Executive Summary

In 2003, it is projected that New York State's museums, historic sites, festivals, and visual and performing arts centers will welcome 28.4 million tourists. These tourists are part of a growing international movement in which heritage and arts activities are overtaking other recreational options in attracting and engaging visitors. This growth trend is particularly gratifying at a time when tourism - New York State's second largest industry - is recovering from severe challenges, including the terrorist attacks of September 11th.

People seeking to experience other cultures and cultural activities while traveling tend to stay longer, spend more, and travel longer distances than other types of leisure travelers. New York is a premier cultural and heritage destination for visitors throughout the country and the world. As such, it is a national leader in the number of leisure travelers taking advantage of its cultural and heritage opportunities.

Tourism contributed more than $39 billion to the state's economy in 2000, according to Travel Industry of America ("TIA"). Cultural and heritage organizations are a major component of this industry, but these celebrated assets are often not fully recognized by elected officials and community and tourism industry leaders as the economic development and educational resources they truly are. New Yorkers need to know about the positive impact of cultural and heritage tourism.

In an effort to stimulate dialogue about New York State's cultural tourism mission, a broad-based group of public and private partners have joined together to facilitate communication and collaboration. Our goal is to build recognition and support for cultural tourism as an important factor in the economy and quality of life of New York State, and to expand opportunities for the development and promotion of cultural and heritage tourism. It is anticipated that this "Statewide Cultural Tourism Coalition" will continue to expand. Current participants are:

    Arts & Business Council, Inc.
    Museum Association of New York
    Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
    New York State Council on the Arts
    New York State Division of Tourism
    New York State Education Department - Freedom Trail Commission
    New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Traveling for Enrichment
Nationally, the Travel Industry of America reports that 81% of adult American travelers indicated they included a cultural, arts, heritage or historic activity or event while on a trip of 50 miles or more in the past year. 1 These travelers included historical or cultural activities on almost 217 million person-trips last year, up 13% from 192 million in 1996.2 Of those travelers, 48% attended a performing arts event, 47% visited an art museum or antique establishment, 41% visited a historic site and 41% visited a festival or fair. "As people travel more, they don't travel aimlessly - they travel to get to know a particular place in a meaningful way. The strength of cultural tourism is in its ability to satisfy this desire for meaning in people's lives." 3

The most widely used definition of cultural tourism states that it is travel based on a mosaic of places, traditions, art forms, celebrations and experiences that portray a place and its people and reflects their diversity and character. 4 In 2002, the Statewide Cultural Tourism Coalition further refined the definition for New York State: cultural tourism is travel that is directed toward experiencing the rich arts, heritage, and diversity of the people and landscapes of New York State.

Who are these tourists?

Travelers who include cultural events on their trips come in all shapes and sizes. They share many similarities with other US travelers:

    62% are married
    41% are Baby Boomers
    33% have children under 18

Travel statistics also point up some differences. Compared to other US travelers, cultural/historic travelers are more likely to explore geographically diverse locations. Furthermore, they have a higher propensity to shop and are more likely to visit National or State Parks.

Cultural/historic travelers also tend to take trips for entertainment purposes, travel in the summer, and readily combine business and pleasure travel. They are more likely to be retired, to be divorced, widowed or separated, and to travel with other adult family household members.

"Cultural tourists tend to be slightly older than other travelers and spend more on their trips than other age groups. The sophistication of this market will demand an experience that is authentic, high quality, and in many cases, customized to meet individual interests and needs." 5

What is their impact on the economy?

In 2003, the Travel Industry of America reported on two consumer studies in "The Historic/Cultural Traveler." Among the findings are: cultural/historic trips tend to last longer (5.2 nights vs. the U.S. average trip of 4.1 nights, excluding transportation); and cultural travelers spend more ($623/trip vs. $457). While traveling, cultural/historic travelers tend to stay at paid lodging facilities (62% vs. the average of 56%). Furthermore cultural/historic trips are more likely than the average trip to last seven nights or longer and include air travel, a rental car and a hotel stay. Cultural/historic travelers are also more likely to extend their stay to experience history and culture at their destination. In fact, four in ten added extra time to their trip specifically because of a cultural/historic activity.

