Chapter 1: Creating Experiences in Cultural Tourism: From Sightseeing to Engaged Emotional Action

Culture has often been used as a means for city branding (Jelinčić, Žuvela & Polić, 2012, p. 11) as well as for urban regeneration (Jelinčić, 2011, p. 61), which has eventually had impact on increasing the number of visitors and tourism development in general. Still, due to the growing diversification of the tourism market and the ever more requiring needs of the cultural tourist, today’s cultural tourism supply needs to rely on more than just a brand. It is not any more about passive sightseeing and introduction of tourists to a destination’s cultural resources, it is about letting them experience the local identity and participate in the local culture. It is about seeing the destination’s resources through a local lens and becoming a local during the holiday period…