Monday, January 27, 2020

Promoting Culture And Heritage Tourism In Barcelona Tourism Essay

Promoting Culture And Heritage Tourism In Barcelona Tourism Essay When people go travelling, they buying a product that involves and includes people. It offers tourists an exciting chance to become -even if its just for a little while- a part of another culture. This paper is looking at the importance of managing and marketing heritage and cultural tourism and to what extend its used as a promotion strategy to boost tourism in Barcelona. Due to globalisation and increasing competition, many cities are experiencing a stage of regeneration. Especially since traditional industries like the textile manufactory are declining, a major priority is to attract foreign investment and become a high profile destination for tourists. To achieve that, culture and heritage are used as valuable assets for promoting a city. Definition of cultural and heritage tourism Culture and heritage have been elements in tourism since a long time. When looking at the role of cultural and heritage tourism, definitions need to be made. Culture can be defined in terms of shared norms, values, customs, artistic achievements by a group of people at a certain time (BeechChadwick, 2006: 486). McIntosh, Geoldner and Ritchie have recognized culture as a motivator for people to travel, identified by the desire to see and know more about other cultures. This includes to find out more about the natives of a country, their, lifestyle, music, art, folklore, dance etc (Cooper, et al 2008: 47). Heritage can be defined in terms of what is inherited by one generation from past generations , that can be i.e. a property or a tradition. All in all the National Trusts definition of cultural heritage tourism is explaning it very well: it is traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes hi storic, cultural and natural resources. (culturalheritagetourism.org) Cultural tourism products Developing successful tourism attractions involves an understanding of what tourism is and how it works. There are key principles, which makes tourists being attracted to a destination. The nature of tourism can be defined as a commercial activity which involves the consumption of experiences, in practice it is a business with the purpose for economic benefit of the tourist destination. The tourism industry enables tourists to consume experiences (McKercher du Cros, 2002: 27) It is entertainment and a demand-driven activity which is not easy to control. Cultural heritage attractions are a part of tourism and not all cultural assets are cultural tourist attractions(McKercher du Cros, 2002: 26). Promoting Culture and Heritage Tourism in Barcelona: Marketing tools Barcelona has inherited a prosperous cultural tradition, which is resulting from its superb position in the Mediterranean. It has over 2,000 years of history and Barcelona experienced the Iberian, Roman, Arabic and Christian preceding civilizations. It has a distinctive personality as the capital of Catalonia, an area with its own Catalan language and culture (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). During the past decades, Barcelona proofed itself as a vibrant, innovative and imaginative city, which knows how to stay in the international spotlight. Worldwide 37% of trips are taken with the reason to experience culture., where Spains market share of cultural tourism is 8,2%. 21% of all foreign tourists came with the purpose to explore culture, compared to 59% for leisure and holiday. Cultural tourism is the second biggest segment of international tourism in Spain with figures of 9 million tourists in 2003 (ectn.eu.com). Barcelona has confidently established its position as one of Europes leading city tourism destinations. With nearly 4 million overnights in 1990, 8 million in 2000 and 12 million overnights during 2008, Barcelona has experienced a massive growth over the past decade (turisme2015bcn.cat ). In 1993 the public-private Turisme de Barcelona Consortium was founded with the intention to promote the city itself as well as reshape the image. It can be seen as the as a continuance of the work from COOB after the Olympics, which was set up by the Chamber of Commerce and the City Council (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). Several strategies were created to achieve the new goals. One key strategy was set to promote cultural tourism: We will promote cultural tourism based on the citys identifying elements such as the Catalan language, its status as regional capital, unique architectural heritage and Catalan cuisine (turisme2015bcn.cat). The development of cultural services and projects are often used to support the marketing and tourism efforts. This could mean the creation and renewal of museums and art galleries and the hosting of art festivals. This aspect is often part of a comprehensive cultural tourism strategy (Page, S Hall, CM, 2003: Chapter 8) Every year Turisme de Barcelona is realising about 400 promotional activities, which are selected according to different market segmentations, tourist