Cultural Tourism

You too can visit Viena! Thanks to the Arhippa Perttunen Foundation, you too can experience the enchantment of the Kalevala song lands. You can follow in the footsteps of Elias Lönnrot and other folklore collectors.You can photograph the same landscapes as did Finnish photographer I.K. Inha one hundred years ago. Discover the uniqueness of Karelian wooden architecture. Admire the poetic views, which threw the Karelianists, late 19th and early 20th century artists, into states of ecstacy and wonder. Enjoy the silence and experience the peacefulness of the natural environment. Meet rune singers and traditional artists who possess skills and knowledge passed down from generations

The Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation serves as the lead organization to successfully manage and market Washington, DC as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination. Through successful development and execution of centralized and cohesive sales and marketing strategies, the WCTC generates economic benefits to the citizens of the District of Columbia, the convention and tourism industry, stakeholders and the Washington Convention Center Authority, with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historical communities. The private, non-profit corporation has a membership of more than 1,000 businesses and organizations that support the travel and tourism industry in our nation’s capital. The city’s tourism industry generates more than $10 billion in direct spending each year and sustains 260,000 jobs. The Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation was established by business and community leaders in April 2001 by merging the Washington, DC Convention and Visitors Association and the DC Committee to Promote Washington

At the broadest level, the natural and cultural heritage belongs to all people. We each have a right and responsibility to understand, appreciate and conserve its universal values. rnrnHeritage is a broad concept and includes the natural as well as the cultural environment. It encompasses landscapes, historic places, sites and built environments, as well as bio-diversity, collections, past and continuing cultural practices, knowledge and living experiences. It records and expresses the long processes of historic development, forming the essence of diverse national, regional, indigenous and local identities and is an integral part of modern life. It is a dynamic reference point and positive instrument for growth and change. The particular heritage and collective memory of each locality or community is irreplaceable and an important foundation for development, both now and into the future.

Today information is a key element of communication. Electronic communication opens the door to progress and is an essential form of contact with the public. The Ministry's website forms part of my belief that the best contact with the public is through keeping people informed. The works carried out by this Ministry have a direct impact on the public and as such the website offers a better opportunity to keep the public abreast of what happens in the fields of tourism and culture. It also gives the public the opportunity to comment about what is being done. This is a new tool of inter-active communication and should be encouraged.

OUR MISSION The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities. OUR VISION The arts, sciences and humanities have the power to build healthier, more livable, more vital communities. They enrich, exalt and provoke. They are an essential part of a strong educational system. They contribute enormously to our economy. They build bridges across cultures. They can be used to address - or better yet, prevent - some of our most stubborn social problems. They help us interpret our past and shape our future. They help us understand what it means to be human. The Massachusetts Cultural Council is committed to building a central place for the arts, sciences and humanities in the everyday lives of communities across the Commonwealth. The Council pursues this mission through a combination of grant programs, partnerships and services for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities and individual artists.

The decision to form a European Cultural Tourism Network arose out of a conference on Cultural Tourism held in Brussels in February 2003 hosted jointly by the Wales Tourist Board, British Council and the Wales European Centre which was attended by representatives of 17 countries. It was clear from the delegates that no network existed to bring people working in tourism and the cultural industries together on the European level. Following the conference, a steering group was established to develop the network, with the following regions/countries represented: Wales, Sweden, England, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Aosta Region (Italy) and Catalunya. In addition, Interarts and the EU Federation of Youth Hostel Associations were represented.