A WORLD HERITAGE INDUSTRY ?
TOURISM AT HUNGARIAN WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Tamara Rátz  - László Puczkó

Paper presented at the
"Cross Gazes at the Heritage Concept Worldwide
at the End of the 20th Century" symposium
7-9 October 1999
Laboratoire "Espace et Culture" CNRS, Paris IV- Sorbonne

Introduction
"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. They are our touchstones, our points of reference, our identity" (WHC 1996).

Heritage "means everything, and it means nothing, and yet it has developed into a whole industry" (Hewison in Yale 1991:21).

Heritage plays a role in everybody's life. Though it is not equally important for all of us, it is impossible to deny its impact on our present and future. World Heritage includes sites of universal value, but the selection and the nomination of each site is dependent on national concepts of heritage. Tourism as an international movement can contribute to the development of a global heritage awareness, and a better appreciation of our common values. The analysis of tourism at World Heritage Sites in Hungary attempts to show the extent to which this aim is achieved.
 

The Concept of Heritage
Heritage in its broader meaning is "something transferred from one generation to another" (Nuryanti 1996:249). The word heritage includes both cultural and natural elements. In the cultural context, heritage describes both material and immaterial forms, e.g. artefacts, monuments, historical remains, buildings, architecture, philosophy, traditions, celebrations, historic events, distinctive ways of life, literature, folklore or education (Nuryanti 1996). In the natural context, heritage includes landscapes, gardens, parks, wilderness, mountains, rivers, islands, flora and fauna (Nuryanti 1996). Natural heritage also has cultural components, since its value is dependent on subjective human assessment.

The word "heritage" is applied in a wide variety of contexts (Tunbridge & Ashworth 1996). It is used as a synonym for objects from the past, or for sites with no surviving physical structures but associated with past events. It is also extended to non-physical aspects of the past, like cultural and artistic productivity. In many countries, "national heritage" has more or less the same meaning as "national culture".

Heritage is a cultural, political and economic resource. Since heritage is seen as a value in itself, heritage artefacts are suitable for collection, preservation and presentation. National heritage based on national history "explains the distinctiveness of a nation through time" (Tunbridge & Ashworth 1996:46), thus it is a valuable tool in increasing national unity and pride, or creating a national image.

As an economic resource, heritage is used in various forms. The so-called heritage industry is a "major commercial activity which is based on selling goods and services with a heritage component" (Tunbridge & Ashworth 1996:2). Tourism and leisure services obviously play a significant role in this industry, but the manufacturing and sale of heritage products can be considered as similarly important. Aspects of heritage can be used for creating images for places and for promotional purposes.
 

World Heritage
The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was created in 1972 by UNESCO to provide a legal, administrative and financial framework for protecting world-wide heritage sites of outstanding universal value. There were several reasons leading to the creation of the Convention. UNESCO was founded with the aim of the conservation and protection of the world's heritage. Understanding that the cultural and natural heritage were increasingly threatened with destruction and that the deterioration or the disappearance of any item of heritage would constitute an impoverishment of the global heritage, it was considered to be necessary to establish an effective system of collective protection of the heritage of outstanding universal value, since the protection of this heritage had often remained incomplete on national level (WHC 1972).

According to the definition of the World Heritage Convention, cultural heritage includes monuments (architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of historic, artistic or scientific features), groups of buildings and sites. Natural heritage includes natural features (physical and biological formations and groups of such formations), geological and physiographic formations and areas constituting the habitat of endangered species, and natural sites (WHC 1972). In accordance with to the main purpose of the Convention - protection, conservation and presentation of heritage of universal value -, the above definitions cover mainly tangibble elements.

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage is signed to date by more than 150 states from all around the world. The Convention's primary mission is to define and conserve the world's heritage, by drawing up a list of sites whose outstanding values should be preserved for all humanity, and to ensure their protection through a closer co-operation among nations. By signing the Convention, every country pledges to conserve the sites situated on its territory.

Though every country has its own heritage sites of local or national interest, the concept of World Heritage is exceptional, due to its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. Sites selected for World Heritage listing are approved on the basis of their merits as the best possible examples of the cultural and natural heritage.

To be included on the World Heritage List, a site nominated by a state must satisfy the selection criteria. Cultural heritage should (WHC 1972)


Equally important is the authenticity of the site and the way it is protected and managed.

Natural properties should (WHC 1972)

The protection, management and integrity of the site are also important considerations.

Heritage Tourism
Heritage tourism can be defined as "tourism which is based on heritage, where heritage is the core of the product that is offered, and heritage is the main motivating factor for the consumer" (Swarbrooke 1994:222). It obviously covers a wide range of activities, from visiting historic cities to trainspotting. From tourism's point of view, in this sense, heritage as an attraction must be interesting and accessible to tourists. In attracting visitors to a destination, heritage may be the primary motivation, or a secondary factor besides an other attraction.

