Results

AHC-spearheaded efforts have fostered strong collaborations between the tourism and cultural heritage industries in communities throughout the state. Small towns like Payson, Snowflake, Bisbee, and Winslow have taken this concept to heart and are attempting to build their tourism programs around history and heritage. But the key to progress in building a sustainable cultural heritage tourism industry in Arizona is getting more money from the legislature. “We need serious product-development funding to enable these woefully underfunded institutions to even play in the tourism game,” declares Shilling. “That will be the real test—after we’ve done the research, provided the workbooks, done the presentations—to get the funding to build product and encourage partnerships.”

AHC’s chances of fulfilling this mission get stronger every day as new statewide and local alliances are built. The Arizona Tourism Alliance, a lobbying association, has testified on AHC’s behalf to the state, and the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records is the conduit for AHC’s bill for funding to the legislature in 2001. With the right kind of support, Shilling says, “We envision being able to award grants in the $50,000 - $75,000 range, which is what museums really need if they are going to have a fighting chance.” As a result of the research and the partnerships that were created, AHC collaborated with the Arizona Community Foundation, Arizona Commission on the Arts, and Arizona Department of Commerce to create an “Arts and Culture Build Communities” fund in 2001. The project awarded nearly $200,000, mostly in rural areas to support cultural tourism.

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