Cheryl Hargrove
Hargrove International, Inc.
Author, Instructor, and 40-year travel industry veteran, Hargrove is best known as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s first Director of Heritage Tourism. During her tenure, Hargrove developed the key steps and principles for sustainable tourism through a historical and cultural lens. Her consulting company, Hargrove International, Inc., focuses on cultural heritage tourism assessment, planning, development, and management. In the past decade, her firm has assisted more than 150 destinations, byways, governments, and businesses. Hargrove authored Cultural Heritage Tourism: Five Steps for Success and Sustainability (Rowman & Littlefield, May 2017) as part of the American Association for State & Local History book series. Her new book, Authentic America: 250 Distinctly American Places to Explore (Bloomsbury Publishing), launched in January 2026. Her third book, Preserving and Promoting Personality of Place: Utilizing Cultural and Historic Assets to Enhance Destinations, is scheduled for publication in Spring 2027.