In New York State, tourism ranks as the second largest industry employing more than 750,000 people and generating more than $5.2 billion in revenue per year for local and state governments. In 2002, there were 111 million person trips in New York State with total spending an estimated $39 billion. New York State ranks second in terms of numbers of international visitors and fifth in domestic travel, nationally.

More than 29% of New York State leisure travelers listed cultural activities and historic sites as a primary activity while on vacation. This compares to 19% of U.S. leisure travelers and 20% of leisure travelers in the Northeastern region of the U.S.6 In fact, when compared to the primary activities enjoyed by visitors to other Northeastern States, New York State visitors have the highest propensity to list cultural activities as a primary trip activity.

Where arts and heritage venues are vigorously promoted to visitors, the impact upon local and state economies can be remarkable.

Example: American Revolution
During the summer and fall of 2002, the decisive events of 1777 were reenacted and remembered at events honoring the 225th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. Linked and promoted under the combined banner of "3 Valleys to Freedom", activities at dozens of historic sites in the Mohawk, Champlain, and Hudson Valleys drew more than 125,000 attendees. The estimated combined economic impact of these events was more than $31 million in income for the region, as reported by the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission.

In the four counties of the western Mohawk Valley, more than 40,000 people attended events at 14 historic sites commemorating the 225th anniversary of the Battles of Oriskany and Fort Stanwix. These sites reported a 61% increase in attendance from the same time period in 2001. Total attendee expenditures in the same period also rose by 63%.

Example: Summer of Monet
In the summer of 1999, ten cultural institutions in the Buffalo area joined forces to develop "The Summer of Monet" initiative that was built around the exhibition, "Monet at Giverny: Masterpieces from the Musee Marmottan" at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Nearly half of the audience for the exhibition came from outside the Buffalo area. The success of this collaboration and its related marketing resulted in an economic impact to the city in excess of $11 million.

Example: New York City
New York City welcomed over 35 million visitors in 2002. Of that total, almost 30 million traveled to the city from elsewhere in the US. Of these US visitors, more than 40% identified culture as a primary activity on their trip. Broadway performances alone sell over ten million tickets every year, about 43% to US visitors and about 4.8% to international visitors. With discussions of lower Manhattan's future well underway, many individuals and groups are urging New York City government to use arts and culture as a lynch pin in its revitalization.

II. Resources for Cultural Tourism in New York State

New York State's remarkable role in the history of the United States has given residents and visitors alike a legacy of cultural and historical experiences that reflect a sweeping spectrum of creative and intellectual _expression, invention and innovation, imaginative leadership, and triumph of the human spirit. This legacy can be found in every region of the state, from Niagara Falls to Montauk, and from New York City to Jamestown.

There are approximately 1,400 museums and heritage organizations and 2,000 arts organizations spanning New York State in every county. Not only is New York State the home of world class museums, operas, symphonies, and theaters, it was the first state in the nation to maintain an historic site for educational purposes, Washington's Headquarters in Newburgh. Today, the state's network of parks and historic sites draws 65 million attendees annually. The National Park Service operates 19 units in New York State, which drew more than 15.5 million attendees in 2002.

Historic preservation is also an effective vehicle for meeting important community goals, such as increasing tourism, creating new jobs, and providing affordable housing. In a recent report commissioned by the Preservation League of New York State, the economic impact of historic preservation activities was found to be significant. Much of the economic benefit of an historic site extends beyond the site itself. Every dollar that regional visitors spend at an historic site is matched by nearly two dollars spent elsewhere. For overnight visitors, the economic leverage of the historic site is even greater. 7

Tourism Resources

New York State's Division of Marketing, Advertising and Tourism, within Empire State Development, oversees the well-known "I LOVE NEW YORK" campaign, which has recently begun to focus greater attention on the growing cultural/heritage tourism market. In the past two years I LOVE NEW YORK has promoted cultural resources to potential visitors through television and radio, travel guides, brochures, partnerships with cultural organizations, and on its web site.

