Heritage Tourism and the Historic Preservation Movement

The new world order, the present must profit from the past Taxation is a burden to residents who, however, wish the services that the local jurisdictions provide. Tourism is increasingly justified by the extent to which it generates revenue from non-residents. Revenue is generated for destinations. A destination is a physical place that has as attractions—to resources that can bring tourists to the location. The opportunity for revenue generation from non-local (visitors) is a product of the transportation revolution. Water based Land based Rail based Personal or automobile based

Tourism Is a Commercial Activity Businesses enter the tourism sector with hopes of profiting by providing goods and services for the hundreds of millions of people who travel every year Destinations pursue tourism because of the economic benefits it provides and for the ensuing social benefits that accrue from its generation of wealth. Only a small fraction of the cost of a tour is spent at what can be called attractions; the rest is spent on transport, accommodation, food, drink, tips, sightseeing, and commissions to the travel trade. But attractions draw tourists

Tourism Involves the Consumption of Experiences Cultural tourism is no different from any other form of tourism in that cultural tourists are interested in consuming experiences. Why would tourism represent an insidious form of consumption? Most economic activities enjoy virtual exclusive rights over the use of their resource base. Tourism resources are typically in the public domain or are intrinsically linked to the social fabric of the host community The greatest challenge is accommodating both the needs of the tourism industry and the ideals of cultural heritage management.

Tourism Is Entertainment The basis for tourism is entertainment. The tourism product must be manipulated and packaged in such a way that it can be consumed easily by the public. Only a small number of tourists are really seek a deep learning experience when they travel. 1. Tourists accept entertainment or commodified experiences as being a manifestation of the modern consumerist lifestyle. 2. Tourism becomes an end in itself and not a means to some loftier goal.

Tourism Is a Demand-Driven Activity That Is Difficult to Control The history of spontaneous development and the resultant social and environmental costs associated with it attest to the challenges faced by any destination that seeks to promote tourism. Tourism is fundamentally a demand-driven activity that is influenced more by market forces (tourists and the industry that seeks to satisfy tourists’ desires) tourism markets are dynamic, erratic, nonlinear, and are noted for their great volatility. If the driving force behind tourism functions in a chaotic manner, then the entire system will be driven by the principles of chaos. Tourism, tourists, and the tourism industry behave in a manner similar to a bottom-up, self-organizing, living ecosystem that cannot be controlled using traditional Newtonian supply systems.

What is needed for Tourism to begin in a region? 1. Explorer – knowledge of place to explore 2. Elite Tourism – knowledge of experience 3. Incipient Mass – advertising of means and methods 4. Mass Tourism – advertising of organized tours

What resources are promoted? Ethnic tourism – quaint and exotic – Cowboys – Mormons Cultural tourism – picturesque, vanishing lifestyles of pre-industrial people – Native peoples – Cajun

What Resoures Historical tourism - glories of the past Shrines Ghost Towns, mining Spanish Missions

What is promoted as experience Native peoples Exotic cultures Lifeways of the past Artifacts and imagination

The engine of automobile tourism Personal renewal through recreation Education Collect objects Increase our personal narratives Spending goals

Heritage Tourism: Grassroots Effort Heritage Tourism as a preservation strategy Economic benefits National Trust (partnering with American Express) How to succeed in Heritage Tourism, 1993 Focus on Authenticity and quality Preserve and Protect resources Make sites come alive Find the fit between your community and tourism Collaborate

the dark side Push back to tourism Commodification of History Need for new locations (“Turning Up the Stage Lights”) Regional Approaches, themed regional attractions The New Millennium

Commodification of History Developments use history to sell houses – Naming patterns: Confederate Ridge – Theming of destinations: Is Fredericksburg a colonial town, or a Civil War Battlefield?

The post card home

Attractions To lure visitors to your community or region, look at all the existing resources you have to offer Historical & Archaeological Resources Cultural resources Natural resources

And the winner is? Increased traffic congestion Litter Fewer parking places rising rents in prime locations Over development Commodification of history by economic interests

Preservation Discourse Matrix

Dimensions of value

Relationships among types of Preservation

Five Principles of Heritage Tourism Focus on authenticity and quality Preserve and protect resources Make sites come alive Find the fit between your community and tourism Collaborate

New values of Preservation Unappreciated aspects of our history – Technology – Native American Regional approaches – Amish in Indiana

Tragedy of the Commons Lack of return to historic resources from tourist revenue Federal funds cycled to development costs of tourism infrastructure Little or no mechanism for funds returning to historic resources Innovations seek to minimize defects of heritage—remove visitors from the inconvenience of objects of the past.

The New Millenium Honoring the Past, Imaging the future Saving and sharing what is valuable.