Washington, D.C. – A new resource is available for cultural and heritage tourism attractions and organizations struggling because of the downturn in the economy. The Heritage Tourism Program at the National Trust for Historic Preservation has just completed a new online “survival toolkit” at www.preservationnation.org/survival-toolkit. Supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the toolkit describes eleven key survival strategies and includes 80+ survival stories to showcase these strategies in action. The toolkit was developed after hundreds of hours of outreach to national and state leaders in cultural and heritage tourism over this past year.
“We’ve found that real-life stories are meaningful role models” says Amy Webb, director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Heritage Tourism Program. “Cultural heritage tourism attractions want to hear from others in the trenches facing similar challenges. These survival stories showcase how many communities are succeeding in the face of an economic downturn.”
This user-friendly web site allows visitors to search for stories by region of the country, type of attraction or organization, and/or the survival strategy or strategies that the story illustrates. The toolkit also includes links to other online resources to help cultural and heritage tourism attractions and organizations stay afloat during tough times. The toolkit, www.preservationnation.org/survival-toolkit, was developed after hundreds of hours of outreach to national and state leaders in cultural and heritage tourism over the past year.
Webb adds, “We see the stories in the toolkit as simply a starting point. Our hope is that the profiles will inspire others to share their stories so the toolkit is a dynamic and continually growing resource.”
Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts says “The economic downturn has had a harsh impact on all sectors of the cultural and heritage tourism industry. The NEA is proud to support this online toolkit that will provide solutions and timely resources to address today’s economic challenges.”
For more information about the Cultural Heritage Tourism Survival Toolkit, contact: Amy Jordan Webb, Heritage Tourism Director, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 303.413.1986 or [email protected].