Regenerative tourism in cultural heritage
A lot of discussions around regenerative tourism focus on the natural world. However the regeneration of cultural heritage into something contemporary that educates and excites visitors is a growing aspect of tourism. Architectural transformation is well known in tourism with prisons becoming hotels, grain silos being converted to climbing walls and industrial canals swapping coal for canoes. Here are two examples of cultural heritage sites that have been restored lovingly by the community or companies that own them, bringing them into the 21st century in a way that will ensure they are around for hundreds of years to come.
Fiskars village, finland
The Finnish company Fiskars is one of the oldest private companies in the world creating iron, copper and steel products since 1649. They are still a major player on the global market for household accessories, their most famous output being the iconic orange handled scissors which they introduced to the world in 1967. Orange is now their brand color, but green is their brand mission. A major part of this mission is the regeneration of their original factory, and village that grew up around it, into a sustainable tourism destination for both culture vultures and outdoor enthusiasts.
Fiskars played a central role to social change during the 19th century and built a village with schooling, housing and healthcare for its workers. They also own approximately 14,000 hectares of sustainably managed forests around the village, and so their social responsibility has been regenerated for the 21st century, creating an exemplary model of a sustainable tourism destination and living culture.
Fiskars’ ongoing manufacturing may have moved to more modern facilities, but their heritage buildings are now home to contemporary artists, galleries and gastronomic outlets. It’s all about celebrating local produce, design and artisanship in a village where the artists live, work and play. As can the visitors, who stay in Finland’s oldest hotel, cycle the forest trails and swim in its lakelands and river, ending the day with fine food and a sauna, of course. Fiskars has not only come a long way from scissors - it’s creating cutting edge conscious tourism.
“Fiskars isn’t just an art and design destination. It’s a very diverse place and it’s that diversity that makes this a highly sought after place to visit, with a high amount of returning visitors. The development of tourism at Fiskars has been strongly dictated by sustainability and we receive a lot of positive feedback about that from local people and visitors.” Kari Selkälä, General Manager Fiskars Village.
Tamsui Kavalan Historical and Cultural Trails, Taiwan
Spiritual paths such as Camino de Santiago in France, Portugal and Spain, or the Nakasendo and Kumano Kodo Trails in Japan, are entering a renaissance as people look to the land once more for inspiration and answers. The Tamsui Kavalan Historical and Cultural Trails are part of a much wider network of Taiwan’s Thousand Mile Trail (TMI). These trails, which cross the mountainous regions of the NE Yilan peninsula, date back to times when Taiwanese aborigines used them to trade and communicate with each other. They are peppered with ancient temples and sites of worship as most journeys were pilgrimages back then.
As rural populations in Taiwan migrate to the cities, many of these ancient tributaries of the TMI have been neglected to the point of non-existence in some cases. However, the local community has worked to reconnect this ancient network, and in so doing has started to retell the history of people who walked here long ago. For four years the community has worked to ensure sustainable reconstruction of the trails, using traditional methods and resources to do so and inviting visitors to volunteer in this massive regeneration project.
Building something naturally and sustainably is slow and painstaking, but the local community and its regular volunteers have pulled it off. The result is that these regenerated routes invite people to not only immerse themselves in the region’s interior but also in the country’s rich ethnic heritage, creating small sustainable tourism businesses around them.
“Everyone here is so excited about the Tamsui Kavalan Trails, because without having a greater impact on the environment, we can connect ourselves with ancestors.” Cha Fen Lin, NE Yilan Coast Tourism