Developing industrial heritage tourism: A case study of the proposed jeep museum in Toledo, Ohio

There are a growing number of industrial cities in which promoting tourism maybe a helpful tool for urban restructuring and economic development. This paper identifies six key attributes of developing industry heritage tourism from the previous literature. These attributes have been used to evaluate a proposal for the National Historic Jeep Museum by the city of Toledo, Ohio. The investigation revealed that although the potentials for conserving and interpreting the museum are valued highly, there exist conflicting views by various stakeholders. Problems are attributed to poor community perceptions, a lack of strong support from the Jeep industry, the controversial reuse of existing facilities, ill-informed economic benefits and the issue of authenticity. The implications of the study provide suggestions for future improvements in the development of industry heritage tourism.