There are local tourism promotion agencies ("TPA"s) and convention and visitor bureaus ("CVB"s) through-out the state that are a part of the statewide I LOVE NEW YORK campaign, as well as numerous others that are not affiliated. Where these local tourism promotion organizations have taken an interest in promoting cultural institutions and events, projects have greatly benefited all participants, as well as local economies.

Partnering and Packaging

The impact of cultural tourism can be greatly increased when cultural and tourism organizations work together to package and market themselves to travelers. There is a significant need within the cultural and tourism communities to learn about each other and find ways to plan and execute meaningful and economically successful collaborations. There have been some initial efforts to address this need. The New York State Council on the Arts and the Arts and Business Council Inc. are facilitating partnering and packaging opportunities through their Cultural Tourism Initiative Grants program, now in its fourth year. In 2002, the program received $5 in requests for every $1 it had to give away.

Public-Private Investment

There is a growing realization that cultural and heritage organizations and their activities have substantive and quantifiable impacts on the health and well-being of the communities in which they reside. Saratoga Springs, Beacon, Troy, and Buffalo are recent examples where local governments and businesses are making investments in their communities by supporting the promotion, programmatic and physical development of cultural and heritage organizations through financing, creating cultural districts, and brokering public-private partnerships. Public-private investment also ensures broad public access.

III. Challenges to be Met

Developing the state's full potential for cultural and heritage tourism will require coordination and commitment. Our goal should be not only to increase the numbers of cultural/heritage visitors, but to increase the diversity of our audiences and to expand the impact of tourism into previously unvisited locales. To do so will require innovative branding concepts, cross-regional and cross-industry collaborations, increased public-private partnerships, and a concerted effort to address the following challenges:

Showcasing our Diversity: There are hundreds of local resources reflecting the great diversity and history of the State, from Polish cultural festivals in western New York, to music tours in Harlem and the Bronx, or the Underground Railroad sites that have been discovered throughout many communities. Finding ways to better coordinate and promote these destinations accomplishes several goals: they strengthen the state's ability to draw ever more diverse visitors; they give all visitors a greater choice of authentic experiences; and they foster exciting collaborative opportunities to market ethnic and artistic traditions. Tourism can provide new revenues to communities that have had only limited success in showcasing their heritage and cultural assets.

Infrastructure: Communities interested in attracting cultural/heritage tourists must make a commitment to create adequate infrastructure to handle tourists. This may include development of visitor centers, lodging and restaurant options, parking, ongoing front-line staff training, and cross-promotional strategies. Technical assistance, as well as funding, will be needed to help communities successfully plan and implement improvements to infrastructure for tourism.

Physical Access: Cultural institutions and activities must be physically accessible and "visitor ready." This may include adequate and convenient restrooms, easy and safe parking, ramp ways and elevators, comfortable seating, and easy-to-read printed materials and signage.

Tourism Structure: The tourism structure in New York State needs the flexibility to cross traditional boundaries in order to capitalize on unique experiences and facilitate collaboration in product development and marketing. An example of this type of flexibility can be found in those programs that are based on thematic content in addition to geographical location.

Data Capture, Trend Analysis and Planning for Tourism and Cultural Partners: Sustained capture and timely analysis of information on visitors is essential to determining marketplace trends. The development of a research base to keep the field abreast of travel trends would enable cultural tourism stakeholders to successfully plan, initiate, and fund new initiatives. NYS Division of Tourism could be the lead for this, with the proper resources. Institutional commitment on the part of managers and/or boards will ensure the development of meaningful partnerships, marketing/business plans specific to target markets, and the direction of resources toward sustaining best efforts. It is imperative that information about the impact cultural tourism makes to the state's economy should be readily and regularly accessible to decision-makers.

Sustainability: Successful cultural tourism programs need to be planned with a long view. A key to sustainability is the creation of products that are in harmony with a community's values and aspirations to maintain its own heritage, culture, and environment.

Development of Partnerships: Partnerships are key to success in cultural tourism. Cultural tourists demand quality and variety from their tourism experiences. Very few institutions or communities can provide a complete experience, but by partnering with neighboring communities, complementary institutions, events and attractions can develop and offer a variety of diverse opportunities. It must be recognized, however, that partnerships take time and resources to nurture and grow - they require organizational commitment and financial support.

