Guide is designed to encourage heritage tourism
The Hudson River Valley Greenway unveiled its Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Heritage Site Guidebook on Nov. 18, providing information about the 100 National Heritage Sites in New York’s Hudson River Valley. The guide is designed to encourage heritage tourism, already a $4.7 billion industry in the region. The debut occurred at the Senate House and Museum in Kingston, one of the sites featured in the guidebook.
The guidebook encourages visitors to explore the resources of the Hudson River Valley and visit adjacent local communities. In addition to descriptions and color photographs for each site, the guide provides contact information in a variety of formats (address, GPS coordinates, website, and phone number). It also identifies sites as being “family friendly,” “accessible by public transportation,” or “part of the regional Greenway Trail System,” and includes theme information for each site on “Architecture,“Art, Artists, and the Hudson River School,” and others topics. Likewise, the book organizes Heritage Sites by proximity to one another to facilitate exploration of a variety of sites.
“The cultural, historic, and scenic attractions of the Hudson River Valley are so numerous, so varied, and so compelling that it is little wonder the valley has become one of the nation’s [areas] most visited by heritage tourists,” said Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), who led the effort to create the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. “This guidebook is a treasure that will help unlock a hundred treasures as it guides visitors throughout this beautiful region to the sites and attractions that many of us have already come to know and enjoy.”
According to Ned Sullivan, president of Scenic Hudson, “tourism is a significant economic engine for the valley, responsible for 80,000 jobs. Heritage sites add to the region’s quality of life, attract businesses” and foster employment. He predicted the guide will be “a great tool for boosting a key sector of our tourism industry” and said that his organization is proud to participate in such work “by protecting land and creating parks around heritage sites to enhance these special places.”
The Heritage Site Guidebook features over 100 pages of information and costs $9.95 plus shipping and handling. For more information and to purchase a copy, visit http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/ExploreHeritageArea/Guidebook.aspx. or call 518-473-3835.
The National Park Service and Department of the Interior fund the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area program, established by Congress in 1996. Its mission is to recognize, preserve, protect and interpret the nationally significant cultural and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley for the benefit of the nation. The Hudson River Valley Greenway manages the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.
Visit http://www.hudsongreenway.state.ny.us/ for more information on the Greenway and http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/ for more information on the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.
