Heritage Tourism

To strengthen cultural and heritage tourism and address shared challenges in the travel industry. Advocate for the value of cultural and heritage tourism. Provide an annual forum for professional development. Promote the integration of culture and heritage into a broad range of economic development strategies. By the mid '90's, many tourism offices across the country were beginning to designate Cultural Tourism Manager positions, state and local arts agencies were beginning to understand the benefits of Cultural Tourism as a way to build audiences, and everyone involved was eager to get together to exchange ideas about this newly evolving field. A group of practitioners in the field of cultural tourism met to discuss their similar goals, successes, challenges, and yes, even failures. That meeting, titled "The First Gathering of Movers, Shakers and Practitioners in Cultural Tourism," was held in San Diego in October of 1998. The group that met in San Diego formed what it called the Cultural Tourism Alliance, a loose association of working professionals promoting the arts, culture, history and heritage for their towns, cities, regions or states. There was then and still is no formal association. Subsequent conferences took place in Portland, St. Louis, San Antonio, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Chicago. (TBA) will host the meeting in 2006. In April 2002, a small group of veteran cultural and heritage tourism professionals met in Pittsburgh to plan the fall 2002 conference. This steering committee ended up determining that an official expansion of the scope of the Alliance was necessary to include heritage tourism resources. This subject was discussed at the 2002 conference and it was determined that we should join forces as the Cultural & Heritage Tourism Alliance (CHTA).

The Banff Heritage Tourism Corporation is comprised of a volunteer board of senior representatives including five representatives of the following organizations: Town of Banff; Banff Lake Louise Tourism Bureau; Parks Canada; Lake Louise Community Association; Banff Small Business Association and seven Directors at Large. The Corporation employs an Executive Director, with the aim of implementing the Heritage Tourism Strategy in and around Banff National Park. VISION STATEMENT That every visitor experiences, and is inspired by, the authentic heritage of Banff National Park MISSION STATEMENT To sustain Banff National Park as a special destination for unique tourism experiences by celebrating our authentic natural and cultural heritage, while encouraging respect for the ecological integrity of our mountain national parks. Cultivating this enhanced visitor experience through education of key service providers and through engaging industry partners to incorporate authentic heritage elements in their products, the Banff Heritage Tourism Corporation will ensure that our unique mountain environment and sustainable tourism-based economy remains intact for the enjoyment and benefit of future generations.

Cultural heritage tourism is traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes historic, cultural and natural attractions. This site has been developed as a resource for organizations and individuals who are developing, marketing or managing cultural heritage tourism attractions or programs. These cultural heritage tourism “practitioners” can come from a variety of fields—tourism, historic preservation, the arts, humanities, museums, economic development, main street, heritage areas, and many other fields. Practitioners can include non-profit organizations, government entities, federal agencies and coalitions formed to bring these and other partners together. While the variety of different partners contribute to the richness of cultural heritage tourism, it can also make it more difficult to track down resources and how-to information. This electronic clearinghouse includes information provided by many different members of Partners in Tourism, a coalition of the national organizations and agencies with an interest in cultural heritage tourism. For those just getting started, there are guiding principles and how-to steps for launching a new effort. The success stories featured here will both inspire and inform, and the resources section includes key contacts in virtually every state as well as national resources for funding, technical assistance and other programs.

Australian rock legend Angry Anderson is on a mission and he wants you to join him. This is your chance to experience the adventure of a lifetime. Experienced tour operators Kevin and Jenny Bolwell are joining with Overlander 4WD magazine to stage 'Angry's Simpson Safari'; an 18-day 4WD tag-along-tour to the breathtaking Simpson Desert. Venture into the heart of Australia's red centre taking in iconic Outback locations such as Broken Hill. More Details Sydney's No.1 sightseeing cruise A must for every visitor to Sydney. Covering the Main Harbour attractions such as the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and Fort Denison before cruising the magnificent upper reaches of Middle Harbour where parks, beaches and marinas show Sydney life at its best. The cruise includes a light morning or afternoon tea to enjoy while you are on the water. More Details Batemans Bay Coachhouse Marina Resort with federation style villas, offers views of the pacific ocean and is nestled on the banks of the Clyde River. Explore the historic town of Nelligen, take the Batemans Bay History Walk, and visit Birdland Animal Park. Booderee National Park, near Jervis Bay, was handed back to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community in 1995. It is one of only three National Parks in Australia owned by Aboriginal people - the others are Uluru and Kakadu in the Northern Territory. The 6,000-hectare park offers walking trails to several beaches, a well-established botanic garden of native plants and ferns and abundant bird life and fauna.

The National Trust defines cultural heritage tourism as traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural, historic and natural resources. The Heritage Tourism Program provides assistance ranging from how-to cultural heritage tourism publications to consulting services tailored to meet the needs of individual clients. The National Trust's Heritage Tourism Program's experienced staff provides fee-for-service assistance in heritage tourism development, management and marketing. The staff also works at the national level to track national trends, provide how-to training tools and programs and advocate for increased national support for heritage tourism. Through years of experience the National Trust's Heritage Tourism Program has developed five guiding principles for successful and sustainable cultural heritage tourism development as well as four steps for getting started. These principles and steps have been adopted broadly across the United States and are also being used in Canada and several other international destinations. These principles and steps serve as the foundation of all of the work of the Heritage Tourism Program. What are the benefits of cultural heritage tourism? Studies have consistently shown that cultural heritage travelers stay longer and spend more money than other kinds of travelers. A good cultural heritage tourism improves the quality of life for residents as well as serving visitors.