MSA Launches New Publication: The Cultural Traveler

Denver, CO, April 27, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The Museum Store Association (MSA), with its partners the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council and the Shop America Alliance, is proud to announce the launch of a new publication called The Cultural Traveler, a tourism-focused guidebook featuring the leading museum stores in North America.

The Cultural Traveler will be distributed in 2009 to more than 40,000 consumers, tour operators, travel agents and travel media interested in museum store shopping. By increasing awareness and interest in visiting museums and museum stores as unique cultural destinations, the publication also will help drive attendance at cultural institutions in general. The premiere issue is scheduled to be launched in 2009.

The publication will be directed to the consumer tourism market and to the travel trade industry. The goal is to provide consumer exposure for museum members to help increase retail business and attendance at cultural institutions. The publication is an opportunity for cultural institutions to purchase cost-effective tourism marketing and public relations and will showcase participating MSA members, along with U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council Members, in an attractive, high-image travel guidebook that will reach 40,000 plus consumers, tour operators, travel agents, and travel media.

Participant exposure to the tourism market will be further enhanced by an electronic version of the complete contents of The Cultural Traveler along with direct links to participants’ Web sites, via a new Web site launched by MSA called www.Museum-Store.travel.

The web site will be marketed and promoted to the travel trade industry and will be enhanced by additional content opportunities as the project develops. The digital version also will be promoted on the U.S. Cultural and Heritage Tourism Marketing Council web site, the ShopAmericaVIP.com website as well as other appropriate web sites.

Each participant will receive 250 copies of the printed edition of The Cultural Traveler to resell at retail or to distribute as they wish as a membership benefit within the institution. Distribution of The Cultural Traveler also will include a select list of targeted media with 10,000 copies going to tour operators, travel agents and travel leaders in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico.

For further details visit www.MuseumStoreAssociation.org or www.Museum-Store.travel

MSA is a nonprofit, international association organized to advance the success of museum retail professionals. By encouraging high standards of professionalism, MSA helps cultural commerce professionals better serve their organizations. MSA also is focused on helping increase awareness about museum stores as unique shopping destinations for tourists and cultural travelers. As part of a strategic alliance with the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council (USCHT) and Shop America Alliance (SAA), MSA provides expertise in the cultural and heritage tourism arena to its members and the general public.

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