Coordinated Planning: Many communities and cultural institutions need help determining if cultural tourism is a good marketing fit for them. A commitment to cultural tourism is a commitment to collaboration, authenticity and quality, preservation of resources, and balancing the needs of visitors and residents. Cultural tourism is not for all communities, and it takes a thorough process to determine if it is a good fit.

Understanding the Market: Now more than ever, people are searching for meaning. Many will find it in nature, heritage, and culture. Tourism, is the means, not the end to fulfilling a widespread desire for meaningful, integrated experiences. For example, the power of experience marketing can bring exciting new perspectives to how cultural institutions position themselves in local and travel markets, reach non-traditional audiences, and develop consumer-oriented programming.

The Internet: A major trend in travel has been the increasing use of the Internet for research and booking. It is crucial that cultural and heritage organizations have good Web sites with links to the main state and/or regional Web sites, and that these Web sites respond to the current cultural tourism trends of experience, authenticity, and convenience. Web sites must be consumer-driven, allowing visitors to explore and find integrated experiences that are meaningful to them.

Information Capture and Access for Visitors and Travelers: We need to develop consumer-driven information about the state's diverse cultural community so that travelers and residents can easily access information about cultural organizations and activities, plan itineraries, and provide feedback. Technology is still an issue for many cultural organizations - many lack up-to-date equipment and the resources to develop and keep current Web sites and Internet-based promotional tools.

CULTURAL and HERITAGE TOURISM-RELATED AGENCIES

Alliance of National Heritage Areas: Organization of federally-designated heritage areas and corridors. www.cr.nps.gov/heritageareas

Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations: provides leadership and vision, and delivers services, resources and tools that strengthen community cultural organizations. www.thealliancenys.org

American Association for State & Local History: Non-profit organization provides leadership, service and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful in American Society. www.aaslh.org

American Association of Museums: AAM: National organization representing the museum community - including cultural, historic and natural museums - and addressing its needs, thereby enhancing the ability of museums to serve the public interest. www.aam-us.org

American Automobile Association : AAA: Membership organization providing information relating to owning and operating automobiles. Also operates retail travel agencies. www.aaa.com

American Bus Association : ABA: Trade association representing charter and intercity bus companies.

American Craft Council: National, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to fostering an environment in which craft is understood and valued.

American Hotel & Motel Association: AHMA: Trade association for accommodations.

American Society of Travel Agents: ASTA: Trade association of retail travel agents.

Americans for the Arts: National organization that strives to make arts more accessible to every adult and child in American by working with cultural organizations, arts and business leaders and individuals to foster leadership, education and information that will encourage support for the arts and culture in US communities. www.artsusa.org

Arts and Business Council, Inc.: Through its local and national programs the Council brings expertise, resources, and leadership talent from the business world to the arts community. www.artsandbusiness.org

Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus of New York State: statewide organization that is made up of representatives of the Convention and Visitors Bureaus ("CVB") in NYS.

Association for Hispanic Arts: Founded in 1975, Association for Hispanic Arts ("AHA") is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Latino arts and artists in the United States. www.latinoarts.org

Association of Retail Travel Agents: ARTA: Trade association of American travel retailers.

Business Enterprises for Sustainable Tourism : B.E.S.T.: An initiative of The Conference Board in association with the World Travel & Tourism Council, B.E.S.T. serves as a repository for i nformation on global "best practices" in sustainable tourism.

Heritage Association of New York State: originally formed in the late 1980's to provide networking and advocacy opportunities for the Heritage Areas Program.

Heritage New York: established to preserve, interpret and celebrate the State's heritage through the administration of the state's historical collection and the development of a series of thematic heritage trails. www.heritageny.state.ny.us

Hudson River Valley Greenway: facilitates the development of a voluntary regional strategy for preserving scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources. www.hudsonrivergreenway.state.ny.us

Institute of Museum and Library Services: IMLS: An independent federal agency that fosters leadership, innovation and lifetime of learning through support of all types of museums and libraries. www.imls.gov

International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions: IAAPA: The trade association of theme parks, zoos, resorts, tourist attractions and other fixed-location entertainment facilities.

