been under threat. First colonizing forces brought weapons, then mapmakers erased boundaries. Limelight-seeking celebrities appropriate culture for their own commercial purposes. Technology will likely become the next conqueror to threaten cultural nuance.
Certainly the evaporation of global indigenous languages speaks to the great threat culture faces. According to UNESCO, approximately 600 languages have disappeared in the last century. More alarmingly, they continue to disappear at a rate of one language every two weeks. If this pace continues, up to 90 percent of the world’s languages are likely to disappear before the end of this century.
Yet cultural tourism offers a unique opportunity here – when visitors seek authentic experiences, they bring with them visitor dollars which in turn provide incentives to preserve language and traditions. Communities offering immersive cultural experiences often find themselves naturally preserving their languages through storytelling, guided experiences, and educational programs.
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Cultural Preservation Through Commerce
While the threats to cultural heritage are real, communities are finding innovative ways to turn cultural sharing into a tool for preservation.
The sharing of culture is not itself a force for evil.
Local Chefs Have Long Driven Awareness
Martin Yan (Yan Can Cook) has done his part to popularize dim sum and Emeril Lagasse (Bam!) has helped elevate “New New Orleans” cuisine. Does that make them sellouts? Or are they cultural ambassadors that help drive awareness of and elevate underrepresented cuisines?
Should Native chefs like Sean Sherman – the Sioux Chef – and Crystal Wahpepah – the first Indigenous chef to appear on Chopped – be denied similar access to celebrity? Or does the celebrity that comes along with their passion to showcase Native cuisines make them suspect? Is Wahpepah any less a trusted culture bearer because she received the Indigenous Artist Activist Award or because she was a James Beard Award finalist in the Emerging Chef category in 2022?
Demand Breeds Preservation
Yes, increasing awareness and demand can escalate appropriation. But increasing awareness can also create advocacy. When Kim Kardashian tried to trademark her Kim-ono, the world pushed back with their united protest. “Kim, Oh No!” You don’t have to be Japanese to have a strong opinion on Kardashian’s claiming of a cultural icon for her own financial gain.
Building Successful Cultural Tourism
There are numerous success stories in cultural preservation that provide lessons and principles for providers interested in expanding their own cultural tourism programming.
Building Sustainable Cultural Tourism Programs
Alaska’s Icy Strait Point is one such success story. Owned by the Huna Totem Corporation, Icy Strait Point is one of the world’s most unique cruise ship destinations. It provides visitors a deep dive into local and tribal traditions. Nature trails, bear watching, and whale watching, right off the point, are all infused with Tlinigit culture. The port has even inspired other tribal destinations, like the Port of Klawock, near Ketchikan. Both put community interests above the profit-first model.
Elevate Your Icons (And Create New Ones)
Every culture has its recognized symbols – mariachis, fry bread, sushi, falafel. Some remain relatively true to their past. Others – like the California roll – have very little relationship to their “perceived” origins.
The internet, social media, and even AI offers a significant opportunity to elevate lesser-known cultural treasures to iconic status. Why shouldn’t Three Sisters Stew become as in-demand as quinoa? Why aren’t grape dumplings as famous as baklava? The Seminole patchwork jacket could be as recognizable as the Scottish kilt. Cultural tourism doesn’t not have to be just about sharing what was – it’s can also be about highlighting what is.
The Yurok Tribe’s traditional canoe tours – with canoes carved from of Redwood Trees, using ancient techniques – offer an immersive cultural experience in Northern California that’s wholly unique. The Chickasaw Cultural Center in Oklahoma has transformed family storytelling into a powerful museum experience that draws visitors from around the world. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has reimagined the traditional spa experience through their cultural lens, creating a desert wellness destination that honors ancient practices.
Casinos as Culture Bearers
The question of evolution versus preservation plays out daily in Native casinos across the country. Could and should these enterprises offer more Indigenous cuisine, beyond Fry Bread? Can they create a magic formula that drives demand, or should they wait for more chefs like Wahpepah and Sherman to popularize Native cuisines before they test the demand for local and culturally inspired foods?
Does the casino sushi station really interest casino visitors more than roast elk? And the larger question, can sushi lovers be convinced to try something new? Can burger lovers? Can there be more demand for acorns and pine nuts? Which comes first? The chicken or the egg? Supply? Or demand?
Should Native casinos play the role of culture bearer, educator and trend setter?
Some casinos have already been successful in creating Indigenous cultural programs. Idaho’s luxurious Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel offers a cultural tourism program where guests can participate in local activities, ranging from canoe rides to cycling excursions across the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, all led by Native, local guides.
