When cities are able to define themselves through their cultural offerings, therein lies the important marriage of culture and tourism. And like all partnerships, the relationship must include mutual respect, commitment and trust. And like a business partnership, it also requires entrepreneurial capabilities. Cultural tourism programs are the catalyst for new audiences and dollars, helping artists and arts organizations to grow stronger in these days of declining federal grants and increased competition for dollars at foundation and corporate levels. For tourism, arts and culture are the expressions of a community's heart and soul.
Cultural tourism is ranked as the fastest growing sector of the travel and tourism industry.
According to a 1997 report by the Travel Industry Association of America, more than 8.6 million people traveled to Pennsylvania for leisure, of whom 26 percent enjoyed cultural outings. - and this number continues to increase. Cultural tourists spend more money and take longer trips than other tourists. They also are more likely to do more, shop more, visit more places, and stay in hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts, and support other businesses. The recent Van Gogh exhibit sold out for its entire run enticing over 438,000 visitors to the Museum. In the greater Harrisburg region, from the waterfront and neighborhood festivals to the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts and other arts-related facilities, over a million visitors annually visit the city.