CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM IN THE NEWS.... CURRENT NEWS

May 1 - 15, 2009

The International Shopping Traveler: New Research Highlights Plans to Visit and Shop in the USA

5/15/2009
PR Newswire (press release) - New York, New York

State invests $12.4 million in cultural facilities

5/14/2009
MetroWest Daily News - Framingham, Massachusetts

The Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) in Massachusetts awarded almost $12.5 million in grants to 85 cultural organizations in the state.  Grants are made possible by an appropriation from the Massachusetts Legislature.

Barbour unveils new 'Birthplace of America's Music' signs

5/13/2009
DeSoto Times Today - Hernando, Mississippi

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour unveiled new highway welcome signs highlighting Mississippi’s emerging identity as the “Birthplace of America’s Music.”

BSU Study: Indiana Cultural Tourism Worth $4.3 Billion

5/13/2009
Inside INdiana Business (press release) – Indianapolis, Indiana

A 2009 report by Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) on Cultural Tourism in Indiana: the Impact and Clustering of the Arts and Creative Activities in this Recession found that the arts and creative activities account for $4.9 billion in direct economic activity and employ 43,000 workers in Indiana.  The report is available at www.bsu.edu/cber

Governor Crist Endorses Viva Florida! Program

5/12/2009
Chipley Florida Online Newspaper - Foster Folly News - Chipley, Florida

Florida Governor Crist announced the launch of the Viva Florida! Campaign.  The campaign is designed to educate audiences and promote Spanish culture and heritage throughout the state.

Visit Florida announces Viva Florida, a celebration of Florida's Spanish Heritage

5/12/2009
Tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, Florida

Visit Florida has unveiled “Viva Florida” to promote the state’s Spanish Colonial heritage and the state’s cultural heritage.  62 million Florida visitors participated in cultural or nature based activities even as overall tourism visitation in Florida decreased in 2008.

Cultural groups get help from tourism agency

5/12/2009
Knoxville News Sentinel - Knoxville, Tennessee

The Knoxville Tourism & sports Corp will contribute $185,000 to 14 arts and cultural organizations whose funding was cut in the county budget as a one-year fix as a long-term solution is sought. 

Smithsonian gears up for movie-inspired visitors

5/11/2009
USA Today – USA

The Smithsonian Institution hopes that the new Hollywood movie Night at the Museum: battle of the Smithsonian will boost visitation at Smithsonian museums.

Program encourages hometown tourism

5/9/2009

Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville, Kentucky

The Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau is promoting special discounts to area attractions as part of the Louisville, Kentucky Hometown Tourist Celebration.  This promotion is being offered as part of National Tourism Week.

Heritage Tourism new focus of Gibson Co.

5/9/2009
Jackson Sun - Jackson, Tennessee

City, county and Chamber of Commerce officials in Gibson County, Tennessee are looking at alternatives to industry in light of the economic downturn.  The revitalization of downtowns could provide opportunities to use heritage tourism to raise revenues.

The Creativity of Rural America

5/7/2009

The Daily Yonder - Austin, TX

Regional Technology Strategies and the Alliance for Creative Advantage, Mt. Auburn Associates have completed reports in Arkansas, Colorado, Wyoming and North Carolina to show how creative enterprises help rural regions develop effective economies.

Dozen groups to share Sachem $216000

5/7/2009
TheDay - New London, Connecticut

Grants from the Sachem Fund will go to arts and cultural programs, some of which had been cut from the proposed 2009-2010 city budget for Norwich, Connecticut.

Sustainable Travel International Launches Next Step in Global ...

5/6/2009
Adventure Travel Media Source (press release) - Wellington, Colorado

Non-profit Sustainable Travel International (STI) has launched a STEP 2.0, a new version of the Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program™.  For more information see www.sutainabletravelinternational.org. 

Heritage Center Expansion Signed Into Law

5/6/2009
KFYR-TV - Bismarck, North Dakota

North Dakota Governor Hoeven signed into law the approval for a $52 million expansion of the state Heritage Center. It appropriates $39.7 million in state funds with the reminder to come from private and federal funding sources.

Stimulus funding announced for Tobacco Heritage Trail

5/6/2009
South Hill Enterprise - South Hill, Virginia

Mecklenburg County, Virginia will receive $6 million in stimulus funding from the American Recovery Act through the Virginia Department of Transportation to develop the Tobacco Heritage Trail.  The construction phase is expected to create 150 jobs and have an economic impact of $15 million for the region.  The annual economic impact of the trail once it is completed is estimated to be $4 million a year. 

Voters to Cut or Keep Local Hospitality Tax

5/4/2009
KSWT-TV - Yuma, Arizona

Voters in Yuma, Arizona will determine whether the 2% hospitality tax will be extended for another 15 years.  This tax provides funding for Yuma Parks and Recreation, activities at the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, and tourism promotion.  The current tax will expire on June 15, 2009.

Creative businesses get a marketing hand

5/3/2009
Atlanta Journal Constitution – Georgia

The Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Tourism Foundation have launched a new state creative economies initiative to help creative businesses succeed.  The initiative includes a website at www.GaMadeGaGrownProducts.org.

Opinion: Tourism master plan's Phase One lacks 'beef'

5/3/2009
St. Augustine Record - St. Augustine, Florida

Derek Boyd Hankerson criticizes the St. Augustine tourism plan for not focusing on the region’s multi-cultural heritage.

Thompson: Heritage bill is dubious legislation

5/2/2009
Online Athens - Athens, Georgia

Jim Thompson, editorial page editor of the Athens Banner Herald, questions the motivations behind the new bill designating April as Confederate Heritage and History Month in Georgia.

Gov. Rell launches tourism initiative

5/2/2009
TheDay - New London, Connecticut

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell announced the 2009 “Connecticut-Staycation” initiative for Connecticut’s tourism, cultural and historic attractions.  The Staycation initiative will run from Memorial Day to Labor Day and more information is available at www.cultureandtourism.org.
 

2 Knoxville arts organizations try to obtain tourism-related funding

5/1/2009
Knoxville News Sentinel – Knoxville, Tennessee

The Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corp. is working with the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Greater Knoxville to help arts organizations find funding to replace appropriations from Knox County that have been cut.

Window, window, where's that window?

5/1/2009
Boerne Star - Boerne, Texas

Boerne, Texas is celebrating National Preservation Month with a historic homes tour, a living history festival and several special exhibits.

Nonprofit groups plead to keep funding

5/1/2009
Staunton News Leader - Staunton, Virginia

Nonprofit organizations in Waynesboro, Virginia including the Heritage Museum and Waynesboro Downtown Development Inc. spoke to the Waynesboro City Council at a public hearing about the negative effects of losing funding from Waynesboro

CIB budget fixes could hurt tourism

5/1/2009
Indianapolis Business Journal - Indianapolis, Indiana

The Capital Improvement Board in Indianapolis is cutting its budget, including reducing the amount of funding provided to local arts and cultural organizations.

Study emphasizes importance of creative sector to Texas economy

5/1/2009
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte, North Carolina
The Texas Cultural Trust commissioned a study of Texas’ creative sector (www.createtexas.org) .  The study found that Texas’ creative sector pays higher wages and is growing faster than jobs in other areas.

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