Beyond “We’re Still Here”
While acknowledging historical injustices is important, cultural tourism thrives most when it focuses on the vibrancy and vitality of living traditions. Rather than creating hospitality marketing campaigns around what visitors get wrong about a culture, a more successful strategy is welcoming travelers to explore what is – a vibrant and unique and extraordinary destination.
Think of New Orleans. Visitors come first for the brass bands on Bourbon Street, the steaming bowls of gumbo, and the wild joy of Mardi Gras. Once they’ve fallen in love with the city’s spirit, they’re also ready to learn about Hurricane Katrina’s impact, the struggle to preserve historic neighborhoods, and the ongoing battle with rising waters. This approach isn’t about hiding hard truths – it’s about creating invested allies who care enough to listen. But allies are harder to find if there isn’t a welcome wagon promising a joyful experience as well as a transformative one.
The same principle applies to all cultural tourism: let visitors fall in love with your celebrations, your flavors, your art first. Once they’re emotionally invested, they’ll be ready for deeper, harder conversations.
Creating Cultural Connoisseurs
The best cultural tourism experiences don’t just display culture – they send home knowledgeable appreciators who understand the value of the local experience.
Cultural connoisseurs also straddle a very fine line between appreciation and appropriation. When a visitor learns why a master weaver must spend months on a single blanket, or how to distinguish fine beadwork from mass-produced imitations, they become advocates for authentic cultural expression. But does enthusiastically sharing their learnings turn the visitor into an appropriators? Should local stories only be told by experienced storytellers? Or is it okay for navigators and cultural friends to share their perceptions of these experiences?
The answer here is a difficult one. The answer, however, could also provide new economic opportunities. Offering local guides who can explain what’s okay and what isn’t, what’s sacred and what isn’t, what’s off limits and what isn’t, can create job opportunities for locals while also driving additional preservation education for younger generations.
Cultural Tourism is the True Differentiator
As we look to the future of the hospitality industry, cultural authenticity will become increasingly valuable. Especially as the world grows more homogenized.
When Times Square starts looks ever more like Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, when shopping malls from Montana to Manila feature the same luxury brands, it is the unique cultural fabric of a place that will help visitors determine where they wish to travel. Is the taco enough of a draw to send people to Mexico, for example? Unlikely, as New York has plenty of fine eateries boasting ex-patriot taco masters.
But the inherent cultural fabric of a place WILL be a draw. Consider how Detroit has transformed its rich musical heritage – from Motown to techno – into a cultural tourism draw. Detroit celebrates its past and its vibrant present, weaving music, car culture and industrial history into a uniquely only-in-Detroit experience.
DMOs would be wise to pay attention to this shifting trend, especially as many DMOs continue to lean into more standardized messaging. “Something for everyone” has permeated marketing campaigns from El Paso to Philadelphia to Puerto Rico.
But no destination truly has something for everyone. Nor should it.
Meeting Growing Demand
More travelers will seek out the “trueness” of place, and the value of cultural and indigenous experiences will skyrocket. Increased demand by global travelers and by the global travel trade is already underway. Tour operators like Destination America and Insight Vacations and G Adventures, and many others, are delivering visitors to Pine Ridge and Poeh Cultural Center and Wendake, and many, many other under-the-radar “detour destinations.”
Tour product managers are already negotiating exclusive, non-compete packages. “We’ll promote your destination, but only if you don’t sell the exact same experience to our competitors.”
Does this pressure to create differentiated products further threaten authenticity? Do small communities have the capacity to meet this growing demand? Does this demand lead to new economic opportunities? Or does it stress preservation and authenticity?
Time will tell. But one thing is certain. When Yosemite and Yellowstone and Washington D.C. no longer are “enough” for global travelers, their appetite for cultural experiences will continue to grow. Cultural communities should be ready to deal with the hard questions. When does a sale become selling out?
The Future of Cultural Tourism
Whatever cultural tourism looks like in the next decade, it is poised to become an ever-more valuable commodity to travelers and sellers of travel.
The key is for cultural communities to find the balance between accessibility and preservation, between sharing and protecting. By creating meaningful connections and by building deeper understanding, cultural tourism can help ensure traditional practices don’t just survive, but thrive in the modern world.
The goal isn’t just to preserve culture like a museum piece, but to help it flourish. To allow it to evolve while maintaining its essential character. When visitors leave a community with a understanding of why culture matters, the experience has succeeded in its most important mission. Creating appreciation and advocates for cultural preservation.