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directly involved with one's own inherited legacy. From a tourism perspec-
tive, personal patrimony often manifests in people traveling to seek their
own identities, discovering their roots in ancestral lands, undertaking family
history research, or visiting landmarks (e.g. churches, cemeteries, libraries,
homesteads and churches) that were closely associated with the lives of their
ancestors (Timothy, 2008). Many countries that have large diasporic popula-
tions abroad have begun to realize the economic potential of catering to the
personal heritage needs of detached populations that desire to travel as a
means of connecting with their personal pasts and discovering who they are
(Lowenthal, 1985).
The next scale is local and regional. Local heritage often takes the form
of monuments or markers that commemorate notable local heroes and politi-
cians or people who have left the area and achieved prominence elsewhere.
As well, locally important structures such as schools, churches, prisons,
mines, factories, harbors and museums are often marked and marketed as
important attractions within a community or region.
Cultural sites and artifacts of national consequence are extremely impor-
tant for domestic visitors, but they may also attract the attention of interna-
tional tourists. For most international guests these sites are important
because of their iconic value or because of their intrinsic architectural or
thematic content. Foreign tourists' connections to national shrines or monu-
ments are usually somewhat detached and impersonal, while for citizens a
visit might elicit deep emotional outbursts or even spiritual experiences.
Global heritage is the next scale and typically involves world-renowned,
grandiose structures that appeal both to mass tourists and heritage enthusi-
asts. Many international heritage sites are iconic symbols of human ingenu-
ity, or they mark important events in world history. The Great Wall of
China, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the
Roman Colosseum are examples of well-known cultural attractions that
have become international icons for China, France and Italy.
The scaling of heritage refers to the adaptation of local patrimony into
national heritage, and national heritage into global heritage. This is done in
several ways, including official designation and inscription on national or
international heritage registers. In the US, there are a few different agencies
and listings that help document, preserve and promote sites of historic
importance. The National Register of Historic Places is administered by the
National Park Service (NPS) and has registered more than 80,000 properties,
comprising 1.4 million individual sites, objects and structures throughout
the US. Likewise, the National Historic Landmarks program, also adminis-
tered by the NPS, designates places of 'exceptional value or quality in illus-
trating or interpreting the heritage of the United States' (National Park
Service, 2013). There are fewer than 2500 historic landmarks in the US.
This designation is a critical branding and marketing mechanism for com-
munities nationwide.
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