Your Town Alabama: Designing Our Future

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Heritage Tourism continued

In addition to creating new jobs, new business and higher property values, well managed tourism improves the quality of life and builds community pride. According to a 2003 national research study (The Historic/Cultural Traveler by the Travel Industry Association and Smithsonian Magazine) 81% (118 million) U.S. adults who traveled in 2002 were considered cultural heritage travelers. These travelers included historical or cultural activities on almost 217 million person trips last year, up 13 percent from 192 million in 1996.Visitors to historic sites and cultural attractions stay longer and spend more money than other kinds of tourists. Cultural and heritage visitors spend, on average, $623 per trip compared to $457 for all U.S. travelers excluding the cost of transportation. 30% of cultural heritage travelers report that their destination choice was influenced by a specific historic or cultural event or activity. (Source: 2003 The Historic/Cultural Traveler, TIA). Perhaps the biggest benefits of cultural heritage tourism, though, are diversification of local economies and preservation of a community’s unique character.

What challenges can cultural heritage tourism bring?
One challenge is ensuring that tourism does not destroy the very heritage that attracts visitors in the first place. Furthermore, tourism is a competitive, sophisticated, fast changing industry that presents its own challenges. It is generally a clean industry: no smokestacks or dangerous chemicals. But it does put demands on the infrastructure — on roads, airport, water supplies and public services like police and fire protection.

What makes cultural heritage tourism work?
By working in local communities across the country over the past decade, the National Trust has developed five guiding principles to create a sustainable cultural heritage tourism program.

1) Collaborate
2) Find the fit between a community and tourism
3) Make sites and programs come alive
4) Focus on quality and authenticity
5) Preserve and protect resources

What does the National Trust’s Heritage Tourism Program do?
The Heritage Tourism Program provides technical assistance in strategic planning, preservation, tourism development, interpretation and marketing on a fee for service basis. The Heritage
Tourism Program has also developed a series of “howto” publications and programs to help individuals and organizations developing cultural heritage tourism programs. For more information, check out http://www.nationaltrust.org/heritage_tourism/ and http://www.culturalheritagetourism.org.

What publications does the National Trust offer about cultural heritage tourism?
To help communities, regions, and states develop or enhance cultural heritage tourism activities, the National Trust has developed a series of publications and products, including:

Getting Started: How to Succeed in Heritage Tourism a 48page fourcolor guide with the National Trust’s time testedprinciples and steps forsuccessful and sustainable heritage tourism development. Updated in 1999 with neweconomic impact statistics and an updated resource directory. ($15 plus $4 S&H)
This publication is currently out of print. If you would like to be notified when a new edition is available, please send your name and contact information to cht@nthp.org.

Touring Historic Places a 16 page guide for group tour operators and managers of historic sites to develop, market,and host group heritage tours. ($10 plus $4 S&H)

Preserving Our Past: Building Our Future an 8 minute video describing the economic impact of heritage tourism and other benefits that heritage tourism can provide. ($10 plus $4 S&H)

Share Your Heritage: Cultural Heritage Tourism Success Stories An 80 page four color publication featuring cultural heritage tourism success stories fromacross the country. Stories were selected by a national committee including representativesfrom historic preservation, museums, the arts and the humanities, plus Stories Across America: Opportunities in Rural Tourism: a companion 44 page publication of rural tourism success stories. ($25/pair plus $5 S&H)

Forum Journal – Summer l999 New Directions in Heritage Tourism A 60 page publication focusing on issues of heritage tourism. It contains eight articlesreflecting current trends and initiatives in heritage tourism. ($6 plus $3 S&H)

To order online, go to www.preservationbooks.org or call (202) 5886296 or (303) 6231504.

Where can I find more information about the National Trust for Historic Preservation?
For more information about the National Trust for Historic Preservation, or for historic preservation assistance, call (202) 5886000 or www.nationaltrust.org.
The National Trust has offices in Washington, DC, Chicago, Denver, Boston, Charleston, SC, Fort Worth and San Francisco.

From the National Trust for Historic Preservation 12/05