International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus: IACVB: Worldwide association of convention and visitors bureaus, based in Washington, DC.

Long Island Museum Association: a non-profit organization that provides support, advice and training to museums and historical societies on Long Island. www.LIMAmuseums.org

Lower Hudson Conference: Lower Hudson Conference provides regional services for historical agencies & museums of the Hudson Valley and greater metropolitan area.

www.lowerhudsonconference.org

Museum Association of New York: membership organization that works on behalf of all museums in the state.

www.manyonline.org

Museum Store Association: international organization representing museum store professionals worldwide from more than 1,900 institutions.

National Association of State Arts Agencies: NASAA: Membership organization of the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies that advances and promotes a meaningful role for the arts in the lives of individuals, families and communities throughout the United States. www.nasaa-arts.org

National Endowment for the Arts: Independent agency of the United States federal government serving the public good by nurturing human creativity, supporting community spirit and fostering appreciation of the excellence and diversity of America's artistic accomplishments through grantmaking, leadership initiatives, partnerships, and public information. www.arts.endow.gov

National Endowment for the Humanities: Independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education and public programs in the humanities.

National Park Service: NPS: A division of the US Department of Interior, the National Park Service administers the joint federal-state-local historic preservation program established by Congress in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It also oversees the National Register of Historic Places and assists the group of federally-designated national heritage areas. www.nps.gov

National Tour Association: NTA: A trade association of motor coach tour operators and group travel buyers.

National Trust for Historic Preservation: NTHP: National non-profit organization chartered by Congress to protect and preserve the nation's historic resources and cultural heritage. The National Trust operates historic properties and provides advice and assistance to communities in preserving historic properties. It also manages the nation's first cultural heritage tourism program and the National Main Street Center. www.nthp.org

New York Council for the Humanities: devotes itself to insuring the presence of the humanities in the state's cultural and intellectual life and to guaranteeing the future of the humanities among young people. www.neh.gov

New York Folklore Society: statewide nonprofit organization that offers a wide range of programs and services to nurture traditional arts and culture in the communities where they originate, foster the sharing of folk traditions across cultural boundaries, and further cultural equity and cross-cultural understanding. www.nyfolklore.org

New York State Council on the Arts: A state funding agency that provides support for activities of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in New York State and helps to bring artistic programs of high quality to the citizens of the state. www.nysca.org

New York State Division of Tourism: implements a variety of activities to promote tourism in New York State, including administration of the I LOVE NEW YORK campaign. www.iloveny.com

New York State Education Department: encompasses the Office of Cultural Education, which includes the Chartering Program for museums and historical organizations; manages the Freedom Trail Commission. www.nysed.gov

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation: manages New York State Parks, historic sites and recreation areas. In addition, it manages the NYS Heritage Areas Program. www.nysparks.org

New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association: is a Not For Profit trade organization representing more than 1,300 member businesses and individuals in the lodging and attractions industry. www.nyshta.org

Partners in Tourism:

Coalition among nine national service organizations and four federal agencies broadly representing the arts, humanities, heritage and tourism organizations around the country. Includes: Alliance for National Heritage Areas, American Association of Museums, Americans for the Arts, Cultural Tourism Alliance, Federation of State Humanities Councils, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, National Association for African-American Heritage Preservation, National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute for Museum and Library Services; and the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

The Preservation League of New York State: dedicated to the protection of New York's diverse and rich heritage of historic buildings, districts, and landscapes. www.preservenys.org

Society of American Travel Writers: SATW: An association of journalists whose primary occupation is writing about or photographing travel.

Statewide Cultural Tourism Coalition: An informal group of statewide and multi-regional public and private partners involved in Cultural Tourism in New York State.

Tourism Promotion Agency Council ("TPA"): a statewide organization that is made up of representatives of the TPAs in New York State. TPAs are generally Not for Profit or departments of local government, charged with promoting their counties tourism attractions and businesses, and the tourism industry as a whole.

