A NATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS OF NEW HERITAGE TOURISM BUSINESS FORMATS AND THE VIRTUAL INTERFACE FOR SMALL MUSEUMS AND OTHER SITES IN WALES

The paper considers the importance of new Heritage Tourism business formats and the virtualinterface for the development of small museums and other sites in Wales. Historically, Wales haslong been associated with the traditional provision of heritage in the form of museums, castles,abbeys and churches. However, the Heritage Tourism industry has experienced unexpectedgrowth in a number of key sectors. De-industrialisation in Wales, both in the coal mining andsteel producing industries, has in the later stages of the twentieth century shifted the focus fromthe traditional heavy industries, associated with the principality, to the commodification, and inmany cases trivialisation, of these industries as heritage products. The so-called traditionalheritage products are under continual pressure as the industry expands to become a diverse,multi faceted sector embracing all aspects of Welsh culture and history. As the tourism industryin Wales becomes ever more competitive the Heritage Tourism industry with its ‘taintedentrepreneurial character’ remains the sleeping giant of Welsh economic revival. In order torealise this potential the paper argues the case for the adoption of new heritage tourism businessformats and the virtual interface for heritage tourism sites especially small museums in Wales.[...]