Planning for Heritage Tourism
by Bert Winterbottom
A Heritage Tourism Portfolio
by the Editor
Planning for tourism can help in identifying and making use of a city or region's special character. But successful tourism strategies must first take into account the needs of local residents.
Plus a Heritage Tourism Portfolio with reports on heritage tourism programs in: Galveston, Texas; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Central Wisconsin; The Blackstone Valley of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; and El Paso, Texas.
Read excerpts from first part of Planning for Heritage Tourism article:
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Communities planning for heritage tourism to enhance economic
development need to focus on several important elements: (1) the
local resident; (2) the visitor; (3) the place; and (4)
principles of tourism development. Effective tourism development
plans and strategies require much more than just another
advertising campaign. They require a thorough understanding of
the visitor, and a clear recognition that "locals" are very
important.
The Local Resident. The local resident is perhaps the most
often ignored element of tourism. While residing in the
community, the local also visits those areas that are of
interest to the visitor. In this sense, the local is a visitor.
Most importantly, the local contributes to the authenticity and
ambiance of the place which is what most visitors seek.
Successful planning and management of tourism provides first for
the local resident, and then for the visitor. A perfect example
is Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It was planned for the people of
Baltimore and now draws more than nine million visitors
annually. A great environment for residents will be a great
environment for visitors!
Balancing tourism with resident needs and maintenance of a
quality environment is a major concern. Sound planning should
produce a plan designed to manage the number and quality of
visitors while giving them a quality experience and value for
their dollar. The worst possible thing that can happen to a city
or a part of a city is to become totally dominated by visitors. ...
Most travelers on vacation or visitors at leisure do not want to
go to places occupied only by people like themselves. They want
to go where the locals go, eat where the locals eat, and be
entertained by the attractions that are a part of the character
and culture of the city. Likewise, local residents are unlikely
to patronize places aimed solely at outsiders. ...
The objective of planning for heritage tourism should be to
create a great place for visitors, minimize adverse
environmental impacts and maximize economic benefits to the
community. The work program should not focus on planning for a
specific attraction, event or place, but rather seek to develop
an overall community strategy for tourism.
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