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Tourism is big business. In Ohio it’s one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. How does tourism impact your community? How many people venture off the interstate to visit your heritage museums, the nature preserve just outside of town, or the antique shops and boutiques on your main thoroughfare? Or perhaps you are relieved the tourism industry has by-passed your perfect little corner of Ohio. After all, who needs the traffic congestion, more fast food franchises, or tacky souvenir stands selling plastic toys made overseas?
Today’s traveler is looking for authentic experiences in unique places – like your town! But can your community reap the benefits of the growing tourism industry without experiencing the negative aspects?
Civic Tourism presents us with some of the answers. As a practice of planning and management, Civic Tourism encourages us to rethink economics, connect to the public, and invest in our stories. Thus tourism becomes more than just an end product of economic development that benefits only a few. Civic Tourism helps us think about the tourism industry from the inside out. By encouraging us to identify what we love and value in our communities, our history, and our celebrations, Civic Tourism challenges us to think about what we want to share with visitors.
The Ohio Humanities Council invites you to join in a conversation about Civic Tourism at one of five locations around the state. We’ll start the program with Dan Shilling who will share his thoughts and experiences with tourism and the public humanities. Throughout the day, we’ll hear from heritage area leaders who are putting the concepts of Civic Tourism to work in towns across the state. Breakout sessions will give you ideas about planning for tourism activities, identifying themes to highlight your unique story, and building cooperative relationships with other sites and organizations. At the end of the day, you’ll have a chance to tell us what tools you need to move forward with your own plans.
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