typologies and countries. These can be art and culture, shopping, sport, nightlife or leisure to name just a few. The traditional and established iconic landmarks such as Park Gà ¼ell, La Ramblas or Gaudis work as tourist attractions are giving the city a unique image. Barcelona is using several strategies to promote itself; with the most important strategy being destination branding, where the cultural and heritage aspect plays a leading role. Also, there is no doubt that cultural and heritage resources in particular play a key role in the development of urban tourism (Page, S Hall, CM, 2003: Chapter 3). The media in its worldwide spectrum is used to carry out the brand and to promote Barcelona as a tourist place product by using television, radio, press and internet (turisme2015bcn.cat). Barcelona is known throughout the world as a cultural city with an important heritage and vibrant variety of cultural attractions. Barcelona has nine World Heritage Sites to offer (Palau de la Mà ºsica Catalana, Park Gà ¼ell, La Pedrera, Palau Gà ¼ell, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllà ³ , Casa Vicens and Cripta de la Colà ²nia Gà ¼ell (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). During a five-year period, Barcelona enlarged its cultural attractions with new initiatives. In every year, a particular area has been devoted in a programme through the Universal Forum of Cultures 2004. In 2000 music was devoted, while 2001 was bestowed to art. In that year when the city hosted the triennial exhibition Experiences, Barcelona Art Report 2001 and the International Congress of Museums. In the year 2002, Barcelona strengthened its international position when it hosted the International Gaudà ­ Year, which has put the city in the world culture of spotlight. In the year 2003, sport and design were the citys thematic events and received big media coverage (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). In Barcelona has over 50 museums which are showcasing permanent collections by famous artists such as Picasso, Mirà ³ and Tà  pies. The city also offers a wide choice of theatre and entertainments facilities, and hosts famous festivals such as the Summer Grec Festival, where theatre, music and dance come together. The city has two most important classical music venues, the Palau de la Mà ºsica and LAuditori, which both present top-quality programmes. Furthermore, the citys opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, has one of Europes most prominent opera seasons (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). Barcelona offers different sightseeing tours to discover Culture and Heritage, where passengers get provided with any information they may require. They also give a voucher booklet which offers discounts at the main city attractions. This is a tool to promote the visit of Culture and Heritage sites. The Barcelona Tourism Board introduced a few years ago the Barcelona Card , which ones purchased provides tourists with free travel on city transport and discounts and free offers at museums, leisure attractions, nightclubs, shops, restaurants, on entertainments and other services. Various Walking Tours, where the Gothic Quarter can be discovered, where they show the tourists through the historic and political heart of the city. With a Modernisme route, the Catalan art nouveau buildings by architects such as Antoni Gaudà ­. Domà ¨nech I Montaner and Puig I Cadafalch are showed and explained. There is also a Gourmet route existing which goes through the old town and gives visitors the possibility to explore Barcelonas gastronomic culture. Barcelona also offers the Articket, a ticket that allows tourists to visit the 7 leading museums in Barcelona (barcelonaturisme.com). Critical View Cultural tourism brings individuals and human communities into contact. It can encourage the revival of the traditions and the restoration of cultural sites and monuments. But unbridled tourism can have the opposite effect. On the one hand, cultural heritage can serve as a tourism attraction, and tourism can lead to the financial and political support for management of a heritage. On the other hand, there is also possible conflict insofar as tourism can damage cultural heritage, and therefore limits on visitation can damage tourism or rather hold back its expansion. What is clear is that tourism is growing and will have an increasing impact on cultural heritage. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) predicts that cultural tourism will be one key tourism market segments in the future, and notes that growth in this area will present an increasing challenge in terms of managing visitor flows to cultural sites.aa how development cooperationin specific settings, industry organizations note that the challenge is to manage the future growth of the industry so as to minimise its negative impacts on the environment and host communities whilst maximising the benefits it brings in terms of jobs, wealth and support for local culture and industry, and protection of the built and natural environment. .

