Cultural tourism plan under development: success is in marketing Whistler’s story, not specific events or attractions, expert says
Instead of marketing specific cultural events or offerings such as the World Ski and Snowboard Festival or Cornucopia, they key to Whistler’s success in cultural tourism is to capitalize on what distinguishes it from every other mountain resort.
That was the message this week from Steven Thorne, a cultural tourism expert who has been hired to help develop a Cultural Tourism Development Plan for Whistler. About 50 people gathered at Millennium Place on Tuesday (June 22) to hear a presentation from Thorne on “place-based” cultural tourism.
Instead of attending attractions or visiting sites, the essence of cultural tourism is about encountering the history, heritage, people, stories and landscape of a destination, he said. It’s about discovering what makes a place distinctive, authentic and memorable.
“The place is the product,” Thorne said.
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