Cultural Tourism

Worldwide tourism has grown enormously over the past twenty-five years, and all indicators show that it will continue to grow in the future. International and domestic tourism developed and promoted through a strategically organized method can have a significant impact on economic growth and improvement of livelihood by empowering the local population and creating further employment possibilities. Cultural Heritage Tourism (CHT) officials and volunteers in the U.S. share a passion for preserving and promoting history, culture, and natural resources with their international counterparts. International cultural leaders balance preservation, promotion, and protection of centuries old historic, cultural, and natural sites with tourism as an economic development strategy.

While in the U.S, Community Connections and Open World delegates observe the local / federal government partnerships. They are able to witness the significant role of local leaders and local philanthropy in developing cultural tourism by creating cultural festivals and events; in supporting museum development; protecting natural resources, and in benefiting from the volunteer sector.

Cultural tourism provides participants with skills and best practices to create sustainable Cultural Heritage Tourism systems based on the principles and steps outlined in the National Trust for Historic Preservation curriculum, “Share Your Heritage.” With support from Open World Leadership Center and the National Endowment for the Arts, World Services has arranged for major segments of the cultural heritage tourism curriculum to be translated into Russian and posted on the National Trust for Historic Preservation Website.

Source: http://www.culturalheritagetourism.org/howToGetStarted.htm

World Services has hosted cultural tourism delegations in the support of Community Connections Program and with the Open World Leadership Center. Community Connections is sponsored and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); World Learning / FORECAST is the Programming Agent for USAID.

Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress, the Open World Program is designed to enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and countries of Eurasia and the Baltic States.

For more information on these or similar international professional development exchanges, please contact us at info@wslax.us.


Minneapolis, MN La Crosse, Bayfield, Rice Lake, St. Croix, and Viroqua, WI	2008 : "Village and Rural Tourism"	Serbia


Local Host	Theme	Country
Rochester, NY Washington, D.C.	2007: "Cultural Heritage Tourism"	Russia
Dubuque, IA La Crosse and Sparta, WI	2006: "Cultural Heritage Tourism"	Russia