Cultural heritage tourism is one of the fastest growing niche markets in the travel industry. That is helping to create new jobs, infuse more money into local economies and promote community pride.
“Cultural tourists tend to spend more time and money when visiting heritage destinations,” said Cathy McCollum, president of McCollum Development Strategies, at the first annual Heritage Tourism Summit, which was held at Washington & Jefferson College last Saturday. “Cultural heritage tourists are more likely to spend money at local restaurants and hotels, as well as visit historic sites, art museums and craft festivals. And that is creating a lot of opportunities for our region.”
During the summit, attendees learned strategies for drawing more recreational tourism to their communities. Donna Holdorf, executive director of the National Road Heritage Corridor and co-presenter for the “Heritage Tourism: Business to Dollars” general session, said that many cultural tourists seek authenticity when planning a heritage trip.
“People want to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past,” she said. “Heritage tourism can include cultural, historic and natural resources. That’s what we have to preserve. If we wipe away our historic structures and natural landscapes and replace them with concrete, all we are left with is what Joni Mitchell called a beautiful parking lot.”
Holdorf gave an example of how a cultural attraction can work hand-in-hand with the natural landscape.
“Part of what contributed to the rebirth of the National Road was auto touring,” she said. “But people weren’t just coming to see the cars. They wanted to get away from the dirty cities and breathe in the clean air.”
She added that locally produced items, personalization and special services give smaller businesses a distinctive marketing advantage.
“Customers are shifting their spending to smaller retailers and are focusing on experience, enjoyment and meaning,” said Holdorf. “They want to know their purchases matter.”
McCollum, who was the other co-presenter for the Business to Dollars session, said that cultural heritage tourism has direct, indirect and induced spending impact on communities.
“Travelers spend money at museums, restaurants and hotels, as well as at gas stations, airports and retail shops,” she said. “In addition, businesses that cater to the traveler purchase goods and services from suppliers, manufacturers and service companies. What’s more, employees of businesses catering to the traveler spend their wages at local businesses.”
Keynote speaker Thomas Starinsky, who explained how history, preservation and adaptive refuse played a key role in revitalizing downtown Cleveland, Ohio, said that stories matter to the cultural heritage tourist.
“People don’t necessarily remember buildings: they remember what happened in those buildings and around those buildings,” said Starinsky, associate director of the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation in Cleveland. “And the way you keep those memories alive is by telling stories.”
One of the key takeaways from the summit was the importance of partnerships and collaboration.
“Even though there are a number of distilleries, wineries and breweries in Washington County, we don’t see ourselves as competitors,” said Ed Belfoure, owner of Red Pump Spirits. “We help each other as much as we can and work together.”
Christy Bean Rowing, executive director of Citywide Development Corporation, praised the local entrepreneurs and regional businesspersons who were part of the heritage tourism summit.
“You are the change makers for our community,” she said. “You took the risk and you are literally changing the face of Washington County.”
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