Cultural heritage tourism enhances and sustains the culture, environment, and well-being of residents and provides a meaningful visitor experience. A sustainable cultural tourism program requires strategically addressing all assets – cultural, environmental, and physical – to establish and maintain a delicate balance among components. Strategic planning for cultural tourism guides the process for communities to realize their vision and establish procedures and operations necessary to achieve that vision. David Ketz of 106 Group shared his experiences of the strategic planning process and lessons learned from collaborating on two cultural tourism programs. First, with the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, USA and second, with the Akwesasne Mohawk in New York, USA and Ontario, and Quebec, Canada. Each tourism program illustrates how strategic planning can guide and sustain authentic cultural tourism while bolstering community and economic development.
Image Credit: VisitCherokeeNation.com
Building a Cultural Heritage Tourism Program
Published in Proceedings of the Scientific Symposium
Building peace through heritage - World Forum for Change through Dialogue, Florence, 13-15 March 2020, David Ketz Anne Ketz ISBN 978-88-943894-8-7
Building peace through heritage - World Forum for Change through Dialogue, Florence, 13-15 March 2020, David Ketz Anne Ketz ISBN 978-88-943894-8-7
David Ketz
David Ketz is co-founder and General Manager of 106 Group. He has a broad range of experience with cultural planning projects, including economic development planning for the Cherokee Nation and Akwesasne Mohawk heritage tourism programs, and archaeological work in India. David applies his vision and entrepreneurial skills to cultural tourism projects that require a balance between respecting the identity of a community while promoting the community’s assets to achieve sustainable social and economic development.