Local Arts Agencies as Destination Management Organizations

Local arts agencies have entered the local ecology of destination management in the United States as part of the network of organizations seeking to attract cultural tourists. This role has been virtually ignored in both the tourism and the community arts literatures. A national survey of local arts agencies reflects a substantial proportion that report involvement in cultural tourism development. Narrative analysis of descriptions of cultural tourism strategy reveals a range of activities, especially strategic marketing, development of products, and organizational learning through collaborative partnerships. Unexpected among destination management organizations, we learn that local arts agencies are substantially involved in the development of cultural products geared toward facilitating tourism. We propose that future research on destination management should recognize the position and value of local arts agencies in community-level development of cultural tourism.