Heritage tourism is a growing field, both from a visitation perspective and in terms of research efforts. This article adds value by reporting results of a study that estimated the economic contributions of heritage tourism in a major state in the U.S. Patterns of visitor behavior and spending detailed within these data could be used by future researchers as a benchmark for estimating the economic contribution of heritage tourism in other regions. Survey data were collected at dozens of diverse heritage-related attractions across hundreds of miles of geography in Pennsylvania using traditional printed questionnaire instruments as well as a mobile/online questionnaire instrument. A total of 3,524 completed questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The study estimated that tourists spent 7.5 million days/nights visiting survey sites, purchasing US$2 billion worth of goods and services attributable to heritage tourism. Limitations of the study are discussed along with implications for future research.
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