Heritage tourism is a relatively new phenomenon, though travelling for cultural or historic motivation has been popular since the ancient times. However, this type of tourism has grown rapidly in recent years, due to a group of general and specific factors. Increased leisure time, more disposable income, increased mobility and the development of package travel have all led to the growth of tourism in general. Specifically, an increasing nostalgia for the past, higher education levels, the improving social status of heritage, and the diversification of tourist motivations have resulted in a higher demand for tourism based on heritage. The development of new types of heritage tourism products has also created new, more complex demand which explains the growing popularity of heritage tourism. The supply of heritage tourism products available has increased dramatically in the last two decades, through the opening of new heritage attractions and through the packaging of heritage products.

Typical heritage tourists have better than average education, are of above average income, belong to the middle class, are experienced in foreign travel, travel without young children, and have a relatively high per diem spending. Heritage trips are typically short, include a number of different places, and are taken as an additional holiday throughout the year (Tunbridge & Ashworth 1996).

The central challenge in heritage tourism is the way of reconstructing the past in the present through interpretation (Nuryanti 1996). Interpretation does not only describe historic facts, but creates understanding or emotional response, increases appreciation, awareness and enjoyment (Herbert 1989). Thus interpretation should involve much more than information provision, according to the following six main principles (Tilden 1977 in Nuryanti 1996):


It is important to recognise the scale of heritage attractions concerning possible market segments: only a minority of heritage sites can be considered as international attractions, the rest appeal to national, regional or local visitors only. Even on international scale, there are two levels: primary international attractions generate visits from foreign countries on their own, while secondary attractions are not themselves the major determinant in the tourists' choice of destination, but have sufficient value to make tourists visit them once they have arrived in the given county (Jenkins 1993).
 

"World Heritage Tourism"
Most World Heritage Sites are major cultural tourism attractions and some of them (such as the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China) are universally recognised symbols of national identity (Shackley 1998). The majority of visitors to these sites are generally motivated by an interest in culture, nature and heritage.

It could be assumed that the World Heritage Site status automatically results in a high number of visitors. However, visitor numbers depend on various factors, including the fame of the site, its accessibility or the way it is marketed. Some sites are so well-known that it seems to be obvious for visitors that they are on the World Heritage List (e.g. the Acropolis in Athens or Chichen Itza in Mexico). Little known sites, on the other hand, often do not benefit of their World Heritage status either (e.g. Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm, Sweden or Biertan church, Romania).

The high numbers of visitors World Heritage Sites usually attract mean that issues of accessibility, transport, accommodation, other service provision, information or impacts of visitor pressure must be discussed and potential problems must be solved by appropriate management techniques. However, a conflict of interests is most likely to emerge among the various parties involved in the management of a site: governments (or tourism organisations) on national level usually wish to use the site as a marketing tool in image creation, local people expect increased tourist flows bringing employment and income, and site managers attempt to preserve the quality of the given World Heritage Site and avoid negative impacts of visitation, by restricting visitor numbers and educating visitors about appropriate behaviour.

Due to the formalities required before the designation of a site, World Heritage Sites are supposed to have adequate legal protection and management mechanisms to ensure their conservation. The World Heritage designation can be withdrawn if the management criteria are not being met or if the site has lost those characteristics which qualified it for designation. However, the symbolic and cultural - and marketing - value of a World Heritage Site is so high that each country makes serious efforts to follow the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee, if threatened by the withdrawal of the designation.

An important consideration of tourism development at World Heritage Sites should be that the site's environment should retain the original spirit of the place.
 

World Heritage in Hungary
Hungary enacted the convention into law on October 15th 1985. By the time of this paper's completion, four sites have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO: the village of Hollókõ, the Buda Castle District and the view of the Danube banks in Budapest, the Caves of the Aggtelek Karst (together with the Slovak Karst), and the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma.  Hollókõ is situated in Northern Hungary (Nógrád county), app. 100 km from Budapest. Its population is 450 persons.  The village was declared is a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987. As the World Heritage Committee’s justification for inscription says, it is „an outstanding example of a deliberately preserved traditional settlement, a living example of rural life before the agricultural revolution of the 20th century” (WHC 1987).  The settlement was developed mainly during the 17th and 18th centuries. The old part of the village - including a 16. century church and 55 houses - has become a "living museum" in the last decade. Visitors can watch various craftsmen in work, buy handmade souvenirs in their workshops and become familiar with local customs on the village's holidays and special events.

