21 May Deadwood – meeting the challenge

Deadwood, South Dakota is dealing with many of the challenges inherent in tourism today. A recent USA Today article – Ghost Town or Gambling Haven outlines the issues of  balancing growth, fuelled by gaming, while maintaining the character of the destination.

Heritage Tourism “lives” on a continuum from Disney’s Main Street to the most faithful recreations of historical locations and events. As each destination struggles to balance the “here and now” with “what we were” and “what we want to be”, they need to find their place on that continuum. And the work is never finished: it is a complex, dynamic, ongoing process.