Tourism Industries, US Department of Commerce: The federal agency responsible for tracking and analyzing international visitation to the United States. www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/

Travel & Tourism Research Association: TTRA: A professional society of market research specializing in the travel industry.

Travel Industry Association of America: TIA: The non-profit umbrella trade organization of companies and government agencies representing all segments of the travel industry formed to promote travel to and within the US. www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/

Upstate History Alliance: a non-profit organization which provides support, advice and training to historical societies, museums, historians and others interested in history in a 35 county area of upstate New York. www.upstatehistory.org

Western New York Association of Historical Agencies: a non-profit organization which provides support, advice and training to historical societies, museums, historians and others interested in history in Western New York.

CULTURAL and HERITAGE TOURISM
GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Bed and Breakfast: Overnight accommodations, usually in a private home or boarding house, with a full American-style breakfast included in the rate.

Blocked Space: Reservations made with suppliers by wholesalers or travel agents in anticipation of resale.

Booking/Reservation Form: Signed by customers purchasing tours stating exactly which tour is being purchased. The form also outlines all liability.

Certificate of Appropriateness: Permit granted by a historic preservation commission or design review board under local law in some communities recognizing that proposed work to an officially designated local landmark or historic district conforms to community guidelines for historic preservation projects.

Certified Local Governments: CLG: Participants in a program that provides preservation assistance and grants to communities who have passed laws to encourage preservation of historic places and set up a commission of qualified citizens to advise on preservation of local historic resources.

Charter Flight: A flight booked exclusively for the use of a specific group or groups who are traveling on an inclusive tour charter program.

Commission (Preservation): A governmental body appropriated by the mayor or city council under local law in some communities to advise on matters affective historic resources. To recommend official designation of significant historic properties and historic districts as local landmarks, and to review proposed work to the community's officially designated local landmarks and in its official historic districts. Although the responsibilities and composition of commissions vary by local law, most have five to 10 members representing a variety of interests and areas of expertise related to preservation and revitalization of historic properties.

Commission (Travel): The amount which travel agents receive from a supplier for selling transportation, accommodations or other services.

Confidential Tariff: A schedule of wholesale rates distributed in confidence to travel wholesalers and travel agents.

Consolidator: A person or company which forms groups to travel on air charters or at group fares on scheduled flights to increase sales, earn override commissions or reduce the possibility of tour cancellations.

Cultural Tourism Alliance: Informal group of US practitioners responsible for cultural tourism programs in states, cities and regions.

Design Review: A tool used by many communities to ensure that changes to local landmarks are made in a way that is sympathetic to the buildings' historic character, and in the best interest of conserving the buildings' historic fabric.

Destination: The place to which a traveler is going; or any city, area, region or country be marketed as a single entity to tourists.

Double Occupancy Rate: The price per person for a room shared with another person.

Easement: Tool for preserving historic properties. An owner may donate a part of his/her historic property to a non-profit organization, granting the organization permission to see that the features on which it holds the rights are maintained and preserved by the owner and any future owners. The non-profit organization monitors the property to ensure compliance with preservation standards and/or guidelines.

Escort: A person, usually employed by a tour operator, who accompanies a tour from departure to return as guide or trouble-shooter; or a person who performs such functions only at the destination. The terms host-escort or host are often used, and are preferred, to describe this service.

Escorted Tour: A prearranged travel program, usually for a group, with escort service. Fully escorted tours may also use local guide services.

Familiarization Tour: A complimentary or reduced-rate travel program for travel agents, airline or rail employees or other travel buyers, designed to acquaint participants with specific destinations or suppliers and to stimulate the sale of travel. Familiarization tours, also called family tours, are sometimes offered to journalists as research trips for the purpose of cultivating media coverage of specific travel products.

Foreign Independent Travel or Foreign Individual Travel: FIT: An international pre-paid unescorted tour that includes several travel elements such as accommodations, rental cars and sightseeing. An FIT operator specializes in preparing FITS documents at the request of retail travel agents. FITS usually receive travel vouchers to present to on-site services as verification of pre-payment.

Ground Operator: A company that provides local travel services, including transportation or guide services.