" Budapest, the Banks of the Danube and the Buda Castle Quarter " received the World Cultural Heritage title in 1987, in the same year as Hollókõ (HNTO). According to the justification of the World Heritage Committee, "the site, with the remains of monuments such as the Roman city of Aquincum and the Gothic castle of Buda, which have exercised considerable architectural influence over various periods, is one of the world's outstanding urban landscapes and illustrates the great periods in the history of the Hungarian capital" (WHC 1987).  The first castle on Buda Castle Hill was built in 1247, but the District received its present-day form in the 19th century. Besides preserving its historic atmosphere, the Castle District houses many cultural institutions, including the National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum, the National Széchenyi Library and the Ludwig Museum. On the other side of the Danube, the impressive Neo-Gothic building of the Parliament offers a spectacular view.

Divided only by the national border, the Aggtelek Karst and the Slovak Karst are a geographically homogenous region extending over 60,000 hectares and containing over 700 smaller and larger caves (ANP 1998). Their morphological diversity, richness of formations, characteristic fauna, as well as archaeological and historical value, make this cave system one of the most complex underground karstic phenomena in the world. The caves of the Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst were placed on the World Heritage List in 1995, as the fourth cave system in the world achieving this title for its natural values. The caves are in almost intact state and, due to the strict protection legislation, can be preserved so, which has significantly contributed to their designation as a World Natural Heritage Site.

The Millenary Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma lies in the Western part of Hungary. The Benedictine monks settled here in 996, the abbey was founded in 1002 by the first Hungarian king. Once the monastery served as the Eastern outpost of the religion and culture of Medieval Europe, the monks played a significant role in the conversion of Hungarians to Christianity and founded the first school in the country. Since the beginning of 19th century, the main activity of the Benedictine order has been education. The building complex, which includes the Archabbey and its church, the Millennium Monument, the Cemetery chapel and the stations of the Cross, houses the monastic community and their school, having app. 500 inhabitants from autumn to spring. Its 1000-year history can be seen in the succession of architectural styles of the monastic buildings - the oldest built in 1224. The abbey and itts natural environment were designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1996. The special significance of the abbey for Hungary lies in the fact that its foundation is related to the beginning of Hungarian Christianity.
 

Tourism at Hungarian World Heritage Sites
Though all the Hungarian World Heritage Sites are tourist attractions, it is obvious that their potential is not fully utilised in the tourist market. Among the four sites, the Buda Castle is the most frequently visited, due to its location in the centre of the capital, and its exceptional beauty. It can be estimated that almost all tourists arriving to Budapest also visit the Castle District. In this case, the World Heritage Status of the area does not add too much to its popularity and it is relatively unimportant for the majority of the visitors.

Tourism is also present at the three other sites, but on a different scale. While Budapest can definitely be considered as a primary international tourist attraction, Hollókõ, Aggtelek and Pannonhalma are secondary attractions at the very best.

Understanding that the better utilisation of the Hungarian World Heritage could significantly enrich the country's tourist supply, the National Tourism Committee decided in 1997 to develop a tourism strategy for each site. The strategies were completed by the end of 1998. As the actual development can only take place with the co-operation and joint financing of several ministries, authorities, local governments and civil organisations, the National Tourism Committee makes further decisions on the details of the practical implementation of the strategies.
 

The Case of Hollókõ
Hollókõ has been a popular destination for decades, but its potential as a World Heritage Site is far from being totally utilised. However, any tourism development strategy must accept the fact that Hollókõ is a living village - which has been a major advantage in gaining the World Heritage Site title -, so the physical and social carrying capacities of the settlement must be determined and taken into consideration. Over-development could turn the village to an open-air museum, resulting in a loss of character. On the other hand, the present level of tourism is not sufficient for providing income and employment for local residents, which leads to migration and ageing of the local community, with similar consequences.

Table 1. Basic statistics of tourism in Hollókõ (1998)*

 
Number of hosts 
17
Number of rooms to rent
42
Number of beds
103
Number of beds including extra (spare) beds
120
Number of tourists**
870
Guest nights
     of which foreign
     of which domestic
1450
     330
   1120
Average length of stay
1.66 days
                                    * - There is no data available on the number of visitors
                                                ** - This figure does not include tourists under 14 years and above 70 years
                                                Source: Local government, Hollókõ, 1999

As the data in Table 1 show, tourists on average spend only 1-2 days in the village. Since the organised programmes at the moment take only a few hours, this limited time is enough for the visitors to familiarise themselves with the traditions, customs and folklore of Hollók? (of course, only on a superficial level, but the average tourist does not seem to need more). The main season in tourism is from mid-June to the beginning of September, but Easter and Christmas time are popular, too.

