Cultural Heritage Tourism

Old West? Hispanic Arizona? American Indians? Water? Whatever your interest, the Arizona Heritage Traveler will help you find places to visit throughout the state.

Developed through a joint-venture partnership with the Arizona Office of Tourism, this Web site can help travelers plan their Arizona adventures by selecting topics and places thematically, geographically, and alphabetically, which the site uses to create a GPS map. The site also features brief essays and reading lists on Arizona history and heritage.

Before you plan your next trip in Arizona, make sure to visit the Arizona Heritage Traveler!

Cultural Heritage Tourism Grants

With funding from the National Endowments for the Humanities' We the People initiative, AHC will offer two special $10,000 Cultural Heritage Tourism Grants to nonprofit heritage sites in Arizona.

The grants will support the development of heritage tourism products that tell the story of Arizona's history accurately and authentically, and that demonstrate the ability to attract out-of-town tourists. More details on the grant are available here, or call 602/257-0335 X26.

In addition, both the study and the workbook described below are excellent references to inform your cultural heritage tourism project planning.

Cultural Heritage Tourism Study

The Arizona Office of Tourism, in collaboration with AHC, commissioned the Department of Recreation and Tourism Management at Arizona State University to conduct a study on cultural heritage tourists in Arizona. On-site surveys were conducted at sixteen heritage locations and three events from October 2004 through September 2005, resulting in a detailed profile of the typical Arizona cultural heritage tourist. Cultural Heritage Tourism Study: A Marketing Guide for Cultural Heritage Venues translates the information from the study into an appealing and practical marketing guide for Arizona's cultural heritage sites seeking to attract and serve this growing segment of in-state and out-of-state visitors to their venues.

Cultural Heritage Tourism Workbook

Cultural Heritage Tourism: Practical Applications is a workbook that helps communities and institutions design and implement cultural heritage tourism projects.