Heritage Tourism

Chapter 12

Heritage Tourism

Background

The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines heritage tourism as

“traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically

represent the stories and people of the past and present.”1 Heritage tourism

may include the promotion of cultural and historic and natural resources as

part of an overall tourism and marketing campaign. Heritage tourists seek

out authentic sites and specialized activities, such as historic buildings,

festivals, and local food ways, crafts, and traditions. Heritage tourism has

been shown to attract visitors who spend more money at local businesses

and stay longer at heritage sites than other leisure tourists. Over the

years, heritage tourism has been growing in importance within the tourism

industry and is increasingly part of economic development strategies

nationwide.

The benefits of heritage tourism to the preservation of historic resources

are substantial. Using historic resources as the central focus of tourism

efforts is one way that communities can showcase their heritage assets.

In many ways, this is the same philosophy espoused by main street

revitalization programs. By identifying viable and sustainable economic

uses for historic buildings and places, communities encourage private

investment. Therefore, the community, government agencies, and private

investors should work together to establish connections between wellmaintained and interesting historic and cultural sites and the ability to

attract tourism dollars.

The historic sites, historic districts, parklands, and trail system, as

well as the available cultural activities in Prince George’s County make it

an attractive place to live and visit. These strengths contribute greatly to

the quality of life in the county and should play an increasingly important

role in the growth of the county’s economy. Apart from the considerable

economic advantages of tourism, another less tangible but valuable

outgrowth of...