The majority of the Hungarian guests come in school groups. Approximately 23% of the tourists come from abroad which is significantly higher than in most other rural tourist destinations in Hungary. Foreign visitors usually come in organised tours. The international popularity of the village is due to its World Heritage status. Unfortunately, this particular advantage is not capitalised in tourism development.

Table 2. Main attractions in Hollókõ

 
Attraction
L
R
N
I
P
S
Castle hill (Várhegy)
4
5
5
4
5
0
Black hill (Fekete hegy)
3
4
4
4
0
4
Nature protection area
3
6
5
3
5
0
Castle ruins
8
8
9
6
8
0
Roman catholic church
8
8
9
6
8
0
Old village centre (Ófalu)
6
7
7
6
7
0
Folk costumes
6
7
7
6
7
0
Women’s choir
6
7
7
6
7
0
Pottery house
6
7
7
6
6
0
Artists’ house 
6
5
5
4
6
0
Nature protection exhibition
8
8
9
6
8
0
Post museum
8
8
9
6
8
0
Palóc  museum
8
8
9
6
8
0
Easter festival
9
7
5
3
7
0
Palóc Festival
7
5
4
3
6
0
Weaving house
8
8
9
6
8
0
Values from 1 (least attractive) to 9 (most attractive)
L - Local attractiveness                R - Regional attractiveness
N - National attractiveness            I - International attractiveness
P - Primary attraction                  S - Secondary attraction
Source: HNTO, 1998
 

Table 2 presents the main attractions of Hollókõ. The attractiveness values have been determined in a national level attraction inventory (co-ordinated by the Hungarian National Tourist Office). From an international point of view, the old village centre including the church, the museums and the distinctive cultural heritage (folk costumes and women's choir) is considered to be the major attraction, together with the ruins of the 13th century castle.

In the village various programmes are offered for the tourists, especially folklore and gastronomic events (e.g. Palóc wedding, pig-killing during the winter, Easter and Christmas celebrations, Palóc Festival). Visitors also have the opportunity to learn about traditional handicrafts, like weaving or pottery making. Unfortunately, there is no co-ordination or co-operation among all the small tourist enterprises, they consider each other competitors in serving the currently very limited market. Similarly, there is no real co-operation between Hollókõ and the neighbouring settlements either: though there is a Tourist Association of Hollókõ and two other villages, it only exists but does not function, due to difficulties in agreement over financial matters.

Besides the organised events, several museums and exhibitions (e.g. the Village Museum, the Post Museum, the Weaving House, the Ács Irén Photo Gallery, the Nature Protected Area exhibition) are open for visitors. Tourists can buy hand-made souvenirs in several craft shops, taste the local specialities in the restaurants and even spend the night in one of the old houses furnished with traditional furniture.

The information available is rather limited, though guiding is possible in Hungarian and also in foreign languages. Attempts have been made for developing information exchange to interpretation, but without considerable success. Older members of the community guide tourist groups dressed in the very spectacular traditional costume, tell old stories and show traditional customs. This kind of guiding is able to revive the spirit of the past and tourists may temporarily feel as real guests in the village. However, the perceived exceptional nature of the experience quickly disappears when the same stories are told in exactly the same way to the next group of tourists…

The village is accessible by car or by bus, but there is no rail link. Road connections are of acceptable quality. Parking space is limited which is a problem in case of any popular cultural event (the best known being the Easter celebrations). The infrastructure is moderately developed (telephone, bicycle road, surgery are available). There is no Tourinform (tourist information) office in the settlement.

Several tourism development plans have been designed for the village in the last few years. Unfortunately, most of these plans (e.g. the renovation of the beach, the construction of a new leisure centre, mini golf course) would need large investments and are not in harmony with the present image of the village and with the concept of rural tourism.
 

Conclusions
If tourism in Hollókõ is to become an economically profitable and socially acceptable activity, much better co-operation between all parties involved has to be developed. Furthermore, a balance must be achieved between the past, present and future dimensions of heritage. One of the most serious threats for the survival of Hollókõ and the development of tourism is the ageing of the local population. Traditions are mainly maintained by the older members of the community which means a risk for the sustainability of long-term tourism development.

The lack of interpretation leaves visitors with mixed feelings. For a living village, Hollókõ looks too much like a museum, but in spite of all appearances, it is the home of app. 450 people. Visitors expect to see residents dress and behave in the traditional way, but also want to have a look at the real Hollókõ. High quality interpretation could decrease this contradiction to a certain extent: on one hand, it could make obvious what is real and what is set up for tourists, and, on the other hand, it could provide high quality, educational and entertaining experiences.
 

References


All correspondance should be addressed to
Dr. Tamara Rátz
Department of Tourism
Kodolanyi Janos College
H-8000 Szekesfehervar
Iranyi D. u. 24/A.
HUNGARY
E-mail: ratztamara@freemail.hu

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