Heritage Area: a place where natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make Heritage Areas representative of the human experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved in the areas. Continued use of Heritage Area by people whose traditions helped to shape the landscapes enhances their significance. A heritage corridor is a heritage area that is organized around and focused on one linear resource such as a river, canal, or road. www.cr.nps.gov/hertiageareas/

Historic Guidelines: A set of parameters for making decisions about the appropriateness of alterations to historic properties or districts. Historic preservation commissions charged with reviewing the appropriateness of proposed alterations to historic properties in their communities use written design guidelines to help them make fair and consistent decisions that allow change to take place while preserving and enhancing the historic character of local landmarks.

Historic Property: A site which has qualities that make it significant in history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture; sometimes more specifically a site which is eligible for or listed on the National Register of Historic Places, or on a local or state register of significant sites.

Historic District: A defined geographical area which may be as small as a few contiguous buildings, or as large as an entire neighborhood, central business district, or community, within which historic properties associated with a particular time or theme in a community's history predominate. Often the collective significance of the district may be greater than that of any one building or archaeological site. As a planning tool, historic district designation is often used to ensure the preservation of historic properties within the defined boundary, or to encourage reinvestment of the buildings.

Historic Resource: A historic building, site, structure, object or district which has the potential to benefit the community economically, educationally or in some other way if it is preserved.

Hostel: An inexpensive, supervised lodging, particularly used by young people or elders.

Hotel Package: A package offered by a hotel, sometimes consisting of no more than a room and breakfast; sometimes, especially at resort hotels, consisting of (ground) transportation, room, meals, sports facilities and other components.

House Museum: A residence which has been preserved or restored to represent a particular point in time or a particular theme in history, and which is open to the public as a museum.

Incentive Tour: A trip offered as a prize, usually by a company to stimulate employee sales or productivity.

Itinerary: Travel schedule provided by a travel agent for his/her customer. A proposed or preliminary itinerary may be rather vague or specific. A final itinerary, however, provides all details - flight numbers, departure times, reservation confirmation numbers- and describes planned activities.

Landmark: A building, structure or object that marks the land - the familiar old building or other property - that provides orientation to a community or region.

Motor coach: A large highway passenger vehicle used to perform any travel service other than scheduled transportation for individually-ticketed passengers.

Museum: Institution devoted to the procurement, care, study and display of objects of lasting value or interest.

National Heritage Area Program: New York State has two National Heritage Areas, the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

National Register of Historic Places: The nation's official roster of properties that should be preserved because of their significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture. The National Register recognizes important historic buildings, sites, structures, objects and districts. It includes properties of local, state or national importance.

Net Rate: Price of goods to be marked up for eventual resale to the consumer.

Packager: Anyone organizing a tour including prepaid transportation and travel services, usually to more than one destination.

Package Tour: A saleable travel product offering an inclusive price with several travel elements that would otherwise be purchased separately. Usually has a pre-determined price, length of time and features but can also offer options for separate purchase.

Person-trip: The research term for one person taking one trip of 50 or more miles, one-way, away from home.

Preservation: The conservation of the qualities and materials that make historic buildings, sites, structures, objects and districts significant. Approaches to preservation include stabilization, restoration, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

Preservation Ordinance: A local law enacted to protect a community's historic resources. Although such ordinances vary in specifics from community to community, typically they establish the preservation of a community's historic resources as being in the public interest, provide for the creation of a historic preservation commission to advise the mayor and council on historic preservation matters, establish a procedure for designating local landmarks and historic districts and authorize the commission to review proposed alterations, additions and demolitions affecting local landmarks and historic districts to see that they are in accord with a set of broad community guidelines for such work which are part of the ordinance.

Preservation Plan: A document which evaluates a community's historic resources and makes recommendations on steps which may be taken to ensure that they are preserved and reused to the community's economic and social benefit.

Rack Rate: The official cost posted by a hotel, attraction or rental car, but not used by tour operators.

Receptive Operator: A tour operator or travel agent specializing in services for incoming visitors, such as meeting them at the airport and facilitating their transfer to lodging facilities.

Reconstruction: The recreation of a historic building or feature that has been demolished or destroyed, based on documentation or research. The product resembles its historic predecessor, but is not historic.

