Cultural heritage tourism is traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes historic, cultural and natural attractions.

This site has been developed as a resource for organizations and individuals who are developing, marketing or managing cultural heritage tourism attractions or programs. These cultural heritage tourism “practitioners” can come from a variety of fields—tourism, historic preservation, the arts, humanities, museums, economic development, main street, heritage areas, and many other fields. Practitioners can include non-profit organizations, government entities, federal agencies and coalitions formed to bring these and other partners together. While the variety of different partners contribute to the richness of cultural heritage tourism, it can also make it more difficult to track down resources and how-to information.

This electronic clearinghouse includes information provided by many different members of Partners in Tourism, a coalition of the national organizations and agencies with an interest in cultural heritage tourism. For those just getting started, there are guiding principles and how-to steps for launching a new effort. The success stories featured here will both inspire and inform, and the resources section includes key contacts in virtually every state as well as national resources for funding, technical assistance and other programs. To find out more about the development of cultural heritage tourism in the United States, click here for a timeline of significant development dates over the past two decades. 

These elements are the first step in building a comprehensive clearinghouse of cultural heritage tourism information, and we welcome your feedback.

NATIONAL PARTNERS

Alliance of National Heritage Areas

American Association of Museums

Americans for the Arts

Cultural and Heritage Tourism Alliance

Federation of State Humanities Councils

State Humanities Councils (courtesy of National Endowment for the Humanities)

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Cultural Tourism

National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers 

National Geographic Society
Sustainable Tourism Resource Center

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Heritage Tourism Program   

Rural Heritage

U.S. Travel Association

(formerly Travel Industry Association of America)

DiscoverAmerica.com

FEDERAL CORRESPONDING PARTNERS

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Heritage Tourism
Preserve America

National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Humanities

Institute of Museum and Library Services

President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service
Forest Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management
National Park Service

          Heritage Areas

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration 

National Scenic Byways Program 

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