“Battlefields Mean Business: Economic Benefits of Battlefield Preservation”
Many of our readers are familiar with heritage tourism. In fact many of us would say we are heritage tourists! Historic sites and the communities they reside in can mutually benefit from the visitors that they receive. The Civil War Trust recently released a detailed report of the benefits for these communities as they play host to our nation’s history and the many visitors that come to see it each year.
The Civil War Trust released a report detailing the economic benefits that battlefield preservation can provide to U.S. communities. After investigating geographically diverse locations across the United States, the study found that historic sites support jobs, attract visitors, create opportunities for local business, and contribute to state and local coffers. Revealing what enhances the economic benefits of battlefields tourism, the report demonstrates that when more land is preserved, sites can become an even more powerful economic engine.
Thanks for helping get this message out. The same applies generally to preserving this nation’s wild places. Folks are defrauded by politicians who pretend that short-term benefits from ripping up the landscape and our country’s historical heritage outweigh the long-term economic advantages of saving these places. There are higher reasons for doing so, of course, but it doesn’t hurt that good permanent jobs and revenues also result.