Restoration: The act of returning a historic property as closely as possible to its exact appearance at a particular point in time, based on careful research. Few buildings call for this kind of treatment, which often involves removing modern systems, technological improvements and additions.

Retail Agency: Travel company selling directly to the public, sometimes a subdivision of a wholesale and/or retail travel organization.

Revolving Fund: Fund established for acquisition and rehabilitation of historic properties. When the acquisition and rehabilitation of a historic property has been completed, the property is sold, and the proceeds of the sale go back in to the revolving fund, which is then used to acquire and rehabilitate additional properties.

Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation: A broad set of guidelines for the rehabilitation of historic properties designated to encourage work which is in keeping with the historic character of the building, and which does not do damage to the building's historic fabric. Projects receiving federal tax credits or grants from the federal Historic Preservation Fund must conform to the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation; however, the Standards are also widely accepted among professionals in historic preservation as sound strategies for people working with any historic property.

Section 106: A portion of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 directing agencies of the federal government and peoples using federal funds, permits or licenses to consider the effects of their proposed projects on properties eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places during the planning stage of their project, and to allow the State Historic Preservation Officer and the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to comment on their findings. A Section 106 Review is a routine part of the planning phase that is federally assisted and is meant to ensure that federal funds are being spent in a way which is consistent with the policy of preserving historic properties whenever possible set forth by Congress in the National Historic Preservation Act.

Single Supplement: An extra charge assessed to individuals traveling alone who do not want to share accommodations.

Stabilization: Short-term measures to halt deterioration of a historic property.

Supplier: The actual producer of a unit of travel merchandise, such as a carrier, hotel or sightseeing operator.

Survey: A study of historic properties or historic resources within a defined geographic area such as a neighborhood, community or township. A survey often serves as the foundation for a historic preservation plan for a neighborhood, community or region.

Tax Credit: The 20% Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit available to owners of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places who invest in a substantial rehabilitation of their buildings, provided the work they do is certified by the National Park Service as conforming to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.

Technical Visit: Tour designed for a special interest group, usually to visit a place of business with a common interest. The tour usually includes part business/part leisure and is customized for the group.

Tour: Any prearranged (but not necessarily prepaid) journey to one or more places and back to the point of origin.

Tourism: The business of providing and marketing services and facilities for pleasure travelers. Thus, the concept of tourism is of direct concern to governments, carriers and the lodging, restaurant and entertainment industries and of indirect concern to virtually every industry and business in the world. Generally, travel over 50 miles, one way is considered "tourism".

Tour Leader: A person with special qualifications to conduct a particular travel group, such as a botanist who conducts a garden tour.

Tour Operator: A company that creates and/or markets inclusive tours and/or performs tour services.

Travel Agent: The individual who sells travel services, issues tickets and provides other travel services to the traveler sat the retail level.

Vouchers: Documents issued by a tour operator to be exchanged for accommodations, meals, sightseeing, admission tickets, etc.

Wholesaler: A company that usually creates and markets inclusive tours and FITS for sale through travel agents. Usually sells nothing at retail, but also does not always create his/her own product; also less likely to perform local services.

Ref: Cultural Heritage Tourism Glossary of Terms, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Heritage Tourism Program 2001; New York State Culture and Tourism Directory of State and Multi-Regional Organizations, New York State Division of Tourism, 2001.

Foot Notes - 10/27/03

1 Historic/Cultural Traveler, 2003. Prepared by the Research Department of the Travel Industry Association of America, Washington, DC.

2 A person-trip is one person on one trip traveling 50 miles or more, one way, away from home, or includes one or more over nights.

3 May, Margaret L. "Cultural Tourism: Trends and Expectations Between Tourism and Culture." Lord Cultural Resources Planning and Management, Inc. 2000.

4 Definition developed by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.

5 Webb, Amy Jordan. "2001 Outlook for Cultural Heritage Tourism." National Trust for Historic Preservation. 2001.

6 Statistics from D.K. Shifflet. 2003.

7 New York: Profiting Through Preservation. Preservation League of New York State. 2001.