Cultural Tourism DC
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Cultural Tourism DC is a non profit in Washington, DC, USA focused on encouraging residents and visitors in Washington DC to experience DC’s arts and heritage, while promoting local culture as a tool for economic development. The nonprofit links 185 arts, heritage, cultural, and community organizations in all wards of the District with partners in tourism, hospitality, government, and business. Several programs aim to draw tourists off the National Mall and into city neighborhoods, where they can experience authentic DC culture.
[edit] Programs
Cultural Tourism DC's signature program is the Neighborhood Heritage Trail. This program chronicles the history of DC's unique communities through poster-sized street signs displaying text, maps, and historic photos. Combined with an accompanying free guidebook, each trail provides a self-guided walking tour of the neighborhood. Once a neighborhood has expressed interest in having a trail, CTdc begins the process by convening neighborhood working groups to collect insights, oral histories, and historic photographs. The project serves as an exercise in community building and at its completion, becomes a great source of neighborhood pride.
On a larger level, the program is a vehicle for economic development. Heritage Trails encourage residents and visitors in Washington, DC to explore neighborhoods beyond the National Mall. While following a trail, walkers are likely to stop at local businesses and restaurants along the way. In bringing people to a neighborhood they might not have otherwise visited, the Heritage Trail experience opens their eyes to yet another beautiful part of Washington. The first of the seven trails currently in place was installed in Penn Quarter (Downtown), followed by Greater [U Street] (both in 2001), then by Barracks Row in 2004 and Southwest in 2005. The Mount Pleasant [1], Adams Morgan, and Shaw trails have since been installed and eight more trails are in process.
The African American Heritage Trail, Washington, DC is the city’s first official trail highlighting significant sites in black history. It is available as a free guide featuring 98 notable locations arranged in 15 neighborhood walking and driving trails. The Trail encourages both residents and visitors to appreciate the complexities of Washington’s African American history – its important moments as well as its intellectual, political, and cultural leaders.
WalkingTown, DC is a popular program held twice a year in spring and fall. This event showcases Washington’s authentic character and rich history by featuring free, guided walking tours of neighborhoods across the city. Tour topics range from history to architecture to local development, and focus on neighborhoods such as Brookland, Capitol Hill, Old Anacostia, Southwest, and Tenleytown.
In spring 2007, WalkingTown, DC offered 64 tours in 18 city neighborhoods. Attendance surveys reported that 3,500 people participated and of those, 93% plan to return to the neighborhood for shopping or dining. The large audiences attest to the popularity of these free tours and their usefulness in introducing newcomers to the city’s exceptional attractions, businesses, and communities. Warm Up to a Museum is an annual event held in February, a perfect time for locals to reclaim their favorite museums. The program is designed to boost visitation at cultural institutions in February, a time when visitorship is typically low. Cultural Tourism DC asks their member institutions to submit programming around the theme of "hot" or "warming up" and promotes them mainly to DC area residents.
[edit] References
[2]Washington Post, "Let Washington's History Be Your Guide"
[3]Downtown DC BID
