Cultural Festivals on Sites of Cultural Heritage as a Means of Development of Alternative Forms of Tourism

This paper aims to investigate the contribution of cultural festivals hosted in historical venues (archaeological or industrial sites) as a tourist policy instrument. More specifically, the focus is put on examining the relationship between cultural activities and the host venues, in the Mediterranean countries, as a key driver for the development of international cultural tourism. This approach will be examined and analyzed through a brief review of international cultural festivals hosted in Mediterranean countries including Italy, Spain, Turkey, France, Cyprus, and Greece. Which are the factors that make the organization of such cultural festivals interesting from a tourist perspective? Which are the marketing tools that have been utilized so far in order to cultural festivals and which other new tools are proposed? Is it possible for a cultural festival to be run independently or does it require support from a broader framework of tourist initiatives in order to become more appealing? What is the purpose of hosting cultural activities in historical venues? Which are the contemporary strategies that can be used for the development of tourism based on the exploitation of the cultural wealth of Mediterranean countries? The article concludes with proposals for defining tourism policy, focusing on cultural festivals held at Heritage sites on a wide scale.