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Ethical Impacts of the Internet on Children and Teenagers Essay

As the use of internet dominates every activity in the global market, its use in homes and schools has exponentially grown raising concern on its ethical effect on children and teenagers. The nature of the youngsters’ use of internet has generated heat and anxiety among the general public as the society calls for ethical and moral guidelines that would protect children and teenagers from negative effect of the internet. This paper proposes a research that will identify the effect of internet use among the young people as the academic and policy importance concerning the opportunities and dangers of internet use continue to be raised. The paper identifies these opportunities and dangers as it proposes the methodology and limitations for the research paper. 2. 0 Introduction 2. 1 Background Internet which slowly started as a network for military officers in the cold war eventually became an important tool in the academic corridors and today the former â€Å"Arpanet† has greatly grown to become the primary platform for communication and interaction for different communities around the world. As the Internet traffic hit millions of users each day the communication technology continue to grow to allow for infinite information access and instant interaction by users, a fact that has brought about a social paradigm shift in the way societies used to live in the earlier days. This technology has particularly been embraced by children and teenagers as a way of learning, socializing and leisure. In the developed countries and many other regions around the word, internet access has ceased to being a trademark for the privileged members of the society as its use in the workplace, education institutions and leisure places continue to grow exponentially. As the use of computers and internet become more and more entrenched in our day to day routine practices, it has become a basic feature not only in the offices but also at our homes. The presence of internet at our homes has opened up a â€Å"super highway† to children and teenagers who are being referred to as the â€Å"digital generation† that incidentally predisposes them to overwhelming information and social sites that may contribute heavily in shaping their behavioural patterns. Whereas internet offers a perfect educational platform for the young people, it is also seen largely as a risk factor that could expose them to adult sites, make them more addicted and dependant on the internet and eventually instil anti-social behaviour in some of them. While this issue demands a critical stance given the consequences it has on the future generation, very little independent researches has been conducted to inform the policy makers and end the growing public anxiety. In most of the researches conducted in the recent past only a few have focused on the social consequences of the internet among the children and teenagers. The households with children or/and teenagers that have access to the internet is however more common than those without (Wigley and Clacke, 2000). 2. 2 Research Objectives The main objective of the proposed research project is to explore the impact of the internet on children and teenagers based on the expected social, cognitive and behavioural patterns in the society. The research project will aim at identifying issues that deviate from the laid down expectations both at school, home and in the society which find their root from the internet. 2. 3 Research Question The proposed paper will focus on answering the following primary question; †¢ What are the ethical impact on the use of internet among the children and teenagers? To effectively explore the primary research question the following secondary questions will be analyzed? †¢ What are the children/teenagers perceptions towards internet? †¢ What are the perceptions of the parents whose children are using internet at home or/and school? †¢ What are the important contrasts in internet activities from what is expected to what is actually practised? †¢ What are the possible impacts of these struggles between the theoretical and practical internet activities on children/teenagers’ social development? 2. 4 Research Significance A study conducted in the UK by Wigley and Clacke (2000), revealed that among the young people aged between 7 and 16 years, 75% of them have used the internet as compared to only 38% from the adult population. This explains that in the contemporary society the young are actually the pioneers of the internet culture. For a long time children and teenagers have also been regarded as a special homogenous object in other studies a fact that has made this category of population marginalised and often left out in researches on the internet. Even in the midst of growing researches on e-commerce and e-democracy very little efforts are focusing on the expanding online market driven by the young people. For these reasons children and teenagers are often left out in technological advancement as the market analysis is evaluated. As the social effects of internet on the young people become obvious in most societies it is becoming more difficult to ignore the subject and therefore many empirical projects on children and teenagers use of the internet are coming up. This makes it appropriate moment in which the research agenda on this category of population must be given priority. 3. 0 Literature Review 3. 