Undoubtedly, an important tool of cultural diplomacy is Nation Branding. Through marketing strategies, a country promotes its cultural and value background globally, creating a competitive identity. The United States of America is the original nation of branding itself to the world, establishing a dominating reputation across borders. In terms of cultural context, USA invests in Cultural Heritage Tourism as a rapidly evolving field in today industry by attracting people from all over the world to admire its heritage multicultural character and distinctiveness.
Before proceeding to a further analysis of how USA applies cultural diplomacy practices through tourism industry, it is noteworthy to delineate the term of “Cultural Heritage Tourism”. It consists of the tourism that aims at the acquaintance and familiarity with the cultural goods (museums, archaeological sites, Arts, etc.) of a specific place. Cultural tourism creates channels of communication and cultural exchange between residents of different countries and is an essential element of Cultural as well as Economic diplomacy, while it is also essentially related to Brand Diplomacy. This provides people the opportunity to experience country’s culture in depth, whether by visiting attractions, historical or culturally relevant places, or by taking part in cultural activities. Therefore, the preservation and promotion of the architectural heritage is an essential component of tourist development and the offer of alternative possibilities for any type of tourist activity.
In the United States, America’s rich cultural past has created a vibrant and complex patchwork of cultural heritages. The complexity of identities is what characterizes American history; African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Native Americans collectively indicate the communities from which they come and the nation they now share. Competent for protection of this are the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce. The Departments’ responsibility is to preserve, comprehend, and promote the nation’s natural and cultural legacy, which supports its identity, diversity, and economy.
It is important that travelers who are interested in cultural heritage tourism would visit or take part in historical attractions, monuments, or landmarks, museums, art galleries, or theaters, festivals, concerts, or performances or even culturally significant neighborhoods or communities. In other words, they tend to be substantially engaged with the value system that shaped the identity of people. Some of the top U.S Cultural Heritage Tourism destinations are the Museum of Latin American Art, The Capitol Arts Center Theater, the Washington State’s Heritage Tours, the Museum of African American History, the Italian Heritage Parade, the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, the Savannah Historic District, the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library the Smithtown Historical Society, the Scandinavian Festival, and the District of Columbia.
Implementing strategic American branding constitutes a demanding initiative. Brand USA serves that role as a federally funded public-private partnership (PPP) established in 2009. The Corporation for Travel Promotion (Brand USA) has a multilingual website whose primary purpose is to provide international travelers with travel information about the United States. Its organizational structure reflects the involvement of a great number of actors such as public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Annually, it releases a business plan with goals and directives for the coming fiscal year. According to 2022 business plan, its multicultural strategy emphasizes at tapping into the American cultural fabric and sharing hyper-local experiences that indicate country’s diversity by fully integrating inclusive and diverse marketing into the organization’s foundational pillars. Travel Week U.K. & Europe 2022 is an example of this marketing practice.
For developing countries, creating a sustainable tourism model based on culture and heritage can also lead to sustainable development. UNESCO, for instance, recently began promoting culture as a primary tool for sustainable economic development. Specifically, 2017 designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development promoting tourism’s role in certain key areas, including cultural values, diversity, and heritage.
Cultural Tourism is one of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism industry, accounting for 40% of all tourism worldwide. USA, taking advantage of its multifarious cultural background, applies its Brand Diplomacy and attracts people worldwide to visit it.
Evangelia Tsamoulou
References
Photo retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/images/id-3608620/.
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