Civic Tourism Civic Tourism - The Poetry & Politics of Place Now Available! Civic Tourism: The Poetry & Politics of Place By Dan Shilling, Foreword by Scott Russell Sanders
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Civic Tourism is an extension of and tool for other "place-based" approaches, such as cultural heritage tourism, ecotourism, and geotourism.

The mission of Civic Tourism is to "reframe" tourism's purpose – from an end to a means; that is, from an economic goal to a tool that can help the public enhance what they love about their place.

Civic Tourism provides strategies for citizens to decide if, how, and for what purpose the ingredients of place (cultural, built, natural) can be integrated to create a dynamic, distinctive, and prosperous community.


Watch the 13-minute video.
The challenges & opportunities of "place-making" for tourism.

Prescott Main Street

"Place is becoming the central organizing unit of our economy and society." - Richard Florida, Rise of the Creative Class

So true! But what do we mean by "place" and how do regions identify and enhance "place"?

Beyond tourism planning, Civic Tourism is about community planning, about "place-making" in the most appropriate ways.

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"In his groundbreaking book on civic tourism, Dan Shilling invites your community to engage in a conversation about tourism and place that it cannot afford not to have."             — David Weaver, author of Sustainable Tourism: Practices & Procedures

Civic Tourism Today

Helpful Quote
"More and more people in the business world see corporations playing a major role in solving the world's environmental problems. Business, they know, is our most powerful mechanism for creating a functioning society and matching needs with goods and services. Companies can and should be a force for good, leading the charge on caring for the environment and protecting our shared national assets. Financial and environmental success can be achieved together." — Daniel Esty & Andrew Winston, Green to Gold (2006).

Helpful Story
Sustainable Travel in Hawaii
Visitors are important to Hawaii's tourism industry, which is the state's largest economic enterprise. Like any large industry, tourism's day-to-day operations can put a stress on the physical environment, social, and cultural fabric - the very elements that attract visitors to Hawaii. Sustainable tourism in Hawaii is about protecting, enhancing and conserving these resources for the enjoyment of visitors and residents.

Helpful Link
The Sustainable Tourism Laboratory is a hands-on, practitioner-run program of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council in Rhode Island. The Lab works with communities seeking to refine and define tourism as a positive means for change. The Lab's programs refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development.

Helpful Book
Donovan Rypkema, The Economics of Historic Preservation This slim volume, published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is an important tool for advocates of historic preservation. In clear language, with many best practices and examples, Rypkema shows how saving old structures is good for the community, good for tourism, and good for the bottom line. A great resource, and be sure to visit Rypkema's website, Place Economics.

The Civic Tourism project was originally conducted by Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona. Major funding was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency.

Now Available! Civic Tourism: The Poetry & Politics of Place By Dan Shilling, Foreword by Scott Russell Sanders

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August 2010 Conference

Civic Tourism III

October 2008 Conference

Civic Tourism II

What Happened at the March 2006 Conference

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Click here to watch Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano's welcome to the first Civic Tourism conference.