Tourism has a vital role in development of different destinations all around the world. Accordingly, culture is assumed as one of the primary beneficiaries and is regarded as a key asset in tourism development by promoting both tangible (i.e. cultural attractions, like museums and heritage centers, natural assets like beach, sun and mountain) and intangible (i.e. promoting gastronomy cultural events and festivals and selling “atmosphere”) elements. However, the diversity of known definitions and a complex relationship between culture and tourism underlines the problem of defining cultural tourism. For instance, considering culture as a component in every single aspect of human life, it is possible to assume that everything is cultural, therefore all tourism are somehow cultural tourism. However, this broad and holistic approach is not particularly useful in identifying those cultural values important in tourism and vice versa, or in other words, in defining cultural tourism. This paper analyzes the ever changing and indistinct definition of cultural tourism by reviewing the known approaches and perspectives adopted in defining this complex concept.

Tourism has a vital role in development of different destinations all around the world. Accordingly, culture is assumed as one of the primary beneficiaries and is regarded as a key asset in tourism development by promoting both tangible (i.e. cultural attractions, like museums and heritage centers, natural assets like beach, sun and mountain) and intangible (i.e. promoting gastronomy cultural events and festivals and selling “atmosphere”) elements. However, the diversity of known definitions and a complex relationship between culture and tourism underlines the problem of defining cultural tourism. For instance, considering culture as a component in every single aspect of human life, it is possible to assume that everything is cultural, therefore all tourism are somehow cultural tourism. However, this broad and holistic approach is not particularly useful in identifying those cultural values important in tourism and vice versa, or in other words, in defining cultural tourism. This paper analyzes the ever changing and indistinct definition of cultural tourism by reviewing the known approaches and perspectives adopted in defining this complex concept.