1 Nature of Internet Usage Recent surveys reveal that children and teenagers attach high value to the usage of internet to gather information, entertainment leisure and as a medium of communication. According to Valkenburg and Soeters (2001), 73% of the children and teenagers use internet as an education tool, 59% use it for E-mails, 38% to play games, 32% for chatting with friends and 31% use internet as a hobby and an area of interest. The internet has already revolutionized the social patterns of our younger population drastically changing the earlier forms of communication and interaction among the peers. A research conducted by Valkenburg and Soeters (2001), indicates that among most households internet has continued to elicit mixed reaction between the parents and their young ones as it is considered to easily lead the young toward the wrong direction if mismanaged or taken for granted. While the parents praise the internet for its role in availing most of the information that their children would need in pursuit of their education, the children consider the opportunity more as a source of entertainment that gives them a break from the other â€Å"old fashioned† entertainment sources. The tug of war between the parents and children demonstrates an obvious digital generation gap in which children and teenagers who normally acquire and understand new internet skills faster than their parents get transformed into â€Å"family tutors†. The expertise in computer and internet skills among the children gives them a symbolic advantage over their parents that can easily be mis-used in pushing their interests that could not necessarily be approved by their parents. The current researches on the social context in which internet is focusing more in identifying ways and means in which children and teenagers are changing their homes into centres for content production, entertainment and leisure. This fact has in essence brought about new approaches in children’s activities as questions linger on whether learning has become more fun, playing is turning more and more educational and whether online chatting is part of civic participation or a way of withdrawal from the general society. This kind of researches therefore calls for the need to analyse the online content that is most preferred by children and teenagers. This raises a challenge given the large volume of online contents from which one can choose from and the fact that the hypertext content can be actualized by the user. This has in effect discouraged most of the researchers carrying out studies on the impact of internet on children and teenagers. Most of the researches today are however guided by the policy issues that are endeavouring in trying to balance the benefits that the internet offers to the young population against the harm that may be associated with some of the sites. Therefore the key agenda is on how the society in general should ethically conceptualize and balance the benefits and the dangers of the internet on the children and teenagers within there spheres of influence.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Introduction to Marketing and Creative Product Promotion

Introduction to Marketing and Creative Product Promotion NME The New Musical Express also known as the NME is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom. NME has published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine during the 1980s. Market PenetrationMarket Penetration that NME has done is created a magazine yearly subscription this is market penetration because the product is not being changed its just offering a new way of being able to purchase the product. It still appeals to the same market and people who read and by the magazine. Product DevelopmentOne way that NME has developed its products are to host stages at festivals, with bands that they support. They advertise their products through this stage and at Reading and Leeds festival these having become well known stages. | Market DevelopmentA type of market development that NME has done is creating NME. com, a website which holds the same content as the magazine but appeals to people who use the internet a lot rather than buying a magazine. | Diversification One way that NME has used diversification is by sponsoring a UK tour known as the NME Tour.These tours appeal to different people and it is a completely new product. | Existing Products New Products Survival Strategies NME stays on top of the market by without fail having a weekly edition to the magazine with new and exclusive information in the music scene. It gives updates on top flight bands, as well as looking at new and upcoming music artists which makes it different to many other magazines. The magazine also runs regular competitions to win tickets to music events, which appeals to the customers as it is a music magazine.NME also advertises a large amount and has its own radio station and TV programme, which they use to advertise their main products being the magazines and ticket sales. Relationship Marketing NME uses relationship marketing in a way by creating monthly subscriptions t o avid readers at a cheaper price. The weekly price of the magazine is ? 2. 20 however you can get a monthly subscription of the magazine for just ? 6. 50 a month which annually saves the customer 36%. This is a good saving and customers can be enticed to subscribe by the savings, also the longer you subscribe to the magazine the better savings you gain.Another way NME uses relationship marketing is by offering customers free CD’s and posters with the magazine this makes the customers feel as if they are getting more for their money and keeps them more happy as they are receiving more than they usually pay for when buying the magazine. Branding NME uses brand extension by creating one of magazine specials which cost more and include large amounts specific information these magazines appeal mostly to people how are interested in that certain topic.NME uses brand positioning because it is the only magazine that looks at up and coming bands instead of just well known artists, it is also mainly focused on the alternative genre of music. NME builds their brand by having events such as the NME awards this gains a large amount of publicity and helps NME gain customers and also informs the public about the music that they report on. Wilkinson Wilkinson is a British high street discount chain with over 300 stores, selling primarily home wares and household goods.Founded in 1930 Wilkinson Cash Stores by James Kemsey Wilkinson, the company has remained largely in the hands of the founding family since. Market PenetrationAn example of Wilkinson’s Market penetration is that in the 1950s there was a rise in the use of labour saving devices and DIY. Wilkinson responded by making this type of product the focus of its sales. They did this by ensuring that their products were a lot cheaper than the rest of the market. | Product DevelopmentOne way that Wilkinson has developed its products are In the 1960s customers wanted more convenience shopping.Wilkinson started selling groceries and supermarket goods and created the Wilko brand. In the 1980s Wilkinson extended its range of low-cost products to include quality clothing, toys, toiletries and perfumes. | Market DevelopmentA way that Wilkinson have developed there market is in 1995 it