Most approaches to alternative tourism, such as ecotourism and cultural heritage tourism, begin with a preservation mission (saving cultures, historic districts, open space) and then "use" the protected resource responsibly to both educate the public and foster economic development.

All of these initiatives are in the place-enhancing business; they often appeal to the same tourist and even use the same rhetoric. However, rarely do we find them at the same table where tourism is concerned. Consequently, each relates to the tourism industry in an episodic, piece-by-piece, project-oriented way, which often renders them relatively toothless.

Place is not just heritage, land, or buildings - it's all three. Civic Tourism shows these sectors how to work together to create a form of tourism that is not project-centered, but which privileges "place" as the main attraction.