8/20/2004

Morgan's raids and heritage trails

It would be interesting to identify that point at which local governments stopped pretending that heritage toursim had anything to do with love of history, their history. Actual headline:

CASHING IN ON HISTORY: Community leaders hope Civil War sites will attract tourists

The body of the story has this predictable squib:

The hope is that once heritage tourists come to Hardin County they will visit other attractions, stay in hotels and eat in restaurants.

The kicker, apart from the headline, are these deep thoughts by the Hardin County History Museum Board President Tim Asher:

"We're giving the folks who are interested in these things a reason to get off the interstate."

The folks who are interested in these things are not us, we're sensible people. We don't run around looking at crap markers leaking money all over the countryside. We're safe and sane tourism professionals with a box full of psychological studies trying to make sense out of what makes you heritage tourists tick.