The interaction between visitor and culture is a potentially fraught one. Countless cultures have been ridden over roughshod, or effectively destroyed, as they’ve been co-opted into tourism. It simply doesn’t have to be this way.

There are examples of cultural tourism in
New Zealand, Mainland USA, and Hawai‘i that have led to a rebirth of cultural values, craft skills, and language. They have generated wealth for companies and Tribes. From centers celebrating the Kanak culture of New Caledonia, to the Touristic Renaissance of the Balearic Islands, tourism is rescuing rather than ruining ancient cultural authenticity. By studying these trends, and through hands-on experience, we learned what separates the good from the bad in cultural tourism and are applying it in a unique process to develop enriching experiences for both visitors and indigenous peoples throughout the world.

Culture is the lifeblood of tourism. But research of micro trends suggests that this connection has become even more important and it will grow in importance in the future. People travel not just to relax and have fun but also to see how other people live in environments different from their own. They are curious to see other cultures expressed through music, stories, dance, architecture, cuisine, arts and crafts, literature, and so on. They are the cultural manifestations that differentiate one group of people from another. They add life-long memories to those who experience it in an authentic meaningful way.

The Department of Discovery’s Spirit of Hosting™ approach is based on a methodology called “Ancient Ways – New Discoveries.”™ It is based on interactions between culture and commercial tourism that have proven viable.

So, you’re probably asking yourself, what’s the secret? Is there a secret?

The Spirit of Hosting™ isn’t a secret; it is a proven, and proprietary, methodology. It employs models that have taken years to develop. At its heart lie some human truths about respect, sustainability, and community development. The Spirit of Hosting™ enables profitable, genuinely enriching visitor experiences to be developed, while protecting the host culture for generations to come. Above all, the Spirit of Hosting™ does not apply one-size-fits-all solutions. Rather, it seeks to understand the parts of a particular culture that are most suited to tourism development, and build the solution around them.

Almost without exception, cultures have traditions, protocols, stories, or behaviors related to meeting and hosting visitors. The Spirit of Hosting™ draws out a workable understanding of these values, builds a testing framework for development around them, and then assesses the impacts — positive and negative — of tourism intentions.

The Spirit of Hosting™ is applicable to public and private sectors, including national ministries and bureaus, private operators, trust boards, tribal councils, and development agencies. Its wide relevance has been proven across sectors, cultures, and communication channels.

With the Spirit of Hosting™, culture and commerce work together, to the common good.