Loading...
Huron Expositor, 2002-12-11, Page 101 1 News Masters student warns against too much heritage tourism By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Staff While Seaforth's heritage streetscape is seen by some as its best selling feature to tourists, a University of Waterloo student studying the town for her master's thesis has some words of caution. "I'm studying how constructing a town around tourism can threaten its authenticity as a place," says Emily Head. Head visited Seaforth several times throughout the summer to gather data for her study of Seaforth, St. Marys and Elora and how each town's heritage is being used to attract tourism. She says she began her research concerned that towns can be harmed by turning their heritage into a commodity to be sold, rather than a natural element of the town's history to be appreciated in itself. While Head 'found Seaforth to be on the low end of the spectrum of marketing the town's heritage, she says the town should consider its authenticity a strength instead of a weakness. "While some people might want Seaforth to be like Elora or St. Jacobs or Niagara -on -the -Lake, there's a danger that you could become too plastic. Heritage is a huge thing and people will pay for that experience but something is being lost if you can only buy gifts in your town," she says. Using a model called "creative destruction," Head says some towns, such as Niagara -on -the -Lake, have geared themselves so much towards tourists that residents are no longer able to buy a loaf of bread or find a parking spot in town. "There is an annoyance factor that can become so strong that/ people will eventually move away. It's not socially healthy," she says. Head also points out that over -marketed towns will go through cycles of prosperity. While the downtown may be packed with gift and specialty shops, such towns usually have a high turnover rate. "So, maybe it's not even all that healthy economically if stores keep going under," she says. Of the three towns Head studied, she says Elora is the most marketed, St. Marys is in the middle and Seaforth is the least marketed. She looked at the business mix pf each community over the past 30 years. Comparing Elora's current l 8 gifts shops to Seaforth's three, Head says shopkeepers in Elora pomplain that local residents won't shop at home without realizing that there is a limited need for gifts among the local population. j "Something is being lost 5f you can't get all your necessities in town," she ays. In comparison, she says Seaforth's shops are still ;serving the local population, ;with a recent increase in the ;number of gift shops for itourists. : While Seaforth hasn't ;really begun to market its ;architectural heritage, Head ;says St. Marys is just in the ;first stage of promoting :itself. "St. Marys gets more ;visitors because it has a mix ;of attractions - the :significant stone heritage, :the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, the quarry and two ?rivers," she says. Head says many Seaforth ;residents she interviewed noted Seaforth does not have similar attractions like ea river of lake. And, she says those she interviewed had varied opinions whether or not the should be marketed aggressively. "You've really got a great place there and a lot don't necessarily recognize that. Some might feel it's economically depressed and not thriving but there are always lots of people on the street," she says. Head says she likes that in Seaforth a shopper can walk among great architecture and "grand buildings" like Cardno's Hall to buy meat at the butcher shop. And, she says Seaforth is doing a good job maintaining its heritage architecture. "Your heritage is not self- conscious. But, when you try to sell your heritage to someone else, there's a danger that you're not so real anymore. You might tear down an old building to build a fake old building to pretty it up. You're taking a big risk when you go down the path of seeing the economic value over the' intrinsic value," she says. about town more �sucK� DIB for Dan Sills Lindsay Devereaux SATURDAY, JAN. 5, 2002 9pm-1 am Seaforth Community Centres Music by DJ - Lunch Provided Tickets: Contact Laura Devereaux 527-0406 Michelle Henderson 527-0192 Quoted 'I'm studying how constructing a town around • tourism can threaten its authenticity as a place,' -- Emily Head, University of Waterloo student preparing a master's thesis. MCL SOUND FULL DJ SERVICE Book your Receptions, Buck & Does early! tfiFor more info call John McLeod - Clinton 482-9984 after 6 p.m. or leave a message Dianna's Country Bakery & Cafe St. Columban 345-2804 Winter Hours Mon. - Thurs. 6 am - 6 pm Fri. 6 am - 7 pm, Sat. 7 am - 2 pm Sunday 8 am - 7 pm BAKERY SPECIAL Homemade WHITE BREAD Reg. 1.50/loaf NOW 1.00 Breakfast Special 2 eggs with bacon, ham or sausage toas & homefries until 11 a.m. Sat. & Sun. '2.99 SUNDAY BRUNCH 10am-2pm $6.95 SUNDAY EVENING BUFFET Roast Beef 3 pm - 7 pm �a$7.95 Reserve Now for New Year's -Eve Buffet Open'til 9pm Roast Beef & Roast Turkey $8.95 Closed 2 p Christmas Eve Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year's Day •.. PARK THEATRE •.=