| BALTIMORE, MD Mon, Oct 22, 2007 In an effort to provide Maryland teachers with ideas and itineraries for educational school trips around the state, The Maryland Office of Tourism, in partnership with Baltimore’s Child magazine, has released the Maryland Field Trip and Teachers’ Guide.
“The student youth travel market is an important component of Maryland’s tourism industry, an industry that generates more than $11 billion in economic impact for the state,” said Hannah L. Byron, Assistant Secretary of Tourism, Film and the Arts. “Because of our rich history, Maryland offers an outstanding opportunity for students to experience first hand some of the places that helped shape our nation, such as Antietam National Battlefield and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.”
A resource for teachers and other youth leaders, the Maryland Field Trip Guide details numerous field trip itineraries, enrichment programs and home school programs that are available in Maryland. Field trip destinations are listed not only by subject area (such as music and multicultural studies) but are also categorized into five areas that are of importance in planning educational experiences, such as: field trip locations, including self-guided or docent-led tours; enrichment and outreach programs that travel to locations; curriculum that can be used for pre-and post-educational opportunities; entities that deliver special home school programming and teacher’s bonuses that save planners money.
The Maryland Office of Tourism and Baltimore’s Child jointly produced the guide for the first time this year. In the past, both produced and distributed similar publications. Baltimore’s Child first started publishing its guide in 1999, while the Maryland Office of Tourism began producing its Field Trip Guide in 2002.
“This unique marketing relationship allows our magazine to have increased visibility to teachers across the country through the state’s distribution channels while providing our core audience with a true compendium of the field trip options available in the state,” said Baltimore’s Child publisher Sharon Keech.
The guide also benefits Maryland’s tourism attractions by raising their profile among teachers and other youth leaders.
“We believe that field trips are critical to being able to reach out to students and hopefully inspire them,” said Paula Katz, Director of Sales and Service for the National Aquarium in Baltimore. “We’re pleased to support the efforts of the Maryland Office of Tourism to promote educational opportunities to teachers and students.”
Tourism is one of Maryland’s fastest growing industries and the fourth largest employer in the state, employing 112,000 people. The state welcomes more than 27 million visitors each year, who spend more than $11 billion and generate $2 billion in state and local taxes.
For copies of the Field Trip Guide, call – 1-800-519-7500 or visit www.visitmaryland.org.
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