Emphasis on Historical Tourism should change How History is Presented
Posted on March 9th, 2008
Christine Tell
One of the interesting changes made by Brad Wall when he became Premier was removing Parks from Saskatchewan Environment and placing it along with the former Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation under the jurisdiction of Christine Tell, as Minister of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sports. Tell also has responsibility for most of Saskatchewan’s historical and cultural assets including Saskatchewan Lotteries, the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation, the Saskatchewan Archives Board, the Saskatchewan Arts Board and the Western Development Museums. Wall wrote a public letter to each of his Ministers outlining government priorities over the next four years in each department. As the creation of the new Ministry already suggested, Wall made it abundantly clear in the letter to Tell that the Saskatchewan Party government will be emphasizing building Saskatchewan’s tourism industry. [Read Wall’s letter to Tell]
While recently those responsible for Saskatchewan’s historic resources have not focused on tourism, historical tourism was a major factor in the development of the province’s historic resources. In 1951, for example, Jack Herbert, Saskatchewan’s first Director of Historic Sites put in plainly enough when he wrote:
“Their [historic sites] value to the citizenry and to the state in many ways be invisible and immeasurable, but successful exploitation of their attraction for the tourist can be made to pay off in tangible economic dividends.”
Herbert was one of a chorus of Saskatchewan historians who have, over the years, recognized the economic potential of historical tourism. The economic value of historical tourism, in fact, was a significant factor in developing the province’s infrastructure of historic places that includes 800 designated historic buildings, several hundred historic site markers, seven historic provincial parks and a network of several hundred museums.
The emphasis on historical tourism should change how history is presented. Historical tourism means that the goal is to present the past in a way that will be interesting and compelling for a public audience. What the public expects from tourism resources has changed a great deal since Herbert’s time. Improved road signs for historic sites or better plaques for historic buildings will not be enough attract tourists. The time is long past when static displays and signage that emphasize facts can draw motorists off highways and even if they could – such items do not generate revenue. For historical tourism to be success, Saskatchewan people must tell our exciting and meaningful stories, and present these stories through activities and events that make our communities destinations for tourists. Most importantly, we need to tell our stories in ways that tourists will be willing to pay to hear!