Cultural Tourism: Its Concept and the Activities that develop it
 

Cultural tourism is based by visiting archeological sites, historical places, museums, learning about traditional crafts and other forms of arts, together with attending cultural events such as exhibitions and festivals. However, Cultural tourism remains the unique foundation of tourism. 

Since the only purpose of the cultural content directed to the tourists is improving the General Tourism Sector and granting a complete development of the country. Therefore, to ensure the developments, several rules must be achieved in which we can introduce the various cultural activities in order to improve the cultural tourism: 

1- Making Occasions:

Today, cultural tourism does not rely exclusively on the historical heritage of the country as new subjects of cultural tourism are being included, such as marking special occasions and using some circumstances which ensure creating various activities in order to attract new groups of tourists and visitors. However, join such occasions together with granting travel facilities may compose a good choice to travel. Some of the local events which can be made: 

1         Amrit Festival.

2         Amrit Marathon.

3         Amrit Athletic Games.

2-  Restoration of Historical Routes:

The restoration of historical local and international routes which were dedicated for pilgrims and traders, together with their lakes, wells, hostels, shrines, and other monuments and restore them to their original architectural and historical design will improve cultural tourism. The purpose of restoring historical routes, is to extend the tourism range in order to cover different places which contain various tourism basis and also developing the tourism sector. 

In our case, we may restore the ancient hajj route that used to join Arwad and Amrit (with the ancient Phoenician temples (such as “Hosn Suleman”) via Hamen. 

3- Cultural Activities:

Cultural activities are considered one of the principal motivations which may encourage tourists to visit and stay in a certain place. We set out here below some of such activates:

• Musical Bands, Acting groups and Scout these groups are today extremely capable in organizing various cultural events. The local social customs and traditional music and literature are considered reflections of the Country’s facts. Local heritage can also be displayed by organizing plays, musical concerts, and shows performed by the scouts in historical, archaeological sites.
   

• Cultural Centres and Clubs: Cultural centres play an important role in promoting cultural tourism on the local and international levels. These centres can organise exhibitions and a various cultural activities, such as public lectures and musical concerts, in order attract tourists.
   

• Exhibitions: Photographic exhibitions of touring sites play an important role in promoting those sites and creating interaction with the observer who take his decision in traveling according to the knowledge and conviction which will lead him for choosing the place to be visited. Also Exhibitions of traditional crafts, artwork, fashion and cuisine can extremely promote the cultural heritage.
   

• Conferences: culture tourism can also be practiced through participating in conferences, workshops, attending historical and religious festivals and reviving folkloric, as well as through official visits of the groups delegations. Many countries hold scientific meetings,  seminars and conferences which are considered important promotion and publicity of tourism.

To be continued
Amrit Volunteers