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Texas Heritage Tourism

Decent Essays

PART I: COMMUNITY BASED HERITAGE TOURISM

Growth of Tourism and Heritage Tourism

Tourism is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries and businesses, employing 7.4 million people in the United States with a payroll of $183 billion, and federal, state, and local tax revenues of $113 billion. Tourism contributed $704 billion to the United States economy in 2009. Tourism is the third largest industry in Texas, directly supporting 500,000 jobs and indirectly supporting 419,000 jobs. In San Antonio alone, the tourism industry employs more than 113,000 workers who annually generate $12.2 billion dollars back into the local economy. Tourism is one of San Antonio’s largest industries.

The number of international tourists grew over 5% in 2013 …show more content…

Leisure travelers are also demanding more diverse hotels, resorts, and leisure-time amenities around the globe. According to the Economic Impact of San Antonio’s Hospitality Industry report, from 1998 to 2008, the economic impact of the hospitality industry increased by more than 70%.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation states that in the Unites States, visiting heritage sites and museums is the third most popular tourist activity behind shopping and outdoor activities. Texas is the second most visited state for heritage travelers in the United States. History and culture have become a significant category of the tourism industry.

Cultural and Heritage Tourism

Cultural and heritage tourism is focused on experiencing the local customs, traditions, arts, history, sites, and culture that authentically represent a particular place. The visitor wants to learn about the history of a place through immersion experiences including local cuisine, craft, music, other indigenous entertainment; visiting historic and natural attractions; and meeting local people.

The Texas Historical Commission defines heritage tourism as “travel directed toward experiencing the heritage of a city, region, state or country. This travel enables the tourist to learn about, and be surrounded by local customs, traditions, history and culture.” The goal of heritage tourism is preservation through the activity of tourism and is based upon the concept that each

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