ARTS, CULTURE AND RECREATION COMMITTEE

CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMUNITY EXPORT INITIATIVE

WHEREAS, our nation’s cultural heritage is a mosaic of individual communities with distinct heritages that should be promoted and celebrated; and

WHEREAS, more and more businesses and communities have begun to realize that cultural heritage tourism is an economic generator; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Tourism Industries office and it’s American Pathways partners efforts have established over one hundred cultural heritage tours spanning the diversify of America; and

WHEREAS, today’s globally competitive tourism marketplace challenges American small business, corporations, non-profits and communities to ensure future export growth through planning and investment in our cultural heritage treasures; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Commerce Tourism Industries office has recognized this challenge by creating a new initiative, Cultural Heritage Community Development Export Initiative, whose goal is to help communities across the country expand their export capabilities through cultural heritage development and would aim to complement and build upon existing local, state and national heritage tourism programs and would accomplish the following objectives by establishing 10 pilot community programs which would serve as models for success in how to develop and grow export capabilities through cultural heritage; and

WHEREAS, the Cultural Heritage Community Development Export Initiative is an outgrowth of the successful American Pathways program which is a part of the First Lady’s Millennium project,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors recognizes the importance of each city’s cultural heritage and understands how important that tourism is to continue the historic economic growth that our nation is experiencing; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports the President’s request for $4.5 million in his FY2001 budget for the Cultural Heritage Community Development Export Initiative.