Though this is good news for the communities that wish to
reap the economic benefits of tourism, what is even better
news is that cultural heritage tourists are known to have
higher incomes and bring more resources to the communities
they visit than other types of tourists. Studies have shown
that cultural heritage tourists are more frequent travelers, are more likely to travel farther to get the
experiences they want, and spend more money than the average tourist.5 In addition to these findings,
a report issued in 2003 by the Travel Industry Association of America on the characteristics of cultural
heritage tourists also found that for the majority of cultural heritage tourists, a specific historic or cultural
activity or event was a main reason for at least one trip in the past year, and 40% of them added extra time
to their trip because of an historic or cultural activity.