Increasingly in British Columbia we are hearing the word tourism paired with such terms as aboriginal, sport, dive, ski and heritage. What is this all about and how will it impact and benefit heritage in B.C.?

Heritage areas and historic places represent a significant component in the cultural heritage tourism infrastructure. But the heritage tourism product goes far beyond gated attractions traditionally thought of as the only heritage product. Heritage tourism products include main streets and downtowns with their vibrant food and accommodation services housed in historic places. They include ethnocultural districts and sites, and themed routes or trails, each providing a value-added and authentic experience for the visitor. They include tour operators and tour packages highlighting the unique and dynamic history and heritage of a community or region. And they can include businesses in historic places, such as restaurants, hotels, pubs, and shops.

Considering all of these together is essential when developing a heritage tourism strategy for your community. Developing a successful community heritage tourism strategy requires collaboration between heritage interests, the Chamber of Commerce and other tourism operators, local government, as well as the local and regional tourism organizations. It involves assessment of the heritage assets, a SWOT (Strengths & Weaknesses, Opportunities &Threats) analysis, research, marketing, good visitor service and probably some performance analysis to determine the benefits of the strategy to the community.

A number of resources and training opportunities are available to communities to increase their skill and capacity to develop heritage tourism strategies.

» Resources : Heritage Tourism

BY JENNIFER IREDALE, SENIOR CURATOR, HERITAGE BRANCH, MINISTRY OF TOURISM, SPORT AND THE ARTS
HBC QUARTERLY FALL 2007