Cultural Heritage Tourism Handbook - LinkBC

7. Prepare Your PlacesCommunity Amenities and InfrastructureIf you’ve followed the suggestions thus far, you should have a good understanding of how toprepare your people for cultural/heritage tourism development. This chapter discusses preparingyour places: the range of facilities, infrastructure, and services guests require to ensure a clean, safe,and enjoyable experience.7.1 Make Your Places More Attractive for Visitors (and Locals)No matter what interesting cultural/heritage experiences yourstrategy includes, you won’t fulfill your potential if the communityas a whole isn’t an attractive, welcoming place. As noted earlier,improvements that form part of a cultural/heritage tourism strategywill also be seen as improvements for residents. While the challengeof community improvement may seem daunting, dozens of Canadiancultural heritage champions have leveraged their partnerships tomake incredible strides in this area.Community BeautificationThe community-based approach recognizes that visitors leavea destination with the sum total of all of their impressions andmemories. We’ve all seen the results of reduced municipal budgetsand economic downturns: main streets that aren’t kept clean,derelict downtown buildings, signs with peeling paint, weeds onthe boulevards. It’s imperative, however, that government, tourism,cultural/heritage and volunteer partners work together to addressthe community’s appearance.Ideas working in other communities include:• Organizing regular litter-clean-up days.• Joining Communities-in-Bloom.• Funding a downtown “streetscaping” project.• Increasing tree planting targets.• Replacing worn and ineffective signage.• Tackling graffiti.• Developing murals.• Encouraging landscaping around commercial establishments.• Preserving and maintaining landmark structures.Once the community at large is spruced up, it becomes easier toset the stage for enhanced cultural/heritage attractions.Preservation & Enhancement of Heritage StructuresThe preservation of heritage structures is an important part ofprotecting the sense of place valued by visitors and residents alike.What historic buildings and attractions are there in your communityand surrounding area? Your strategy should have a section thatfocuses on preservation and maintenance of these places and theirvisual settings or “viewscapes”.Your community-based strategy should regularlyconsider how well you provide the following basicservices for your visitors, and develop plans toaddress gaps:£ £ Parking. Is there sufficient parking at all of your cultural/heritagetourism sites? Is it free or reasonably priced? Are the siteswell-located? Well-maintained?£ £ Public restrooms. Are these sufficient in the areas touristsfrequent? Are they well-maintained? What do they say aboutyour community?£ £ Accommodations. Is there adequate local lodging to accommodatethe visitors you are expecting? Are these providerswell-promoted in your overall marketing campaign? (Rememberthat cultural/heritage visitors often prefer smaller propertieswith “local colour” and historic bed and breakfasts.)£ £ Places to Eat. How easy is it for visitors to find the kind ofdining spots you advertise? Do these restaurants, coffee shops,bakeries and pubs have their own heritage-focused exhibitsand stories to tell in the premises?£ £ Shopping. Is it easy for visitors to find locally-produced artsand crafts? Are unique shops included in the itineraries thatbuild on your community’s cultural theme? Are there antiqueshops and local craft markets that can be promoted?£ £ Hours of operation. Are hours of operation of all of yourattractions (including your visitor information centre) conduciveto a positive experience? What will they find open or closed?Are business hours clearly posted? Is it easy to find basic, well-litinformation after hours?£ £ Parks & Picnic Areas. Are there attractive, casual rest areas forvisitors to use in the warmer months? Are they landscaped,well maintained and litter-free?£ £ Graffiti. Does the community have a plan to remove graffition a timely basis? Are there priority routes or areas that needto be considered from a visitor perspective?“Good marks” on all of the above will lead to muchgreater visitor satisfaction, and complement thecultural/heritage experiences you are promoting.48 49