Heritage Tourism Planning
Many of our projects are directly related to heritage tourism development. Sometimes, heritage museums wish for enhancements and site improvements. Most clients want a higher quality experience for the visitor and increased visitation. Our firm has also programmed and designed numerous general purpose Visitor Information Centers, such as the Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez, Colorado, and the Western Massachusetts Visitor Information Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Heritage tourism services have been performed for jurisdictions of all different sizes and types: the statewide plan for historic tourism sites in Kansas, a regional plan for Monterey County (California) and Clear Creek County (Colorado), and individual cities such as, Springfield, Massachusetts. In each plan, the concerns of resource development, and resource capacity and sustainability are addressed with balance and equanimity. A client-appreciated benefit of each plan has been how much funding it has attracted, several examples of this are illustrated below:
The Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts $36,000,000.00 for Expansion; Dr. Seuss Memorial Park, Springfield, Massachusetts $1,000,000.00 Grant From Audrey Geisel; Springfield Massachusetts Visitor Center, Springfield, Massachusetts $1,500,000.00 For New Construction.
Another measure of success is the increase in visitation and the quality of the experience:
- The City of Springfield Museums experienced a reported 100% increase in visitation to 390,000 people due to Programming, Exhibit Content, and Marketing Improvements.
- In Monterey County, California, the regional planning objective was to spread tourism throughout the county; moving at least some off the peninsula (Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Pebble Beach). The project raised consciousness about a diverse series of resources: historic missions, the John Steinbeck Home, small towns in the Salinas Valley, and wineries. After 5 years there was a 250% boost in off-peninsula tourism, 22 new wineries, and increased visitation and acceptance for Steinbeck associated sites.
- Results from the Statewide Plan for the Kansas State Historical Society’s 18 historic sites has seen an increase in funding by the Legislature, newly themed cultural museums covering Native American tribes in the region, preservation of sites, preservation of historic buildings, and a significant boost in attendance at individual locations throughout the state.
Cottonwood Ranch: 1 of 18 State Owned Heritage Tourism Sites in Kansas
An increased understanding of heritage resources in the domestic and international tourism markets has allowed us to assist our heritage tourism clients in meeting their objectives and building local pride in their history.