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This article explores the intersection between Frank Gehry’s iconic Hotel Marqués de Riscal (MdR) and the Marques de Riscal winery, investigating their causal relationship with the surge in wine tourism. Using Google Trends data and empirical research, it establishes the influential role of the MdR Hotel in driving positive impacts on the winery and the local economy. Findings highlight: (1) the hotel’s symbolic signaling elevates the winery’s reputation globally, (2) repositioning efforts lead to increased economic returns and profitability, and (3) the transformational MdR Hotel attracts visitors, generating new economic activity and job opportunities in the Rioja region. Insights into the transformative effects of the iconic MdR Hotel on the winery and the local economy are provided.

Lynch's (1960) Theory of Imageability explores how individuals perceive and navigate urban environments, emphasizing the role of paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. This theory highlights the significance of these elements in shaping people's mental maps and enhancing their understanding and navigation of urban spaces. However, cultural tourism introduces complexities to Lynch's framework due to its unique motivations, interests, and behaviours. This article investigates the relationship between visitor mobility patterns and urban morphology in the context of two cultural destinations: Bilbao and San Sebastian. The study utilizes Network Analysis of visitors' GPS data to analyse the dynamics of visitor mobility within these urban environments. This data-driven approach facilitates a comprehensive understanding of how cultural destinations operate within their physical territories. Results reveal that both San Sebastian and Bilbao exhibit a distinct "D-shaped" mobility pattern, characterized by a clear and uncomplicated flow of movement. This finding aligns with Lynch's theory (1960), emphasizing the importance of simplicity and legibility in shaping visitors' cognitive maps and mental representations of the urban space. The concentration of cultural landmarks in the Old Town and the challenges of congestion and overtourism are brought to light through the network analysis of GPS data. The accompanying figures visually illustrate how the ease of navigation in these cities significantly contributes to the formation of visitors' cognitive maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2427.2008.00796.x Byline: BEATRIZ PLAZA (1) Keywords: urban regeneration; museums as economic engines; conditions for effectiveness; Bilbao Abstract: Abstract The mission of a museum is essentially cultural, however this is not the case for all museums. There are a minority of universally famous museums, like the Tate Liverpool, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Tate Modern London, the new forthcoming Louvre-Lens (France), the Guggenheim-Hermitage in Vilnius (Lithuania) and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) whose principal aim is the re-activation (and/or the diversification) of the economy of their territories, in addition to the obvious cultural aim. The effectiveness of a large heritage investment in developing a city depends on at least four variables. First, heritage investments become effective employment creators only to the extent that they become effective tourism magnets. Second, the impact of investments on cultural heritage could be negative if the heritage industry is a big portion of the whole economy. Third, the more the redevelopment zone's markets are integrated, the easier the absorption of price tensions caused by urban revitalization. Fourth, the greater the productivity of the city's economy, the greater the absorption of price tensions. The aim of this essay is to give empirical support to these hypotheses for the case of Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum. Resume La mission d'un musee est essentiellement culturelle, meme si ce n'est pas toujours le cas. En effet, bien que de notoriete universelle, comme le Tate Liverpool, le musee Guggenheim Bilbao, le Tate Modern de Londres, le futur Louvres de Lens, le Guggenheim-Hermitage de Vilnius en Lituanie et le Guggenheim d'Abou Dhabi aux Emirats arabes unis, une minorite de musees a principalement pour but de raviver (et/ou de diversifier) l'economie de leur territoire, outre un but culturel manifeste. En termes de developpement d'une ville, l'efficacite d'un gros investissement patrimonial depend d'au moins quatre variables. D'abord, ce type d'investissement ne devient createur d'emplois performant que dans la mesure ou il reussit a devenir un pole d'attraction touristique. Ensuite, l'impact de l'investissement sur le patrimoine culturel peut se reveler nefaste si la promotion du patrimoine occupe une grande part de l'economie. Troisiemement, plus les marches de la zone en reamenagement sont integres, plus il est facile d'absorber les tensions sur les prix nees de la revitalisation urbaine. Quatriemement, plus forte est la productivite de l'economie de la ville, plus importante est l'absorption des tensions sur les prix. Ce travail vise a apporter un soutien empirique a ces hypotheses dans le cas de Bilbao et du musee Guggenheim. Author Affiliation: (1)Faculty of Economics, University of the Basque Country, Spain Article note: Beatriz Plaza (beatriz.plaza@ehu.es), Faculty of Economics, University of the Basque Country, Avda. Lehendakari Agirre 83, 48015 Bilbao, Spain.

Bilbao is an outstanding test case for the impact of an internationally famous cultural facility in a context that otherwise does not lend itself to large flows of tourism. Although early for a complete impact study, the aim of this study is to quantify the influence of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in the attraction of tourism and to identify the potential factors that explain such impact in the short run.

