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Narrow cobblestone road in old town, Alexandria, VA. Photo credit: Olga Bogatyrenko.
The remainder of this section discusses the reasons for the above list of advantages.
MORe COMPReHeNSIVe LIST OF CULTURAL HeRITAGe ASSeTS
Before designing a plan for developing and promoting a community’s cultural heritage assets, decision
makers need to know what assets and amenities currently exist. Broad-based public involvement
can surface little-known details about historical occurrences. Families may have old letters or other
documents that
add context to familiar events, and oral histories can tell forgotten stories about places and
people.
MORe WIDeSPReAD COMMUNITY INVOLVeMeNT AND SUPPORT
By design, this approach involves greater community participation than more conventional planning
processes. Some cultural heritage initiatives may require governmental action such as granting a tax
abatement or allocating public revenue to a project. A broad-based public participation process is more
likely to generate widespread support for making these expenditures.
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TRUST, ReSPeCT AND DIGNITY
When public deliberation processes are well run and individuals act in good faith,
the sense of trust,
respect and dignity can increase among participants even though serious differences in perspective are not
overcome. The consensus judgment reached through such a process does not mean that everyone is in full
agreement. Nevertheless, honest disagreements honestly discussed can lead people of opposing opinions
to better understand and respect each other.
SeLF-CONFIDeNCe AND COMMUNITY PRIDe
Taking part in a public dialogue about the community’s cultural heritage and how best to promote it to
tourists can boost self-confidence and the sense of community pride among participants. Some individuals
may find the experience of having something to contribute and of being taken seriously in a public forum
to be a relatively new experience that may give them more confidence about playing
a more active role in
their community. Others may simply have a stronger and deeper sense of pride about where they live as
the cultural heritage initiative gave them a better understanding of their community’s history.
BeTTeR DeCISIONS AND eqUITABLe SHARING OF BeNeFITS
With more participants drawn from more varied walks of life, a community building process changes
the “business-as-usual” approach to making decisions. More information and different perspectives can
lead to better decisions, and the development initiative is more likely to be more broadly conceived for
the benefit of everyone in the community. For example, improvements in infrastructure
can be designed
to both appeal to tourists and be of use to residents. Job training programs can be set up and employment
decisions made to benefit community members as well.
APPeAL TO POTeNTIAL OUTSIDe FUNDeRS
A proposal for a cultural heritage tourism initiative that incorporates widespread public participation
indicates that the community is organized and supportive of the effort. These qualities are attractive to
outside funders, which is a particularly important consideration during an economic downturn when
funding is scarce.
MORe SUSTAINABLe OUTCOMeS
Properly designed and managed, cultural heritage tourism initiatives can continue to generate income
for as long as people travel. Partners considers sustainability to be the number one objective when
implementing such projects. Sustainability is undermined if the project
is simply a one-off tourist
attraction project that does not continue to keep pace with the changing expectations of the tourism
industry. This problem is common to most tourist attractions in general, but there is a specific threat to
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the sustainability of cultural heritage tourism attractions as well. When a community’s heritage is the
substance of what is offered to visitors, protecting that heritage is essential. Ensuring that increased
tourism does not destroy the very qualities that attracted tourists in the first place can be a major challenge
in heritage tourism programs.
eCONOMIC
BeNeFITS
Notwithstanding all of its other benefits, the development of cultural heritage assets is an economic
development strategy. Communities can engage in a variety of projects to build trust, increase engagement
and solve local problems. Cultural heritage tourism is designed to bring economic resources into the
community. No other approach to developing cultural heritage assets can provide the package of benefits
that a community building perspective can. For the reasons outlined above, a development approach
centered on community engagement can
identify more cultural assets, be more attractive to outside
funders, produce more sustainable outcomes, and share the benefits more equitably within the community.
Cultural heritage tourism initiatives that are developed through a public participation process are more
likely to be designed and implemented to remain attractive to tourists without jeopardizing the things that
community members prize about their cultural heritage.
The historic Main Street district of Hudson, Ohio is spruced up in preparation for its annual summer Hudson Festival Days. Photo credit: Kenneth
Sponsler.
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