Heritage

Dear friend:

Recently, I visited Hueco Tanks. Although I have been there many times, the guided tour reminded me of the scope and breadth of its importance. Hueco Tanks, a place of beauty in its own right, embraces more than 10,000 years of continuous history as a gathering place for wildlife, for indigenous peoples, and for settlers.

The El Paso region itself contains this history. We are El Paso del Norte, the Crossroads of the Continent.

As long as I’ve been here, we’ve been talking about promoting our region. We have a great story to tell, and we’ve told it in bits and pieces, but not as a coherent whole, as a tale of the Center of North America that spans thousands of years. This is not for want of passion and effort, and I believe we’re working in the right direction now.

Heritage Tourism can be a major economic driver, as well as an educational and cultural resource for the community. The El Paso Heritage Tourism Summit, March 22, is an opportunity for the community to learn about and promote El Paso’s diverse cultural identity and rich history.

The Summit’s 12 sessions are designed to help participants learn more about our many tourist attractions, how to better welcome and serve visitors, and increase collaboration between organizations and individuals working to enhance our amazing historic treasures.

The El Paso Heritage Tourism Summit is organized and sponsored by my office – which has supported a District 29 Heritage Tourism Advisory Committee since 2011 – and the El Paso Heritage Alliance, El Paso History Radio Show, El Paso County Historical Commission, and Visit El Paso.

We know that the Texas mystique, as well as the border itself, is a powerful magnet that draws visitors from all over the world. El Paso del Norte plays a huge role in that story. Through this collaboration, together we have taken a giant leap forward on capitalizing on our rich heritage.

Heritage tourism is about developing a community-based enterprise that stimulates our regional economy, builds local pride, creates powerful educational experiences, preserves traditional crafts and skills, and creates jobs through spending by arts and culture organizations and their audiences.

Let me share some figures:
· The Texas Historical Commission reported that, in 2011, over 200 million people traveled to experience heritage resources in Texas. They spent $6.3 billion in the process.
· The State of New Mexico just finished a review of its parks; one finding was the overwhelming support by respondents to a survey of the need for adding, expanding or improving historic and prehistoric sites and historic buildings.
· A study by the City of El Paso in 2007 provides the closest estimates we have regarding the impact of our local arts and culture industry. Although these figures don’t relate exclusively to heritage tourism, they affirm our conviction that investments like this training summit aren’t frivolous–they reap dividends.
· Here’s what the City found: a total economic impact of $91 million, comprising: 2500 jobs, $5 million in transportation revenue, $6 million to our hotels, $25 million for our restaurants and bars, and over $4 million in local government revenue.

As you see, heritage tourism is serious business.

History lovers know that we have a profound cache of cultures and stories in our region:
· El Paso del Norte, the crossroads of the continent, and the Camino Real
· our important Mission Valley communities,
· railroad history, and our frontier town culture that preceded the railroads,
· hundreds of years of military history,
· renowned architecture,
· the Mexican Revolution,
· international migration and Segundo Barrio,
· and the beginnings of the movimiento for social justice in our state.

And let me again single out Hueco Tanks, truly an incomparable site that encompasses the range of human settlement in our region.

Our community has recognized the merit of our cultural treasures and have made the investment, through bond projects like the Digital Wall, the Hispanic Cultural Center, Children’s Museum, to strengthen the sites and cultural attractions that contribute to livability and build awareness for our residents and tourists about our great city.

Through mechanisms that combine the wisdom and values of our citizens with public agency skillsets and resources, I believe El Paso can emerge as a leader in citizen-driven initiatives that are inclusive, inspiring and which will continue to set us apart as a city of vision and entrepreneurship.

My office relies on active and engaged citizens to inform our work and to help shape effective policy. To join the Heritage Tourism Advisory Committee for Senate District 29, please call my office here in El Paso at 915.351.3500.

Meanwhile, I hope to see you at the Summit!

Sincerely,

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