Superstar architecture can play a key role in the global positioning of museums in influential mass media, thereby successfully attracting cultural tourism (e.g. the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, GMB). Yet, an evident shortcoming is the mapping of media positioning. The aim of this article is precisely to draw and visualize this positioning of the GMB through networks. Two innovative features characterize this study: first, from a theoretical point of view, it links the debate on Superstar Museums to the broader economic debate on Superstar Economics. Akin to Rosen's hypothesis, in the case of Superstar Museums, the media exposure is concentrated among a handful of museums. In this context, the authors highlight the role of networks. The central nodes in the networks utilized for the study, depict/stand for museums that have the maximum visibility in the international media. The second innovative feature of the article is the analysis of co-citation networks in articles of the New York Times for two periods (1995–2000 and 2014–2019). The network graphs map the results of this article: the GMB positioned itself effectively with its inauguration in 1997. In addition, 20 years later the GMB still remains quite well positioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Bilbao has made use of a museum as one of the multiple means to restructure its former industrial base. However, the effectiveness of this costly formula is not always clear. Three major issues have arisen: the effects of Guggenheim Museum Bilbao on Bilbao's image, the effects on overnight stays, and the effects on the local economy. There is little debate about the first issue, and room for more evidence on the second and third issues. The aim is to quantify the museum's impact on tourism and employment and to calculate its yield (Return on Investment and Net Present Value). The approach adopted is the quantitative analysis of statistical data to try to isolate the economic contribution of the Guggenheim.

Symbolic knowledge-driven innovations can play an important role in the economic development of cities and regions. Cultural events and infrastructures can act as powerful connectivity engines, generating new connections, rewiring links, and repositioning institutions/ cities/regions on the Internet map. Within this framework, this paper aims to contribute to the analytical understanding of culture-led repositioning. For this purpose we perform regression analysis with cultural networks (observational cross-sectional network data) from digital media for a specific cultural case study: the Basque Culinary Center (BCC), a higher education faculty of haute cuisine promoted by the University of Mondragon along with a group of Michelin-starred chefs. Results show that a cultural sector, such as haute cuisine, can contribute to structural changes in connectivity patterns, putting an institution/city/region on the media map. It is the connection (in the online press) of the BCC to the influential Michelin-starred chefs that can fuel the accumulation of press articles (media items) on the BCC; and it is precisely this accumulation of press articles that can impact BCC revenues. Put differently, the co-branding between the influential Michelin chefs and the BCC may have put the BCC on the press map, promoting new student registrations and fostering Basque haute cuisine. The main contribution of this article is a prototype of regression analysis to test repositioning with network data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilbao has become a role model for the regeneration of declining urban and industrial regions. The debate on the so-called Bilbao effect showed that rundown industrial cities and regions might profit from culture-based development strategies, even if successful urban regeneration cannot be induced by only one flagship project without an appropriate local and regional context. Based on the comparative analysis of six, in general recently founded, museums in five countries (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; Louvre in Lens; Centre Pompidou in Metz; Istanbul Modern Art Museum; Museum Folkwang in Essen; Museum of Natural History in Florence), the authors of this special issue discuss the role of these museums in building the image and the attractiveness of their local and regional environment,  the cross-fertilization of ideas and  the integration of a region in global circuits and networks. Museums can play an important role in building up “social capital”, creating networks between different professionals, groups, sectors and segments of society, bridging diverse social backgrounds, lowering coordinating costs for individuals and businesses, and increasing the capacity of firms to reconnect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to show the levels of local and regional embeddedness of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (GMB) as well as its effects on the position of Bilbao within global networks. Although it is often said that the GMB as an international art franchise did not fit well with the local traditions, values and culture of Bilbao and the Basque Country, this paper attempts to show that the GMB is quite embedded into the local and regional context of institutions, private agents and policies. This effect increases with the growing recognition of the potential effects of the GMB on the creative and service industry in the Bilbao region. On the other hand, there is also an increasing tendency for Bilbao and the GMB to be included in global networks, as can be demonstrated by the branding effect of the GMB on the attraction of tourists or the increasing importance of the term “Bilbao” in semantic networks. The authors conclude with some recommendations on strengthening both the regional embeddedness and the global networking potential of museums in order to generate positive effects on urban regeneration and regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the city of Bilbao has undergone extensive urban regeneration. Large urban infrastructural schemes were undertaken that included cultural, transport and sewerage systems. These schemes improved run-down industrial areas, contributing to urban integration and an improved quality of life for citizens and helped drive economic recovery. This empirical study is based on the activities of Bilbao Ria 2000, a public body created by government to carry out the regeneration. It analyses the impact that investment in urban infrastructure has had on the economic activity of the metropolitan area and assesses its effect on those sectors linked to the most modern processes of economic change and innovation: knowledge-intensive business services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The traditional mission of a museum is essentially cultural. This is not so for all museums, however. There are a minority, although universally famous museums, such as the Tate Liverpool, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Tate Modern London or the new forthcoming Louvre-Lens (France), Pompidou-Metz (France), Guggenheim Hermitage (Lithuania) and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), whose principal aim is the reactivation (and/or diversification) of the economy of their cities. These strategies are expensive and have a very high operative risk. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the different factors and conditions that determine the degree of success or failure of global art museums used as urban economic reactivators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]