engleski

Cultural tourism as a vehicle of cultural diplomacy in the Mediterranean

In terms of cultural tourism, few places in the world are more salient than the Mediterranean basin. Moreover, the bordering states of the Mediterranean account for approximately one-third of all international travel destinations. Given these conditions, and the fact that cultural tourism is a vital emerging economic tool, this article will argue that cultural tourism is among the most important instruments of cultural diplomacy. After a further description of culture and its relationship to diplomacy, this article will examine how cultural diplomacy differs from both traditional and public diplomacy, yet still remains a complimentary element of a nation’s foreign policy. This paper will further argue that cultural diplomacy may enhance a nation’s “soft power, ” or rather its ability to get other nations ‘to want what you want’, and further on go to describing the key elements of cultural tourism, and more specifically how it may contribute to peace and improved foreign relations. Finally, this paper will note some of the negative externalities resulting from cultural tourism’s increased growth, including some of the unintended, yet troubling effects on local communities and the environment. Conclusively, a comprehensive analysis will be attempted, of the highest benefits cultivated from cultural tourism and the simple need to preserve it.

Cultural tourism ; cultural diplomacy ; Mediterranean

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