Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/5950
From music to movies, from the Civil War to civil rights, more and more travel- ers are seeking authentic experi- ences of the culture and history of the places they visit. They're immersing themselves in the blues of Beale Street and walking in the steps of civil rights demonstrators in Birmingham. Their journey might take them to an 18th cen- tury tobacco farm in Maryland, a secret garden behind an antebellum home in Savannah or a landmark African- American church in Philadelphia. Seventy-eight percent of all U.S. leisure travelers take part in cultural or heritage activities, spending an average of $994 per trip and contributing more than $192 billion a year to the U.S. economy. Those figures are from a 2009 study conducted by Mandala Research and commissioned by the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council, in conjunction with the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The National Trust for Historic Preservation was the lead sponsor of the research, while 13 other tourism organiza- tions also lent financial support. The study also revealed that heritage tourists travel far- ther and more frequently than other travelers. It's the first study to segment the market of cultural and heritage trav- elers into five types: passionate, well-rounded, self-guided, aspirational, and keeping it light. Passionate, well-rounded and self-guided travelers are considered the more serious of the bunch. They account for 40 percent of all leisure travel- ers and contribute nearly $124 billion to the U.S. economy. The heritage tourism boom isn't confined to U.S. bor- ders. Destinations around the world are making efforts to both preserve and draw visitors to their cultural heritage sites. The 2008 election of President Barack Obama, who has familial links to Kenya, sparked a surge of interest in travel to Africa, and several Caribbean destinations have a concerted effort under way to attract heritage tourists. DEFINING HERITAGE TOURISM As Carl Smith, spokesperson for the Prince George's County, Maryland, Conference & Visitor's Bureau, views heritage tourism, he says: "It's not simply an outing to a his- toric site or event. It is best described as tourism that creates and defines opportunities to experience the places, people, activities and artifacts that authentically represent our past and present. Through heritage tourism, we see, experience and feel our foundations, as we build toward the future." Wanda Collier-Wilson, CEO/president of the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau, says: "Heritage is the celebration of the many historical and cultural ele- ments that make a city or region unique. When you market the heritage of your city to entice visitors to get a taste of what makes your city stand out, that's when you have heritage tourism." Tanya Hall, executive director of the Multicultural Affairs Congress at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, offers this definition: "To me the THE IMPORTANCE OF HERITAGE TOURISM Located in the Birmingham Civil Rights District is the famous 16th Street Baptist Church Photo Credit: Birmingham CVB Black Meetings & Tourism December 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com BY SONYA STINSON WANDA C. WILSON TANYA HALL 22