Enhancing Tourism

On Saturday, our class had the privilege of visiting Syracuse, a city full of culture and history established by the Corinthians in 784 B.C. It has been considered the most important city in the Mediterranean area from the fifth century B.C. to the Roman Conquest. Syracuse is a destination for many tourists because of its classical antiquity. Travel guide books and tourist itineraries often suggest the island of Ortigia and the archaeological site, Neapolis, as places to visit for eager tourists. Although these are richly intriguing and historical places, Syracuse does not only possess classical antiquity, but an array of history and art over 25 centuries. Classical antiquity is the most largely marketed, however, leaving the other precious historical goods and sites unvisited. Tourists travel to see the main attractions and the sites that are advertised the most. The dependency of tourism on marketing, experts and guide books leaves many historically important sites unseen and therefore unpreserved.

While in Syracuse, we had the opportunity to roam around the island of Ortigia and explore it ourselves. We started with the market, and opened all of our senses to the shouting fruit stand managers, potent fish displays and vibrant vegetable baskets. After lunch, we headed over to Neapolis and basked in the sun while awing at the impressive Greek Theater. After reading the article “Heritage and Tourism” with a case study on Syracuse, it hit me that our group of PLU tourists was seeking out the classical antiquity of Syracuse as well. This has not been a common theme of the trip, however, as we have been to many “off the map” places that the average tourist does not hear about. As for Syracuse, though, the most highly advertised and therefore highly visited are the sites of classical antiquity.

The article, “Heritage and Tourism”, determines that cultural authorities have focused their resources and attention on Greek-Roman archaeology, and that the high concentration of visitors to archaeological sites is due to their following of set cultural guidelines. These cultural guidelines are set by brochures, tourist itineraries and advertisement. Thus, in order to make the other historical sites attractive in Syracuse, cultural authorities need to stop focusing on a single type of heritage, and offer a wide variety for visitors to consume. Syracuse also needs to adopt a new policy of marketing: the article suggests choosing a slogan such as “A city through 25 centuries of history and art” rather than “The city of classical civilization.” While making these changes, one must also consider the domestic demand for tourism of the local residents so as not to disturb the equilibrium of their living environment.

Our day trip to Syracuse was an intriguing and satisfying experience, although it does not compare to some of the uniquely special places we have visited like the sheep farm and orange orchards. If Syracuse were to adopt new marketing skills and attain the ability to preserve other unique heritage sites, perhaps the magic of the city would be increased. Without these techniques, important pieces of Syracuse will disappear, and the potential for more revenue and tourism for the town will follow soon behind.