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Comment by Rossitza Ohridska-Olson on January 27, 2010 at 1:56pm

Istanbul Museum of Archaeology. Click here for more photos of the museum

Comment by Rossitza Ohridska-Olson on January 27, 2010 at 1:47pm

European Capital of Culture for 2010: Istanbul, Turkey. If you didn't visit this magic gate between Europe and Asia, now is the time: http://www.en.istanbul2010.org/index.htm

Comment by Rossitza Ohridska-Olson on January 27, 2010 at 12:59pm

Hello Wendy, thanks to the Internet, now with little French you can see all the cultural activities agenda at http://www.culture.fr/fr/sections/. No English, although.

Comment by Wendy Capra on January 27, 2010 at 9:14am

Great idea, guys! I lot of times I go somewhere and of course you know you have to see this building and that church, but it's not always so easy to figure out the cultural things you want to do, esp. if u r in one of them furreign countries where they don't have the good sense to speak English! LOL One time when I was in college I was in Paris with my two roommates and none of us spoke a word of French, and the day we left we found out that there had been this totally awesome concert that we would all have LOVED to go to but how could we have known about it?? So yes, any help in digging up the cutlural angle on travel is welcome. Hope I'm not rambling :-)

Comment by Select Italy on January 27, 2010 at 6:24am

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Comment by Rossitza Ohridska-Olson on January 26, 2010 at 7:45pm

Jordan, the Americans, once they are at a destination, they go to some cultural event, although 18% of them consider that going to a sports event is cultural tourism. That was not my point to Paul. My point is, as you say, to 1. Have the interest for culture and choose an itinerary because of the culture, not because of any other reason. 2. Have interest in some type of culture and choose the destination because of it. Let's say, I am a fan of the Byzantine culture. I will travel anywhere - from NYC to London to Istanbul to see the newest exhibition, or festival or whatever. That is being cultural tourist. If I went to New York to see the Yankees games, and I was told that there is an interesting exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum, I would go there and still see it, but it doesn't mean that I am a cultural tourist. The difference, as you see is the motivation for the trip, not what I do once I am in a destination.

If we count the cultural tourists all that have visited an event, a museum, theater or whatever during that trip, the Americans would be the biggest cultural travelers, because in their country 78% do something similar while on vacation or travel. That includes shopping, as per the research of Laura Mandala (http://mandalaresearch.com - you can purchase the full report on the American cultural traveler there) and all kind of activities, that were not the motivation (reason) for the trip.

I believe although this group duplicates the "Cultural Tourism" group here, on Tripatini (http://tripatini.com/group/culturaltourism). The idea of the group creators was to create a place for cultural tourism travelers, not professionals, and we are kind of going in professional discussions here. If anybody wants to talk shop (in cultural and creative tourism), you will be welcomed in the Cultural Tourism group. There is a lot more professional resources there also.

Comment by Jordan Simon on January 26, 2010 at 4:43pm

I have to agree with Rossitza, at least when it comes to the American market, especially outside large urban centers. I'm thankful that my parents believed in travel, in exposing me to other cultures growing up, but then I was born and raised in Manhattan, and my mom was an artist. Part of the "problem" is that Americans generally don't get much vacation time. We expect a certain level of comfort when we travel and ceretainly don't want hassles, which is why all-inclusives have rocketed in popularity. And while the AIs offer tours of the destination, they're often soulless, sterile, and could be plonked down anywhere on earth. Organizing itineraries is exhausting, especially in these parlous times. Yes, many people of all nationalities book tours and cruises designed to provide "If its Tuesday" destination highlights, including cultural landmarks, and even on occasion to attend a specific event like the Obergammerau. But that isn't quite the same thing as having time and flexibility (like those delightful Aussies we often encounter on year-long sabbaticals!), which can lead to enchanting unexpected discoveries, enriching our understanding of a place and its people. Ultimately, kudos to anyone who travels for whatever reason, period. :-)

Comment by David Paul Appell on January 26, 2010 at 3:03pm

Yes, ma'am, I can certainly appreciate that! It's quite true that most people just want to let go and are not obsessively culture-focused on holiday. But many A. are open to it, B. travel with it as an important component, or C. travel with it as the main reason. So as I see it, here we're accentuating the positive and encouraging a wonderful tendency.

Comment by Rossitza Ohridska-Olson on January 24, 2010 at 2:37pm

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. One thing is to travel to see cultural attractions, and another - this being the sole reason to travel. Normally people travel to relax, not work and not be overwhelmed. The ones who make time to go to NYC for a show or see the Metropolitan Museum, are much less than those that decide to go to see NYC in their vacations and visit the museum and go to a show.

Comment by David Paul Appell on January 24, 2010 at 2:22pm

Well, there are many reasons we travel, and to me at least it's obvious culture does play a big part for many people -- certainly not everyone, but that's not the claim being made. In any case, I know more than a few people who make a point of, say, visiting New York City once a year or at least regularly, to take in the current exhibitions, Broadway shows, and so forth. Many reasons cities make a point of creating an extensive festival schedule is to boost their tourism appeal (Miami included). And why would one go to a city like Florence if the Uffizzi and the many cultural monuments weren't a huge part of its appeal? I have cousins in Italy who have driven to Vienna mostly to attend the Stadtsoper, and I myself once even flew from New York to Reykjavik specifically to see a Buena Vista Social Club concert. So fortunately, its definitely a real and not uncommon phenomenon!

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