Partnering to Promote Heritage Tourism in Local Communities: Guidance for Federal AgenciesLocating Local Heritage Tourism Contacts

Locating Local Heritage Tourism Contacts

Local Contacts

• Does the local community (or communities) have a convention and visitor’s bureau? www.officialtravelguide.com
  
  
• Does the local community (or communities) have a Chamber of Commerce? www.uschamber.com/chambers/directory/default.htm
  

  In many smaller communities that do not have a convention and visitor’s bureau, the Chamber of Commerce may be the principal organization promoting tourism.

• Is the local community (or communities) a Main Street Community? www.mainstreet.org
  

  The Main Street approach, developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, helps local communities revitalize their downtowns through an innovative methodology that combines historic preservation with economic development. Heritage tourism is generally a key component of Main Street Community efforts. At www.mainstreet.org, check the directories of both Main Street Coordinating Programs and Local Main Street Programs.

• Is the local community (or communities) a Certified Local Government? www.cr.nps.gov/hps/clg/
  

  Communities that have been designated as Certified Local Governments (CLGs) by the National Park Service have active historic preservation programs and are frequently involved in heritage tourism.

State Contacts

• What is your State’s tourism office? www.towd.com

There may also be regional tourism offices within a state.

• Does your State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) have a heritage tourism program? www.ncshpo.org

Presumably, your agency already deals with the SHPO, at least with their compliance staff in the context of projects being reviewed in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. But some SHPOs have programs and staff that deal specifically with heritage tourism, so ask if that is true in your case.

• State tourism councils  www.tia.org/express/ncstd_member_organization.html

Tribal Contacts

• Do local Indian tribes have heritage tourism programs?

If your Federal facility includes properties of interest to Native Americans, you probably already deal with local tribes (and possibly more distant tribes, as well). Some tribes have programs that deal with tourism in general or heritage tourism in particular. Depending on the nature of the historic properties under your care that are of interest to them, your properties might tie into their tourism initiatives. Some tribal tourism programs are listed at www.aianta.org.

Updated March 3, 2006

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