Introduction: Recent Growth of Cultural Heritage Tourism in Japan and Italy

This volume investigates emerging trends, issues and problems seen in policy shifts from conservation to utilisation of cultural heritage. The breadth of topics covered in the volume ranges from a critical examination of such policy trends, identification of values added by cultural heritage to tourism in general in Japan, expectations and experiences of cultural tourists to the use of cultural heritage in urban regeneration in Italy. The volume breaks a new ground in the bourgeoning studies of tourism, heritage and cultural policy by adopting an international, inter-disciplinary approach. The chapters on Japan in particular make an original contribution to these fields in the English literature in which discussion of Japan despite its economic and cultural presence on the globe has hitherto been less available. The Introductory chapter discusses general trends of cultural heritage policy and issues of management by comparing Italy and Japan and introduces the structure of the volume.