Cultural Heritage Tourism

Five Steps for Success and Sustainability

By (author) Cheryl M. Hargrove

Publication date:

05 May 2017

Length of book:

404 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442278837

Every place has a story to tell, often found in historic sites or cultural traditions of the people who settled or currently live in a community, city, region or state. When these stories and places are shared with visitors, this activity becomes what is known as cultural heritage tourism. Success and sustainability in this growing industry segment requires careful planning and adequate resources. Cultural Heritage Tourism: Five Steps for Success and Sustainability provides detailed instruction through a proven five-step process to help planners, managers and community leaders attract visitors and their spending to your cultural heritage site, attraction, event or destination. Learn how to assess, plan for, develop, market, fund, manage, and measure cultural heritage for growth and sustainability. Refer to the best practices and case studies from across the country as examples for replication and reference. Use the sample documents and resource lists to jumpstart your cultural heritage tourism program, and monitor and measure the efforts. This book walks you through every step, from inception to evaluation.

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Cultural Heritage Tourism as a Sustainable Economic Development Strategy
Step 1: Analyze the Potential
Chapter 2: Identifying and Assessing Local Culture and Heritage
Chapter 3: Understanding Visitor Needs and Expectations
Chapter 4: Determining Visitor Readiness
Step 2: Plan and Engage
Chapter 5: Engaging Diverse Stakeholders
Chapter 6: Establishing a Vision and Plan for Sustainability
Chapter 7: Setting Policies and Procedures to Preserve and Protect Integrity
Step 3: Develop Authentically
Chapter 8: Developing and Enhancing Experiences
Chapter 9: Telling Your Story
Chapter 10: Funding Your Focus
Step 4: Market for Positive Impact
Chapter 11: Marketing to Visitors
Step 5: Manage for Growth and Sustainability
Chapter 12: Managing for Consistency, Quality, and Sustainability
Chapter 13: Delivering Valued Cultural Heritage Experiences
Chapter 14: Measuring the Impact of Cultural Heritage Tourism
Chapter 15: Collaborations for Success
Resources and References
Resources and References
Glossary of Terms and Acronyms
Bibliography
About the Author
Index

Tourism is a major force on the planet. This thoroughly researched and timely book will help communities maximize the benefits of tourism while minimizing the burdens. Cheryl Hargrove is one of the nation’s leading experts in heritage tourism. She has written a comprehensive guide to developing, marketing and managing cultural and heritage assets for both economic and environmental gain. This is essential reading for anyone interested in using heritage tourism as a tool for sustainable economic development.