opened a central distribution centre in Worksop, serving stores in the north of England and in 2004, a new distribution centre opened in Wales. This is because they are creating new markets by opening more stores across the UK. | Diversification In 2005 Wilkinson launched its Internet shopping service, offering over 800,000 product lines for sale online.It created new products to sell online which will appeal to a different market. | Existing Products New Products Relationship Marketing Wilkinson wanted to satisfy customers with their needs met by the Wilkinson range of products. A marketing campaign was launched which focused on a range of promotional tactics, designed to appeal to university students. Wilkinso n attended fresher’s fairs and gave out free goody bags with sample products directly to students. Direct mail flyers were sent to homes and student halls prior to students arriving.Advertisements with a fun theme for example, an advert showing frying pans as tennis racquets, offering discounts of 15% with first purchase using the online store. They were given gift vouchers and free wall planners. The challenge was to get students into Wilkinson stores. The opportunity was to capture a new customer group at an early stage and provide essential items all year round. This would lead to a committed customer group and secure business. Survival Strategies Wilkinson attempts to stay on top of its market by always having the cheapest products which maintain a good quality for the cost they are.Their main competitors are places such as Poundland however these shops are 99p stores therefore Wilkinson has the edge over these shops as it is deemed as better quality products because they are more expensive however still cheaper than majority of stores. They also now offer home delivery and online shopping compared to smaller competitors none of them do this, so they are also providing better service than other stores. They regularly hold offers for customers making the shop even more appealing using BOGOF and half price techniques to draw in customers. BrandingWilkinson use their own brands to appeal to customers these are more cheaper products and they create a range of different products such as dinnerware to towels. They call these products Wilkinson Premium Ranges which make them seem like they are a cheap alternative to other places and the name premium makes them seem that they are at a higher quality. Wilkinson stores are of an average quality and serve the purpose in which they need to, products are on display in store for customers to use and the store are set out into sections being food, home ware, health and beauty and children’s toys.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Robert Sengstacke Abbott Biography

Abbot was born in Georgia on November 24, 1870. His parents, Thomas and Flora Abbott were both former slaves. Abbott’s father died when he was young, and his mother remarried John Sengstacke, a German immigrant.   Abbott attended Hampton Institute in 1892 where he studied printing as a trade. While attending Hampton, Abbott toured with the Hampton Quartet, a group similar to the Fisk Jubilee Singers. He graduated in 1896 and two years later, he graduated from Kent College of Law in Chicago. Following law school, Abbott made several attempts to establish himself as an attorney in Chicago. Due to racial discrimination, he was unable to practice law. Newspaper Publisher: The Chicago Defender In 1905, Abbott founded The Chicago Defender. With an investment of twenty-five cents, Abbott published the first edition of  The Chicago Defender  by using his landlord’s kitchen to print copies of the paper. The first edition of the newspaper was an actual collection of news clippings from other publications as well as Abbotts reporting.   By 1916,  The Chicago Defender’s  circulation was 50,000 and it was considered one of the best African-American newspapers in the United States. Within two years, the circulation had reached 125,000 and by the early 1920s, it was well over 200,000.   From the outset, Abbott employed yellow journalistic tactics-sensational headlines and dramatic news accounts of African-American communities. The paper’s tone was militant. Writers  referred to African-Americans, not as black or negro but as the race. Graphic images of lynchings, assaults and other acts of violence against African-Americans were published prominently in the paper. These images were not present to scare its readers, but rather, to shed light on lynchings and other acts of violence that African-Americans endured throughout the United States.  Through its coverage of the  Red Summer of 1919, the publication used these race riots to campaign for anti-lynching legislation. As an African-American news publisher, Abbott’s mission was not only to print news stories, he had a nine-point mission that included: American race prejudice must be destroyedThe opening up of all trade-unions to blacks as well as whites.Representation in the Presidents CabinetEngineers, firemen, and conductors on all American railroads, and all jobs in government.Representation in all departments of the police forces over the entire United StatesGovernment schools open to all American citizens in preference to foreignersMotormen and conductors on surface, elevated and motor bus lines throughout AmericaFederal legislation to abolish lynching.Full enfranchisement of all American citizens. Abbott was a supporter of The Great Migration and wanted southern African-Americans to escape the economic disadvantages and social injustice that plagued the South. Writers such as Walter White and Langston Hughes served as columnists; Gwendolyn Brooks published one of her earliest poems in the pages of the publication. The Chicago Defender and the Great Migration   In an effort to push the Great Migration forward, Abbott held an event on May 15, 1917, called the Great Northern Drive. The Chicago Defender  published train schedules and job listings in its advertising pages as well as editorials, cartoons, and news articles to persuade African-Americans to relocate to northern cities. As a result of Abbott’s depictions of the North, The Chicago Defender became known as â€Å"the greatest stimulus that the migration had.†Ã‚   Once African-Americans had reached northern cities, Abbott used the pages of the publication not only to show horrors of the South, but also the pleasantries of the North.