Dear Members of the History and Historic Preservation Community,
We ask that you take a few minutes to complete the following survey.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, is currently conducting a comprehensive study to assess the economic value of heritage tourism to New Jersey in detail.
Heritage tourism represents an integral part of the New Jersey economy. Spending by visitors to heritage sites (both on- and off-site) sustains thousands of jobs and generates millions in state and local tax receipts.
This study will inform decisions regarding the funding and prioritization of the sector’s development as well as highlight the successes and future needs of heritage tourism.
Part of the economic impact analysis entails compiling site-specific data from historic sites throughout New Jersey. If you are a consultant or member organization and work with a historic site, we kindly ask that you forward this email to the appropriate party to complete the survey. Your responses will be kept strictly confidential, and results will only be presented in aggregate form for the heritage tourism sector.
To take the survey, please click here.
Should you have any questions or problems accessing the survey, please contact Michael Mariano, Senior Economist, at Tourism Economics (mmariano@tourismeconomics.com, 610-995-9600).
Your participation is crucial to ensuring that we produce an accurate assessment of heritage tourism’s impact on New Jersey’s economy. Thank you for your time and assistance.
Sincerely,
Dorothy Guzzo
Executive Director, New Jersey Historic Trust
New Jersey has a rich history that includes Native American archaeological sites, agricultural and industrial building, three centuries of residential buildings, schools and halls, parks and theaters, and much more. Many of these heritage sites are available to the public, including hundreds that are intepreted as historical destinations or contribute to the tourism economy.
In 2012 the NJ Historic Trust launched a new endeavor to encourage the development of New Jersey's heritage tourism industry by providing access to tourism resources and funding for technical assistance.
The Discover NJ History License Plate Fund for Heritage Tourism will provide small grants to municipalities, counties or nonprofit organizations to promote interpretation, marketing and linkages among heritage sites.
This Fund is supported by income from the "Discover NJ History" License Plate, which was established in 1995 as a source of revenue for historic preservation projects. The License Plate provided funding to the NJ Heritage Tourism Task Force for preparation of the Master Plan.
Finally, this web site provides a variety of resources that inform heritage site stewards about the heritage tourism industry, and also places to visit in New Jersey.
The New Jersey Heritage Tourism Master Plan was developed by the NJ Heritage Tourism Task Force, which was established by the legislature (P.L. 2006, Ch. 60). The Task Force was charged with improving New Jersey's performance in the regional and national heritage tourism market.
The final Master Plan for heritage tourism reports the finding of an extensive survey and inventory of New Jersey's historic resources, explores options for signage and marker programs, makes recommendations for improving coordination among New Jersey’s historic sites and helps identify stable sources of funding for the enhancement, maintenance and interpretation of our historic sites.
