Rediscovering cultural tourism: cultural regeneration in seaside towns

Kennell, James (2011) Rediscovering cultural tourism: cultural regeneration in seaside towns. Journal of Town and City Management, 1 (4). pp. 364-380. ISSN 1756-9538 (print) 1756-9591 (online)

Abstract

British seaside towns have been subject to numerous attempts at regeneration and rebranding since the collapse of traditional seaside tourism began in the late 1970s. This paper reviews contemporary approaches to seaside regeneration and demonstrates that cultural regeneration strategies are becoming increasingly prevalent in this area. The validity of transferring city-based models of cultural development to these smaller urban areas is critiqued. The history of cultural investment in seaside towns is highlighted to show how current approaches to cultural regeneration, while presented as novel, are in fact a resumption of earlier strategies of cultural tourism development. This heritage of cultural development provides a resource for seaside cultural regeneration which may allow development of this type to avoid the negative social impacts often associated with cultural regeneration in cities.

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