Dear Sirs,

The Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change (CTCC) at Leeds Metropolitan 
University invites you warmly to the following guest lecture:

Peter Germuska

*Visiting scholar*

Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change,

Faculty of Arts and Society

Leeds Metropolitan University

Destination Management and the Capitals of Culture Programme:
The case of Košice, Slovakia

Thursday, 15 October 2009, 4.30 -- 5.30 pm

Leeds Metropolitan University, Civic Quarter, Leslie Silver Building, 
room LSBG01

(Venue map available at 
_http://www.tourism-culture.com/64/Guest%20Lecture/map%20CQ%202009.jpg)_

Košice, the 2^nd largest city of Slovakia will be a European Capital of 
Culture in 2013. Slovakia, as a relatively new European nation state, 
and Košice as a city are relatively little known outside of the country 
and the region. National, regional and local tourism agencies hope that 
the Capital of Culture designation and the associated programme will 
serve to attract new visitors to the city and contribute to promoting 
Slovakia to the rest of Europe. However, it is becoming recognised that 
the city and tourism in particular needs to grow in a sustainable 
manner. In this context, policy makers and destination management 
practitioners are working to develop holistic conceptions of development 
which will help to shape the approaches to be adopted for tourism in the 
city, with the Capital of Culture designation bringing these to the 
fore. The emphasis appears to be prioritising the role of culture in the 
transformation of the city, with this being driven to as large extent by 
the Capital of Culture programme. Alongside this there is an emerging 
recognition of the potentially important contribution that international 
ideas and professional practices in destination management may play in 
contributing to these developments. At the same time, there is a need to 
for these ideas not to be adopted without consideration of local contexts.

This presentation will introduce the Capital of Culture programme as 
interpreted and emerging in Košice. The presentation will address the 
extent to which ideas from the field of destination management may 
translate to the Slovak context and to Košice in particular. Destination 
management is an emerging topic and area of professional practice in 
Slovakia but it is necessary to consider the extent to which ideas and 
professional practices developed in West European and North American 
contexts may apply in Slovakia. There is always a risk of uncritical 
adoption and inappropriate translation of supposedly 'superior' 
practices from 'the West' that may simply not be appropriate or workable 
in the Slovak context.

I will also outline three main areas of my PhD research. These include 
the views of stakeholders concerning destination management in the 
context of the Capital of Culture; visitor perceptions; and a situation 
analysis of tourism development and marketing in Košice and Slovakia 
more broadly.

If you would like to attend RSVP to Domenico at 
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> or call 
0113- 81 29239.

Everyone welcome!


_Other forthcoming Guest Lectures:_

? Dr David Bell and Professor Ruth Holliday: Sun, Sea, Sand and Silicone 
(19.11.09)



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