Industrial tourism is a type of tourism which involves visits to operational companies and industrial heritage; it offers visitors an experience with regard to products, production processes, applications, and historical backgrounds. More than 100 years ago public and private organisations already started to organise industrial tourism visits - historic examples include visits to French wineries and chocolate factories, to Greek and Maltese lace-producers and to Dutch cheese producers. This book analyses the conditions under which industrial tourism can contribute to the development of regions and their industries. Industrial tourism can be an instrument to improve the image of regions and their industries, apart from being a valuable addition to the tourism supply. The problem, however, is that several barriers (safety, costs, organisational issues, etc.) complicate the development of industrial tourism. Both city and enterprise have an interest in industrial tourism development, but how can it be organised in such a way that they the benefits outweigh the costs for both? By analysing case studies of Wolfsburg, Cologne, Pays de la Loire, Turin, Shanghai and Rotterdam we provide insight into the experiences with industrial tourism development in cities.
Industrial Tourism : Opportunities for City and Enterprise