The 'decision-making' on the trade of 'Cultural Artefacts', applying the role of tourism to measure the economic perspective

Tourism continues to flow into Africa and along with this flow of tourism, is the flow of tourist spending. Much of the spending is used to purchase goods and souvenirs that are unique to the region from which they are bought. While tourism spending greatly contributes towards the growth and development of these regions, there is also the added benefit associated with the trade of 'Cultural Artefacts'. Each year, thousands of historically significant artefacts exchange hands across the world. What makes these artefacts so significant is that they contain within them an element of 'cultural value'. This 'cultural value' is specific to the information, subjective norm and institutional importance relevant to religious, social and geographic location. The flow of Art from these regions is highly correlated with the flow of tourism, and tourism facilitates the link between local and international art markets. Yet the trade of 'Cultural Artefacts' which are rich in 'cultural significance' operate on a different level to that of 'works of art'. This paper looks at the way in which the value of items of 'cultural significance' are considered within an economic context and proposes a methodology, to determine the role of value, within an historical cultural framework.