PHILIPSBURG – The Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation announced a new partnership with Heritage Travel, Inc., a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Heritage Travel’s Gozaic.com is a convenient travel-planning resource for consumers. This online community allows people to find, -share and connect through heritage- and culture-rich interests and experiences. The Web site also provides extensive online visibility for historic destinations and sites, including the Rowland Theatre and other local historic sites.
New research confirms the extensive market for heritage and cultural tourism. Heritage Travel, Inc. was the lead sponsor of this study which was commissioned by the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council and conducted by Mandala Research.
– 78 percent of U.S. leisure travelers (118 million adults) participate in cultural and/or heritage activities when traveling.
– 24 percent of U.S. leisure travelers (36 million) will take a cultural/heritage trip within the next 12 months.
– 65 percent of these travelers seek travel experiences where the “destination, its buildings and surroundings have retained their historic character.”
– $994 is the average amount spent by heritage and cultural travelers on each trip compared to $611 spent by other leisure travelers.
– 5 trips in the past 12 months were reported by cultural and heritage travelers on average, compared to only four for other travelers.
“People are seeking authentic and enriching travel experiences — everything from touring heritage areas and visiting historic sites to shopping in historic downtowns, eating regional cuisine and sleeping in historic hotels,” said Scott Gerloff, president and CEO of Heritage Travel, Inc. “Through Gozaic.com, destination partners broaden their outreach and exposure to heritage- and culture-minded travelers.”
Heritage Travel has hundreds of destination partners across the country. Each partner is represented through in-depth information on Gozaic.com that includes a historic overview, visitor information, events, reviews written by Gozaic members and vivid photography.
“We are really excited about this opportunity to showcase our community to those with an appreciation for history” Main Street Program Manager Emily Gette-Doyle stated. “We believe there will be great value from this participation in Heritage Travel, Inc., and that marketing Philipsburg’s history, culture, architecture, and sense of place will help our revitalization efforts.”
Heritage Travel, Inc. is the new online community established to present the broad range of heritage destinations, sites and events that define our collective past and enrich our lives. The company’s Web site – www.Gozaic.com – is being developed in an innovative way to provide a powerful travel planning resource for heritage and cultural travelers as well as an online community where people can find and share heritage- and culture-rich experiences. Based in Washington, D.C., Heritage Travel is a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For information, visit www.gozaic.com.
Philipsburg can be found at: http://gozaic.com/gozaic/explore/destination/Philipsburg/Philipsburg-Overview.html
